Perfect Summer Meal! Rules are:
Must be eaten outside.
MUST leave room for dessert.
Salmon Skewers (Sprouted Kitchen) Makes 8 Skewers
Preheat your grill or broiler. Soak 8 skewers in water if using wooden/bamboo ones. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
Cut 1 ½ lbs. Wild Alaskan Salmon, skinned and deboned into 2’’ chunks, you want them similar in size to cook evenly. Slice 2 zucchinis into thin coins. Slice2 lemons into very thin pieces. Layer your skewers with a piece of salmon, a slice of lemon (folded in half), and a chunk of zucchini. Repeat three times, depending on the size of your skewers, and lay them on the baking sheet. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients.
In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice,1 Tbsp. good quality maple syrup, ½ tsp. sea salt, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, and 1/4 - ½ tsp. red pepper flakes. Give it a little mix and brush the oil mixture liberally onto all sides of the skewered goodies. Move a rack to the upper third of the oven and broil the skewers on the sheet for about 8 minutes until the edges just begin to brown and the salmon feels barely firm. Salmon is best under opposed to overdone, so keep an eye.
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
To prepare the sauce, whirl 2 garlic cloves in a food processor. Add ½ tsp. each salt and pepper, 1/2 of a large english cucumber, roughly chopped (about 1 ½ cups), and zest of one lemon and give it a few pulses to chop. Add 3 Tbsp. fresh dill, 2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves, and 1 cup full fat greek yogurt and give a few more pulses to combine. The texture should be a bit chunky. Transfer to a small bowl and serve along with the skewers and grain of choice.
I made this with the peach and halloumi salad in my earlier posts. It went really nicely ;)
Then… it was time for dessert. We made roasted apples which were to die for and melted in your mouth. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Roasted Apples with Ginger Mousse and Cinnamon Breadcrumbs (Five and Spice)
First, make a ginger simple syrup by combining ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water, and a 2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices in a small saucepan. Split one vanilla bean in half, scrape the insides into the pan, then add the pod. Turn the heat under the pan to high. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it boils, remove it from the heat. Set aside for 30 minutes to infuse. After 30 minutes, strain the ginger and vanilla bean out of the syrup. Set the syrup aside again.
Preheat your oven to 425F. Put 8 firm cooking apple halves (peeled and cored) into a large baking dish. Drizzle them with 2 Tbs. butter, melted, then sprinkle them with 1 Tbs. dark brown sugar. Toss them to get them lightly coated, then turn them to make sure they all have the cut side facing up. Put the pan into the oven and roast until the apples are totally soft, around 40 minutes. While they are roasting, check them every 10-15 minutes, and use a spoon to scoop up the juices that are accumulating in the pan and drizzle the juices all over the apples.
Once the apples are cooked, take them out of the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack to cool for just a bit. While the apples are roasting, make the cinnamon breadcrumbs. Over medium heat, heat 1 Tbs. butter in a frying pan until melted. Stir in ¼ cup breadcrumbs and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until the breadcrumbs are toasted, around 5-10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
When you’re ready to serve, make the ginger mousse by whipping 1 ½ cups heavy cream, the ginger syrup (from step 1) and ½ cup mascarpone together until stiff peaks form. Put two apple halves on each plate, scoop a large spoonful of the ginger mousse on top, then sprinkle with a spoonful of cinnamon breadcrumbs. Serve.