Crispy Salmon Cakes with Creamy Lemon-Herb Dipping Sauce

If that title doesn't grab you right there, I don't know what will!  I've been making salmon cakes about once a month for the last 6 months or so and I usually just do my own thing and make some kind of tartar sauce to go along with them.  They're always tasty and we always enjoy them, but of course I found a recipe in my new book that just takes them to the next level!  The panko bread crumbs make them light and crisp on the outside and the flavors are amazing on the inside.  The dipping sauce is superb and we found ourselves dipping our oven fries into it as well.  These are a winner!  I hope you enjoy them.

Note: Almost every time I've made salmon cakes, I've used canned salmon because let's face, my husband is in grad school and we are on a low budget.  The original recipe calls for a 1 1/4 lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces.  Since I've never made it that way, I put canned salmon in the recipe, but I'm confident these would taste far superior following the recipe and using fresh.  So do what you want!  If you too are low on funds, use canned and I promise they are still totally delicious!  Also, if using the canned salmon, add 1 egg to help them stay together.  They still taste great without it, but you'll have a lot more trouble keeping them together.


Also remember to whip up your sauce before you start your salmon cakes since it needs to chill for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!


Crispy Salmon Cakes
Serves 4 (makes 8 cakes)

3 T. plus 3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
1 scallion, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
2 T. minced fresh parsley
2 T. mayonnaise
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
20 oz. canned salmon (or fresh - see note)
1 egg (optional, only if using canned salmon instead of fresh)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 recipe Creamy Lemon-Herb Dipping sauce (recipe below)

Line plate with paper towels and set aside.  Combine 3 T. panko, scallion, shallot parsley, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, egg (if using), salt, pepper, and cayenne in bowl.  (If using fresh salmon - pulse in food processor in 3 batches until coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces).  Add salmon to bowl with panko mixture.  Gently mix until uniformly combined.

Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in shallow baking dish or pie plate.  Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop level amount of salmon mixture and transfer to baking sheet; repeat to make 8 cakes.  Carefully coat each cake in bread crumbs, gently patting cake into disk measuring 2 3/4 inches in diameter and 1 inch high.  Return coated cakes to baking sheet.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Place cakes in skillet and cook, without moving, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Carefully flip cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, 2-3 minutes.  Transfer cakes to prepared plate to drain for 1 minute.  Serve with lemon wedges or sauce.

Creamy Lemon-Herb Dipping Sauce
Makes about 1/2 cup

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh parsley (or 1/2 T. dried)
1 T. minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 T. dried)
1 scallion, minces
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and season with pepper to taste.  Cover and chill until flavors blend, at least 30 minutes.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

Chicken Tikka Masala

Have you had this before?  I had it for the first time a few months ago and loved it.  My mom came into town and took us out to an Indian restaurant for dinner.  It was delicious!  I knew it was something I'd like to try at home.  The flavors were so complex.  I really enjoyed this recipe.  It was a little involved, but it was something fun to try and will be something we make again for sure.  The sauce got better the days following when we ate the leftovers, so I would even recommend making it ahead of time.  The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and then just gently reheated before you add the chicken the day of.

*Note: I read up a bit about garam masala - the spice used in this dish (and many other Indian dishes).  There is a great variance in what is in it, so this may alter what your end product tastes like.  I went to an Indian food store here in the city (so cheap) and asked the ladies there what they recommended.  They showed me one they liked and so I got it.  After we tried it, I felt like the dish needed about twice as much, so that's why there is a range there.  Taste the sauce as you go, and add more as you see fit.  Also, if you can't find garam masala, the recipe indicates that you can combine 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper and use that as a substitute.


Chicken Tikka Masala
(serves 4-6)


CHICKEN
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 c. plain whole-milk yogurt
2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced

SAUCE
3 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile, ribs & seeds removed, flesh minced
1 T. tomato paste
1-2 T. garam masala*
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
salt, to taste
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

For the chicken:  Combine salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in small bowl.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres.  Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic together in large bowl and set aside.

For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, serrano, tomato paste, and garam masala and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in cream and return to simmer.  Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

To cook the chicken:  While sauce simmers, position oven rack 6 inches from heating element and heat broiler.  Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan.  Discart excess yogurt mixture.  Broil chicken until thickest part registers 160 degrees and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10-18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest  minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce).  Stir in cilantro, season with salt to taste and additional garam masala if needed, and serve over rice.  (Sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days and gently reheated before adding hot chicken).

Pan-seared Chicken Breasts with Lemon & Chive Pan Sauce

Cook's Illustrated really made our Valentine's Day delicious this year!  I keep talking about them, but it's because they are amazing!  This is yet another recipe from their latest cookbook.  My mother-in-law had told me about this one, and I was anxious to try it.  I finally decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did.  It's a simple method of cooking the breasts first in the oven and then finishing them up on the stove to give them a nice sear.  The result is moist, flavorful chicken.  You then whip up a quick pan sauce and the entire dish is a winner!

My only problem was that my chicken breasts were far too big, so I had to cook them a bit too long, which made them not as good as they should have been.  I should have (and next time I will) cut them in half horizontally - as if you are butterflying them - and then they would be about right.  Obviously you don't need to do that if your chicken breasts are the right size to start with.


Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Lemon & Chive Pan Sauce


CHICKEN
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, trimmed
2 tsp. kosher salt (use 1/2 if using table salt)
1 T. vegetable oil
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. pepper

PAN SAUCE
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh chives
1 T. unsalted butter, chilled
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the CHICKEN: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees.  Using fork, poke thickest half of breasts 5-6 times and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt.  Transfer breasts, skinned side down, to 9x13-inch baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake until breasts register 145-150 degrees, 30-40 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven and transfer, skinned side up, to paper towel-lined plate and pat dry with paper towels.  Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  While skillet is heating, whisk butter, flour, cornstarch, and pepper together in bowl.  Lightly brush top of chicken with half of butter mixture.  Place chicken in skillet, coated side down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.  while chicken browns, brush with remaining butter mixture.  flip chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook until second side is browned and chicken registers 160 degrees, 3-4 minutes.  Transfer chicken to large plate and let rest while preparing sauce.

For the SAUCE: Add shallot to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.  Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to vigorous simmer and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in any accumulated chicken juices; return to simmer and cook for 30 seconds.  Off heat, whisk in lemon juice, chives, and butter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

New York-Style Cheesecake

Oh my.  This was our Valentine's Day treat this year and holy cow, will it be hard to top.  Jeremy claims it is the best cheesecake he's ever eaten, and I think I have to agree.  It was just perfect.  Smooth and creamy with a great flavor and texture.  This comes from America's Test Kitchen, so it's no wonder that it turned out so well.  I followed the recipe to a "t" and it was amazing!  No cracks, no problems.

If you are a cheesecake lover, you need to try this recipe!  I don't think I'll ever try another.  It was that good.  I was so surprised by how easy it was.  This was my first real cheesecake and I think I had put off making one because it sounded so hard.  Well, it really wasn't any harder than any other cake!  This could be a dangerous revelation, because now I'm sure I'll make it all too often.  (Except for the fact that it is so not low-cal).  We've enjoyed eating this every night since lover's day.  In fact, I just finished off a piece and it was amazing!

This cheesecake is plenty delicious on its own, but we ate it alongside a simple raspberry sauce which tasted divine!  I used this recipe here, from a Valentine's dessert I tried a few years ago (recipe at the bottom). 

New York-Style Cheesecake


CRUST
8 whole graham crackers, broken into rough pieces
1 T. sugar
5 T. unsalted butter, melted

FILLING
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese (5 packages), cut into 1" chunks and softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 c. sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1 T. unsalted butter, melted

For the crust:  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Process graham cracker pieces in food processor to fine crumbs, about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and melted butter, and pulse until evenly moistened (or combine in a bowl).  Empty crumbs into 9-inch springform pan and, using bottom or ramekin or dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly and evenly into pan bottom, keeping sides as clean as possible.  Bake crust until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 12-13 minutes.  Let crust cool in pan on wire rack while making filling.

For the filing:  Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese on medium-low speed until broken up and slightly softened, about 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl,  add 3/4 cup sugar and salt and beat on medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl, then beat in remaining 3/4 cup sugar until combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl, add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl, add egg yolks, and beat on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl (again!), add whole eggs, 2 at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions.

Being careful not to disturb baked crust, brush inside of pan with melted butter and set pan on rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills in case pan leaks.  Pour filling into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening oven door, reduce temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until cheesecake registers 150 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours (I chose not to use a thermometer to check since I read a few reviews saying it cracked where the thermometer was inserted; so I just trusted my gut - and the recipe time - and it turned out great!  If you're unsure though, go with the thermometer).  Let cake cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then run paring knife around cake to loosen from pan (but don't remove yet).  Let cake continue to cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.  (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days).

To unmold cheesecake, wrap hot kitchen towel around pan and let stand for 1 minute.  Remove sides of pan.  Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter.

*The flavor and texture is best if you let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.  When slicing, have a pitcher of hot tap water nearby.  Dip the blade of the knife into the water and wipe it clean with a towel after each cut to get neat slices.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook