Here is a sensational summer dish. This recipe tempers the richness of black cod with the acidic bite of a pickled salad and an earthy broth made by reconstituting dried shiitake mushrooms.  The cod steaks are first quickly seared in hot oil to crisp their skin and develop flavor, then gently finished in the oven.  A small pinch of potent dill pollen adds color and helps to bring the flavors together.

Black Cod in Shitake Broth with Pickled Fennel Salad
Serves 6
Recipe courtesy of MarxFoods

INGREDIENTS:

Pan Seared Black Cod

• 36oz of black cod fillets, cut into 6oz steaks
• Dill pollen to taste

Shitake Broth

• ½ Yellow onion
• ½ Fennel bulb
• 1 Cup dried shiitake mushrooms

Pickled Fennel Salad

• ½ Fennel bulb
• ½ Shallot
• 1/8 Cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/8 Cup champagne vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

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I'm really excited to share the first in a series of videos from Seduction Meals. I went on the streets of New York and asked people to share their Seduction Meal secrets. Here's what they had to say.

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Waking up to the sweet aroma of freshly baked blueberry muffins or scones will put a smile on anyone's face. Sweet, juicy and colorful, right now is the best time to find large, ripe blueberries bursting with flavor.  Look for fresh blueberries that are firm, dry, plump, and smooth-skinned. And, a added bonus: Eating blueberries, as part of a healthy diet, may help ward off several key risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, such as an accumulation of belly fat, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. So grab a handful of fresh blueberries and pop them in your mouth for a satisfying sweet treat. 

Blueberry Mini Muffins
Yields 24 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Lightly grease 24 (1-inch) mini-muffin pan cups.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour and sugar.
4. Make a well in the center; add milk, egg and butter.
5. Stir gently until mixture begins to form a soft dough; fold in berries; spoon into mini-muffin cups, dividing evenly.
6. Bake until tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Per muffin: 83 calories, 13 g carbohydrate, 2.6 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat

Recipe courtesy of The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

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Enjoy an elegant salad of mixed greens, endives, sliced cucumbers, duck prosciutto, radish slices and shaved Parmesan cheese strips. For a bit of sweetness you can add pear or apple slices. Serve with a glass of chilled white wine for a luscious summer luncheon.

Duck Proscuitto Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 Belgium endive
• 1 cup mixed greens
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 radish, trimmed and thinly sliced
• Parmesan cheese, shaved into long thin strips
• 1 package of Duck Proscuitto
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish with a sprig of thyme

Directions

• Wash and drain the greens and endive, set aside to dry
• slice cucumbers and radicchio
• (optional) 1 pear or apple, thinly sliced

Plating the Dish

1. Place two endive leaves on each plate
2. Place a strip of the duck proscuitto over the endives
3. Add a small handful of mixed greens in the center
4. Add 3 or 4 slices of Parmesan cheese over the duck/endive leaf, and add a few rolled up slices of duck proscuitto on top of this
5. Arrange the cucumbers and radish slices on the plate
6. Sprinkle olive oil over the dish
7. salt and pepper to taste

Option: For a bit of sweetness, thinly sliced pears would work perfectly

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I discovered this recipe in The Valley Table magazine. I used a fresh local brook trout instead of rainbow trout, and I must say, it was a big hit. The original recipe, Whitecliff Winery rainbow trout fish tacos, is a creation of Michael Migliore, an avid angler, devout foodie , wine maker, and owner of Whitecliff Vinyards.

Rainbow Trout Fish Tacos
Recipe by Michael Migliore, Whitecliff Winery,Valley Table Issue 45
Serves 2

Ingredients

• Whole fresh rainbow trout, cleaned and gutted
• juice of 3 limes
• salt and pepper to taste
• onion, sliced
• lemon wedges
• butter
• flour tortillas

Method:
1. Place whole gutted trout in a large glass or stainless steel pan. Cut limes in half and squeeze juice over the fish, refrigerate and marinate for 1 hour.
2. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high.
3. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in 250F oven.

To grill trout:
1. Remove the fish from the marinade, pat dry.
2. Season inside of the fish with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with sliced onion, lemon wedges and a few pats of butter.
3. Make four slices in the skin on each side and insert lemon slices.
4. Wrap the whole fish in foil and place on medium hot grill. Cook 10 to 12 minutes per side for a 3- to 4- pound fish. Remove when internal temperature reaches 140F.
5. Place the trout on a cutting board and remove skin. Remove the bones (they should come out as one piece), leaving two fillets.
6. Shred the meat with two forks.

Prepare tortillas:
Remove the tortillas from the oven. Place two tortillas partially overlapping on a large plate. Place four heaping tablespoons of the shredded fish in the center of the tortillas.

Serve with a spicy tomato salsa, a zesty lemon mayonnaise or a simple sour cream dill sauce.I opted for the sour cream dill sauce. Enjoy with Whitecliff Chardonnay, Awosting White or Traminette.

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Try a new and healthy take on this classic French preparation using lean and succulent buffalo ribeye steaks instead of beef. These steaks are best prepared using a lower temperature than you would use for beef. Cook rare to medium rare for best texture and flavor. Serve with home-made crispy fried and a bottle of your favorite full-bodied red wine. Just delicious!

Buffalo Ribeye Steak au Poivre
Recipe courtesy of D'Artagnan - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 2 - 8 oz Buffalo Ribeye or Beef Ribeye Steaks

• 4 Tbs. cracked black peppercorn
• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 oz Armagnac
• 6.5 oz Duck and Veal Demi-Glace 
• 2 Tbs.green peppercorn
• 2 Tbs. fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
• 6 oz heavy cream
• Regular salt to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F
2. Use cracked peppercorns. If you have whole peppercorns, you can crack them by placing them in wax paper with all sides sealed/folded over. Use the flat side of a large knife blade and smack the peppercorns to crack.
3. Season steaks on both sides with salt. Press the cracked black peppercorns into both sides of the steak. I use the flat side of large knife blade and hit the steaks to embed the peppercorns.
4. Heat vegetable oil in oven-proof skillet over high-flame until smoking.
5. Sear steaks until brown and crusted on both sides.
6. Put skillet into oven, cook for 4 minutes until medium-rare.
7. Remove steaks from skillet and reserve.
8. Over medium-high heat deglaze skillet with Armagnac, add demi-glace and reduce by half.
9. Add green peppercorns, heavy cream, tarragon and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
10. Season to taste with salt.
11. Remove skillet from heat, add steaks and any drippings. Coat the steaks with sauce.
12. Serve with home-made french fries or your favorite potato recipes.

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Asian Shrimp Salsa served with crispy wonton chips, elegantly enhanced by a spicy pomegranate vinaigrette. Served with hot or cold saki, white wine or champagne this dish makes for a tempting appetizer, or stylish hor dourves for your cocktail party for two.  There is a little prep time involved--the shrimp needs to marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours so plan ahead.

Asian Shrimp Salsa

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons PAMA Pomegranate liqueur
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Shrimp and wonton chips

• ½ pound bay shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Half a package of square wonton skins, about 20 skins

Instructions:
1. Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Put the shrimp, jalapeno, shallot, tomato, green onion, and cilantro into a wide shallow bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Set salsa aside to let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, make the wonton chips.

• Pour oil into a stir-fry pan to a depth of 1 1/2-inches and heat over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 350ºF.
• While oil is heating, line a plate with 2 layers of paper towels.
• Cut wonton skins half on the diagonal, to create triangles.
• Working in batches, fry wonton skins, turning occasionally, until chips are crisp and golden brown, about 1 minute per batch.
• Drain on paper towels.

4. Serve the Asian Shrimp Salsa with the chips on the side.

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Wake up this weekend with the tempting aroma of fresh baked strawberry scones--the perfect companion to a hot pot of coffee and the Sunday paper... in bed of course.  Serve slightly warm with your favorite jam, honey or clotted cream.
Fresh Strawberry Scones
Yield: 8 Servings
Recipe courtesy of California Strawberry Commission

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
• 4 tbsp. butter, refrigerated
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup fruit juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 cups sliced California strawberries
• 4 tbsp. strawberry jam

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