This dinner has a shortcut built into it, which will probably cause me to loose whatever foodie cred I have. But here goes anyway.
Butter Basted Pan Roasted Halibut
- 2 4-ounce halibut filets
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- salt and pepper
Season halibut with salt and pepper. In your trusty All-Clad 10-inch nonstick skillet
heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add filets to the pan and turn heat down to medium. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom side is light brown. Flip and add the butter and garlic. When the butter melts, tilt the pan towards you and use a large plastic or silicon spoon to scoop up the butter and pour over the fish. Repeat for several minutes. Check the fish's temperature. When it hits 140°, it's done.
Tomato Bearnaise Sauce
Here's the short cut. I made a packet of Knorr Bearnaise Sauce
following the package directions. As the sauce came together I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 ½ tablespoons of finely diced sun-dried tomatoes (that were packed in oil).
Stuffed Tomato
Preheat the oven to 375°. This is an ideal opportunity, by the way, to use your Breville Smart Oven
. It's going to use a lot less energy than your big oven.
- 2 large beefsteak tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- sugar
- 2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ ounce crumbled soft cotija cheese (feta will work too)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot diced finely
- 1 garlic clove minced
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- water
- ½ cup couscous
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1 tablespoon pinenuts
Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Using a grapefruit spoon
, scoop out all the pulp from the tomatoes. Put the pulp and any juices into a strainer set over a bowl. Season the interior of the tomatoes with several pinches of salt and sugar. Put the tomatoes onto a wire rack over a cookie sheet and let drain for half an hour or so.
Combine the panic with one-third of the cheese. Mix thoroughly.
Heat your second All-Clad 10-inch nonstick skillet on the medium setting. Melt the butter. Add shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Cook another 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook another 30 seconds. Add enough water to any liquid that came from the pulp to make a total of ¾ cup of liquid. Bring to a boil. Add couscous, currants, and pinenuts. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Remove from heat. Cover. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining cheese and mix well. Stuff the tomatoes. Put into a small roasting pan. Cook for about 22 minutes.
Turtle Rock Willow White (Paso Robles) 2017
A blend of 62% Grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne, 11% Viognier, 7% Picpoul. It's a nice change of pace from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. Lovely bouquet of pear, honey, apple, and buttered toast. The palate suggests it has seen some new oak, but not a lot. Balanced and refreshing, but has some depth on the finish. Grade: B++
