Carrot Salad and Grilled Roast Beef with Root vegetables in Honey and Balsamic Vinager

It was a VERY busy Tuesday for me today!As well as my regular Tuesday shopping and preperation for dinner, I met with my friend and work colleague, James, to go check out a neighbourhood gardening shop...Art Knapps, The Urban Garden at 1401 Hornby Street, Vancouver. It's a really great place, but I hardly got a chance to look around because my MISSION was stocking my new balcony herb garden.
I managed to pick up a patio variety cherry tomato plant, and some basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sage plants.
I've been lucky enough to get lots of helpful tips from Mark's colleague, Chris, who has THE most amazing balcony garden ever...I appreciate all the helpful advice she's given.
Wish me luck!!!!

Cherry Tomato amd Basil

And my other Herbs

The Recipe

4 lb (2 kg) sirloin roast
2 tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Let beef sit at room temp. for at least 1 hour.
Heat BBQ to high (400C).
Sear top for 2 minutes. Turn. Sear bottom for 2 minutes. Repeat.

Roast in oven, uncovered for 1 hour or until the thermometer reads 145F (63C) for medium rare.
Remove from oven and let rest on cutting board, loosely covered for 20 min.


Root Vegetables in Honey and Balsamic Vinegar

1 small turnip
2 medium beets
1 large sweet potato
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 sprigs of Rosemary
Salt and pepper

Toss vegetables with other ingredients.
Transfer to pan.

Roast for 45 minutes at 350.

Carrot Salad

2 small carrots, peeled and made into long, thin strips with a vegetable peeler
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Pinch coriander (cilantro)
Salt and pepper
2 cups mixed greens

Place carrot strips into large mixing bowl.
Add all other ingredients, toss together and serve.

Summer Corn Soup with Salmon En Croute

Today is the first day of summer.
I went to Canadian Tire today, not for this Tracy's Tuesday Dinner, but, with all hope, the product of todays travels will contribute in the future to many Tuesday dinners...what does this mean????
I'm getting started on a balcony garden - herb garden, that is.
Maybe I'll blog a bit about that adventure soon, its a whole other new learning experience for me!!!
For now,  enjoy this weeks tasty summer dishes .

Summer Corn Soup

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
750 ml Vegetable stock
4 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cob, cobs reserved
3 cups whole milk
salt and pepper
smoked paprika

In pot, melt butter over medium heat.
Add onion, celery and garlic, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook about 5 min.
add stock, corn kernels, corncobs and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, add milk and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove soup from hear and allow to cool slightly.
Remove and discard corncobs.
Purée soup in blender until smooth.

Return to pot.
Reheat over medium heat and serve.
Sprinkle with paprika.

Salmon en Croute

all-purpose flour, for dusting puff pastry
large salmon fillet, bones removed
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground ground pepper
1/4 cup black olive tapenade paste
fresh basil
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dust baking pan with flour.
Dust clean working surface and rolling pin.

The rolling pin and Tupperware mat my Nan gave me...antiques!

Drizzle salmon with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt And pepper.
Transfer salmon to the pastry, skin-side down, them spoon the tapenade over the top, spreading it out into a thin layer.

Pick the basil leaves and place them over the fish.

Slice the tomatoes and place them over the basil in an overlapping row.
Sprinkle mozzarella over top.

Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil.
Gather up the sides of the pastry and pinch and push them together.
Crack the egg into a cup and beat it with a fork. Use a brush to paint this egg wash all around the pastry edges.

Place sheet at bottom of oven, with another empty sheet above to protect the top from getting too much heat.
Cook for 35 min.
Slice and serve.

Black Peppercorn and Cumin Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Veggies and Chocolate Brandy Mousse

Black Peppercorn and  Cumin Pork Tenderloin

1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 pork tenderloin
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp brandy
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Using mortar and pestle, finely grind cumin and peppercorns. Stir in sugar and salt.

Rub all over pork, pressing to adhere. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.)

In large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; sear pork on all sides until well browned, about 6 minutes.

Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 25 minutes. 

Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes, reserving accumulated juices. Carve into 1-inch thick slices; transfer to platter.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, whisk together cream, cognac and mustard; boil for 8 minutes or until reduced to about 1/4 cup (125 mL). Stir in accumulated pork juices; pour over pork.

Roasted Veggies 

1 small zucchini, halved and sliced lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, sliced, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

small bunch asparagus, halved (botton inch removed)

4 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a shallow baking dish, mix veggies, oil, and salt and pepper. 

Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until ten­der. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Brandy Mousse

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped small

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp brandy

1 tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter

2 eggs, separated

3 tbsp whipping cream

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

1 1/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

fresh mint

raspberries soaked in brandy

Melt chocolate with water in heatproof bowl over pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.

Off the heat, whisk in brandy and butter.

With electric mixer, beat egg yolks for 3 minutes until thick and creamy.

Slowly beat into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Set aside.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into chocolate mixture.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites slowly until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the spead and continue beatinguntil they form soft peaks. 

Gradually sprinkle sugar and continue beating until the whites are stif and glossy.

Using a rubber spatula, stir a quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaing whites until they are just combined.

Gently spoon into individual desert dishes (this recipe made 2 large martini glass size servings).

Chill for at least 2 hours.

Grilled White Shrimp with Honey Mustard Potato Salad

This is a lovely, quick dish I made for my Mom when she visited me here from Newfoundland last week.
We had a great time out shopping for the ingredients. We stopped by T & T Market in Chinatown to pick up the shrimp. They have an amazing selection of seafood there, you wouldn't be disappointed. I will admit, I cheated a little and used store bought salad dressing this week. It was Simply Natural Organic Honey Mustard Dressing...delicious and it cut down on time.

Grilled White Shrimp

1/4 cup parsley
3 cloves garlic
 1/4 inch slice red onion
1 chili pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil

Combine ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.
Marinade shrimp in mixture for 1 hour.
Skewer shrimp.

Grill on BBQ for 6 min on high.

Potato Salad

6 small white potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cucumber, diced
2/3 cup Honey Mustard Dressing
1 tbsp dill

Dice potatoes, rinse, boil for 10 min, drain, let cool.
Combine ingredients. Dress salad.

Garnish with dill.

No Blog this Week

I didn't post a blog this week, but I did do a Tuesday dinner.
I documented the meal, but haven't had a chance to get the recipe and pics up yet.
My mom has been visiting from Newfoundland and we've been very busy. Presently, we are en route to Kamloops, BC for a bit of a family reunion.
I will post the info this coming Tuesday, as well as that Tuesday's dinner.
Bye for now.

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