Balsamic Glaze with Maple and Lemon

 ...an amazing topping for salmon, chicken, roasted vegetables, fresh strawberries and more!

Balsamic vinegar is a ubiquitous kitchen staple, especially the affordable, supermarket condimento grade. But why settle for using it straight from the bottle? This recipe for a balsamic glaze adds a touch of maple and citrus, concentrating the flavors of an already complex, sweet/sour treat. While definitely not the authentic Modena or Reggio Emilia balsamic reduction, not barrel-aged for 12 to 25 years, the glaze does rate high marks for versatile deliciousness. And as a bonus, it only takes minutes to prepare. 

Recently the glaze was popular brushed on salmon fillets and drizzled atop grilled nectarine halves. Quick, easy and incredibly flavorful, this Balsamic Glaze with Maple and Lemon is a winner!  

Photo: Iron Skillet Salmon

Photo: Butter-basted Salmon Brushed with Balsamic Glaze

Maple, Balsamic and Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup lemon juice (or other citrus juice)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients (lemon juice through garlic) in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Do NOT let it foam up and boil over.
2. Lower the heat enough to maintain a bubbling simmer and cook to reduce for roughly 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. As it cools the liquid will thicken; thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Not thick enough? give it a few more minutes on the heat.
3. Stir in the olive oil and you're ready to go.

Notes: 

• Grill or broil a salmon fillet or steak, brushing occasionally with the glaze as you cook. Avoid flareups! OR use as a finishing glaze immediately after you pull the fish from the grill or skillet.
• This should hold for several weeks in the fridge, but it never lasts that long in my galley. 
• See also the recipe and steps for my Balsamic Reduction.

Blueberry Sauce and Swedish Pancakes

What's the difference between a Swedish pancake and a crepe? Not much, in my kitchen. Some quick online research yielded a comment that they are pancakes that "come in different languages". Hmmmmm, funny but not definitive. Both items are flat-not-puffy ultra thin pancakes, frequently rolled or folded around a filling. I typically make Swedish pancakes for breakfast or dessert with a sweet filling or sauce. Crepes have been a bit more versatile as tasty wrappers for either savory or sweet fillings. Not much of a difference, other than the addition or omission of sugar in the batter. No matter, we enjoy them both no matter what the label.

RL has a serious sweet tooth and relishes the sauce or filling more than the thin pancakes. He loves this tasty homemade blueberry sauce as a topping for pancakes, waffles, crepes, ice cream or just straight off the spoon. While huckleberries and lingonberries are flavorful alternatives, those berries aren't readily available even in season, so blueberries are my berry of choice. Seattle groceries stock 3-pound packages of frozen blueberries year around, so the home freezer always holds bags of berries when local berries are out of season. During late-summer cruising in SE Alaska we head for berry patches accessible from dinghy or kayak, or stay on high alert to avoid sharing the site with hungry bears. 

       

Blueberry Sauce aka Blueberry Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
Generous pinch of cinnamon

1-1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)

1/3 cup water

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

grated zest of half a lemon (optional)

Grate a small lemon and set the zest aside. Juice the lemon (you will have extra), straining out the seeds.

Combine sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add the berries and stir to mix.

Add the water and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Avoid a hard boil or it may bubble up over the edge of the pan. Keep the sauce warm until ready to use, or reheat gently. Again, keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. Add the lemon zest, if using, just before serving.

Swedish Pancakes

yield: 8-10 pancakes

2 eggs, beaten
1-1/8 cups milk
1 generous cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
grated zest of half a lemon

Use a medium bowl and combine eggs, milk, flour, sugar and salt. Beat by hand (or use a blender or mixer) until smooth and lump free. Add the melted butter and whisk or blend to incorporate. 

Heat a skillet (cast iron or non-stick) over medium-high heat. Use a ladle and pour 1/4-cup (2 oz) batter into the middle of the pan while tilting the pan to swirl the batter so it spreads out to coat the bottom (similar to making crepes). Cook until bubbles form and the bottom surface browns. Flip and cook to brown slightly on the second side. Add a line of blueberry syrup down the middle, plus any optional fillings, and keep warm in a very low heat oven Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve 2 or 3 pancakes per plate on warmed plates and offer additional warmed Blueberry Syrup, jam or powdered sugar.


Other Swedish pancake or crepe recipes:
Apple Pie Swedish Pancakes 
Cinnamon Apple Crepes 
Crepes Milanese 
Herbed Sourdough Crepes (for Cannelloni or Enchiladas)
Mushroom-Filled Crepe Purses
Stacked Crepes (with Ginger Chicken Filling & Coconut Sauce) 

Lamb Meatball Stuffed Mushrooms with Tzatziki Sauce

Think of this as a 2-for-1 treat; some scrumptious Lamb-Stuffed 'Shrooms to serve as an appetizer or light supper...

Photo: Lamb Meatball Stuffed Mushrooms topped with Tzatziki Sauce and plated on a bed of balsamic-braised kale

...plus a dozen or so little Lamb Meatballs for a lunch plate on another day, tasty on their own or delicious stuffed in a warm pita. 

Photo: Flavorful Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce

Rummaging through the fridge I found some plump stuffing mushrooms, ground lamb, and bunches of several fresh herbs. Aha! meatballs and meatball-stuffed 'shrooms! Both dishes came from a single one-pound package of ground lamb. That worked for me, big time, since neither of us felt any major hunger pangs that evening and I'm a huge fan of cooking ahead whenever possible. 

Appetizers for dinner sounded perfect, knowing that we could fill up on ice cream and cookies for dessert if we were hungry later. Never happened! The 'shrooms were of medium size, but we were stuffed after eating four apiece and their bed of braised kale.

I turned to my recipe for Lamb Kofta, but ended up substituting a few herbs and omitting capers in order to work with items already at hand. After mixing the ingredients and forming eight small meatballs, lightly packed, just large enough to fill the cavities of the mushrooms, there was still enough filling left to shape a generous dozen+ small meatballs. Win!

Of course I didn't bother to write down the exact ingredients or step-by-step directions, but here's a close approximation of the process. 

 Lamb Meatball Stuffed Mushrooms

Meat Mixture:

1 pound ground lamb

scant 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons mint paste (Gourmet Garden)
2 heaping tablespoons Italian parsley, minced

2 teaspoons garlic paste (Gourmet Garden)

3 tablespoons grated onion

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper  
Stems from the fresh mushrooms, minced

8-10 medium cremini mushrooms, cleaned & stemmed (number depends on size)
Kale, braised and tossed with balsamic vinegar (optional)

Tzatziki Sauce (see below)

Directions:
Mix the meatball ingredients thoroughly by hand, careful not to overwork the mixture or it will be tough. (I read that somewhere.) 

For the Stuffed Mushrooms:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Use a small cookie scoop or damp hands to form lightly packed small meatballs, just large enough to fill the cavities of the mushrooms when mounded slightly.
3. Arrange the stuffed 'shrooms in a lightly oiled pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until you see a few crispy, browned bits and the lamb is just faintly pink underneath. 
4. Serve atop a bed of braised kale - topped with tzatziki sauce - or perhaps in individual Asian soup spoons for party presentation.   

For the Meatballs:

1. Heat a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Use a small cookie scoop or damp hands to form the remaining meat mixture into small, round balls.
3. Place in the hot pan and brown on all sides.
4. Lower the heat to medium and lid the skillet, cooking a bit longer until the lamb is just done, only faintly pink in the middle, usually less than 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the skillet and serve with a side of tzatziki sauce - OR, if you can't resist, remove meatballs from the skillet, swirl some sour cream into the pan juices for a sauce to pour over the meatballs. 

Tzatziki Sauce

Makes 1 ¾ cups

1 English cucumber, peeled

1 TB kosher salt

1 cup Greek yogurt (plain)

1 TB lemon juice

2 TB lemon zest

1 TB fresh mint, chopped or 1 tsp dried mint

1 ½ TB fresh dill, chopped or ½ tsp dried dill

1 clove garlic, minced & mashed

1 green onion, finely chopped

Salt (optional)  and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater and place in a strainer; add salt and toss gently. Place the strainer over a bowl and let it sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes (or more). You will be amazed at the quantity of liquid that drains out! 
2. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly under cold water; drain and wring out in a clean tea towel to remove as much moisture as possible without reducing the cukes to moosh. 
3. Place cukes and all other ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Sample and adjust to taste. 

The flavors will blend and intensify as they sit. The sauce will keep overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator, but is best used within a day or two. 

Smoked Salmon on the Barbecue

Sometimes - when fishing has been good, when the weather cooperates, when the Capt. feels like manning the barbecue – we feast on Ron’s special Smoked Salmon with a Honey Lime Pepper Glaze. This delectable treat isn’t a quick, spur-of-the-moment preparation. While not difficult, it does require planning ahead to accommodate overnight brining and an hour or two of carefully tending the barbecue. It’s well worth the time spent monitoring, and taste-testing, the low-and-slow batch of smoked salmon. 

When smoking big batches of salmon ashore, I use multiple Little Chief smokers. These electric units  make it easier to regulate the temperature with minimal tending, but smoking aboard seems to add something special to the flavor. Either way, freshly smoked salmon has been a major hit with both crew and guests.

Kalinin Barbecue-Smoked Salmon

Brine: Makes 5 cups, enough to brine 4-5 pounds salmon

4 cups water

¼ cup kosher salt or other non-iodized salt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon garlic granules or powder (not garlic salt)

1 tablespoon pickling spices, crushed

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon ground Indian coriander

3 or 4 splashes liquid smoke (optional)

4 to 5 pounds skin-on salmon, cut into 2-inch strips

Honey Lime Pepper Glaze (see recipe below)

Untreated wood boards, strips or sticks/branches soaked in water for at least one hour prior to use on the barbecue (alder preferred)

Add the brine ingredients to a large glass or other nonreactive container. Whisk together and microwave until the sugar dissolves. Chill thoroughly.

Place the salmon strips in the brine, one at a time so each piece is coated on all sides. When all of the salmon strips are in the container they should be completely immersed. If necessary, weight down the top surface with a plate to keep everything submerged and covered in brine. Cover and hold in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.

When ready to smoke the salmon, remove the strips from the brine. Lightly rinse to remove the bits and pieces of pickling spice, dry with a paper towel and air dry on a baking rack for 3 hours. Air-drying sets up a dry finish and will encourage absorption of a smokey flavor. 

Preheat the barbecue grill to its lowest setting (85-120 degrees F), arrange the wet wood pieces across the grate, leaving small gaps between each piece for smoke and air flow. Place the brined-and-airdried salmon chunks on top of the wet wood, leaving a gap between each piece. Close the lid and let cook at the lowest temperature possible for 20-30 minutes.

After the salmon has cooked for 20-30 minutes, baste with the Honey Lime Pepper Glaze. Cover and continue smoking. Continue to baste and check for doneness frequently; for the thinner pieces check every 15-20 minutes and remove from the grill as they finish. RL likes to add one last coat of the honey/lime glaze as he takes each piece off the grill.

Sampling is the recommended best test for doneness. <grin> It may take several hours, up to 2 to 3 for thicker pieces of king salmon.

Serve immediately or cool and store covered in the refrigerator. Use as an appetizer, snack, or an amazingly tasty addition to soups, salads, or breakfast dishes.

Honey Lime Pepper Glaze:

Use a 4:3:1 ratio (by volume) to mix batches of this glaze, for example

4 ounces honey

3 ounces lime juice (fresh or bottled)

1 ounce freshly cracked black pepper

*Quick Cook Note: if I’m in a hurry or the weather is really crummy, I’ve brushed the fish with a few drops of liquid smoke diluted in some water, and slow-baked the racks over baking sheets in a 180 F or lower oven. It works, sort of. One step better is to partially cook on the barbecue grill and finish in the oven, but nothing is as flavorful as a total smoke on the barbecue (or in an electric smoker with wood chips).

*Canning Note: after the salmon cools I pack it into pint or half-pint jars and have to refer to a canning book or on-line link for the time and temp details. Smoked salmon takes as long as fresh salmon; some of the oil will come out of the fish, so I turn and up-end the jars every so often if I store it a long time.

Salmon with Puttanesca Sauce

Salmon Supper: Always Have a Plan B

Fresh salmon usually calls for barbecuing a fillet… usually. However, there is no way our gas grill will stay lit when the wind gusts reach 30 knots, and The Capt. isn’t too enthusiastic about manning the grill in a windy downpour either. Fishing in unsettled weather is an entirely different thing, however.

This week’s changeable weather meant switching from our favorite outdoor grilled salmon to two galley recipes instead. One night Cast Iron Skillet Salmon utilized the thinner tail end of a king (Chinook) salmon fillet. We consumed every last shred at dinner – sigh! no tasty leftovers for salmon salad or salmon spread with this recipe.

The thicker head-end of the same salmon fillet seemed perfect the next day for an oven roasting experiment. I have baked salmon before; sometimes with a lemony, garlic butter, scampi-style sauce… or a peppy and creamy green chili sauce… or wrapped in parchment en papillote… etc.  It must have been the crazy, changeable weather that encouraged me to go a little wild and pair the remaining portion of that gorgeous salmon fillet with a savory, spicy Italian puttanesca sauce.  Red sauce with salmon?! I know, I know, it sounds a little over the edge but OMG, this combination worked! The salmon held its own against the robust sauce, delivering flavor beyond expectations.

Salmon plus sauce makes a delicious entrée, but add some spaghetti to the plate and it’s heavenly and filling.

Note: I tossed the cooked pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder, keeping it warm in a covered pan while the salmon finished. To serve I added a swirl of spaghetti to each warmed plate, topped the pasta with salmon and spooned a bit of sauce over each portion. Next time I’ll save some pasta cooking water to thin the sauce a bit before this last step – or just make more sauce.

Salmon with Puttanesca Sauce

Serves 4

For the Sauce:

1 can (14-to-16 ounces) diced tomatoes with their juices

½ cup black olives, pitted and chopped or sliced

3 Tablespoons capers, drained

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, basil…)

¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 anchovy fillets (optional)

4 salmon fillets ( or a 1 ½ -to- 2 pounds chunk), skinned and boned

freshly ground black pepper (or substitute lemon pepper)

cooked spaghetti or other long pasta (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan; bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir occasionally.

Sprinkle the salmon with pepper; place in baking dish just large enough to hold the fillets with some space in between each piece. Ladle the sauce around the salmon and place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake until just cooked through,  10-15 minutes for thinner pieces and 12-20 minute for thicker chunks. Remember, fish will continue cooking for several minutes after you remove it from the oven.

Serve immediately on warmed plates, or even better top a swirl of hot, cooked pasta with a fillet and a dollop of sauce.

Notes:

*Next time I’ll try adding ¼ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts) and a handful or two of baby spinach leaves or kale to the sauce… just because.

*Halibut is another good choice for this preparation.