SUNDRIED TOMATO-CRUSTED SALMON
By Jachin Tan
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
200g bread crumbs
50g sundried tomatoes*
5 tbsp Dijon mustard
400g salmon fillet, with skin on
A pinch of salt
Lemon pepper seasoning*, to taste
5 sprigs fresh dill
DIRECTIONS
1 Blend the breadcrumbs and sun-dried tomatoes together in a food processor.
2 Spread the mustard evenly over the skin of the salmon and sprinkle with the sun-dried tomato-crumb mix.
3 Grease a baking dish and sprinkle in the salt, lemon pepper seasoning and dill. Place the salmon in it, skin-side up.
4 Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake in an oven preheated to 200 deg C for 15-20min.
*Bottled sundried tomatoes are available at Market Place supermarkets in Singapore and at www.redmart.com. Lemon pepper seasoning can be found at the condiments section of Cold Storage and Market Place supermarkets.
BEER-INFUSED CHICKEN
By Jachin Tan
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 can lager
30ml light soya sauce
3 chicken breasts, halved
A pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can button mushrooms, drained and sliced
60g sliced almonds*
DIRECTIONS
1 Mix the beer and soya sauce, and brine the chicken in it overnight.
2 Grease a glass baking dish and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the base.
3 Drain the chicken and set aside the brining liquid.
4 Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sear the chicken over high heat for 1min each side. Remove from heat and set aside.
5 Combine the mushroom soup, sliced mushrooms and brining liquid, then pour the mixture into the baking dish.
6 Add the chicken, cover with aluminium foil, and bake in an oven preheated to 200 deg C for 20-25min until tender and cooked through.
7 Sprinkle in the toasted almonds before serving.
*To make your own, toast sliced almonds for 10min in an oven preheated to 160 deg C. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that they do not burn.
ASPARAGUS AND SHIMEJI MUSHROOM TART
By Mark Richards
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
150g asparagus, trimmed
50g Shimeji mushrooms
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup grated gruyere
2 shallots, minced
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp full cream milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
Zest of 1/2 lemon
DIRECTIONS
1 On a floured surface, fold the puff pastry in half, twice, then roll it out to approximately 1cm thick.
2 Transfer the pastry to a baking tray lined with baking paper and prick it all over with a fork. Bake at 180 deg C for 12min until golden-brown.
3 Toss the asparagus and mushrooms with the olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.
4 Combine the cheeses, shallots, egg yolks, milk, nutmeg powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5 Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 2.5cm border on all sides. Top with the asparagus-mushroom mixture.
6 Lower the oven to 160 deg C and bake for 15min until the cheese is slightly puffy.
7 Sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve.
This article was originally published in Simply Her November 2014.