From TV to Table: Gordon Ramsay's Salmon En Croute from MasterChef Junior

My kids and I love watching MasterChef Junior. It's amazing to see what these young chefs can create. Besides being entertained and inspired, we also get hungry. Last week's episode featured Gordon Ramsay's Salmon En Croute with minted peas and potatoes. It is his daughter, Matilida's favorite meal, and after seeing how it's prepared I can see why.



For today's TV to Table talk, I decided to feature Gordon Ramsay's Salmon En Croute. Unfortunately I couldn't locate this recipe in my friend's collection of Ramsay cookbooks or online. So I made it from what I learned on the show, a recipe found online (which says it's Ramsay's but it was slightly different than shown on last week's episode) and Ramsay's video demo (See video clips and links below). My daughter and dear friend assisted and we ended up with a gourmet meal fit for kids and foodies alike. If you make this, please share stories and pics!

Salmon En Croute ala Jasmin

Gordan Ramsay's Salmon En Croute Demo

Be careful, this demo is fast. I had to watch this several times and there are no measurements (although with this recipe you can season to taste). Making this my first time, I used this recipe from Red to navigate my preparation.

FYI~ listen to other chef's recommendations and don't use leftover hollandaise sauce! Trust me, I tried with my leftovers the next day :) (if any of you readers have successfully used leftover hollandaise sauce do tell).

Carnivore to Herbivore: Chickenless Sofrito

vegetarian, nightshade free

Today I finally gifted myself with Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. This book is full of recipes reminiscent of Jerusalem. Paging through the text seeing the beautiful pictures and personal stories, I felt like I was back in Israel. Take my word, this cookbook is a great addition to your collection.

The first recipe I chose to make was Chicken Sofrito. I made a few modifications in order to match what I had on hand while meeting my dietary needs (Nightshade free pesco-vegetarian). I added butter and a “Not-Chick’n” bouillon cube (I use these bouillon cubes frequently). Together these help give a “chicken” like flavor. I also substituted seitan for the chicken (tofu or mock chicken works too). The result was a flavorful dish that will now be a staple meal for my family.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Butter

1 eight-ounce package seitan

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp of sugar

2 ½ tbsp lemon juice

1 large onion peeled and quartered

1 cup Not-Chick’n broth

1 pound fingerling potatoes washed and cut in half lengthwise

20 cloves of garlic (whole)

salt and pepper to taste

Put the 1 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven and put on medium heat. Once the butter is sizzling, add the seitan and cook until golden brown. Season with turmeric, salt, pepper, sugar and 1 ½ tbsp of lemon juice. Add onion and Not-Chick’n broth and cover with lid. Decrease the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes, occasionally stirring. Add water as needed (enough for ¼ on an inch to be on the bottom of the pan).

In the meantime, put 1 tbsp in a medium sauté pan, fry the potatoes and garlic until crispy and tender. Set aside.

Once the seitan has cooked for 45 minutes, add the potatoes and stir. Serve immediately with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. Be'te-avon! (Bon appetite in Hebrew)!

Add a dash of parsley for color