Had a great trip to Florence, Tuscumbia and along the Natchez Trace (pictured above) last week with my friend Ben Burford. What a beautiful part of Alabama.
Photos
Pan Seared Black Snapper with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Have been getting some great fish from Snapper Grabbers lately. Last night’s black snapper was amazingly fresh and delicious. Simple preparation.
I learned a great trick from Cooks Illustrated–I should have thought of it myself, but oh well: sprinkle about 1/8th to 1/4 of a teaspoon on each filet of fish along with any spices to help it brown better in a skillet. The small amount of sugar caramelizes on the fish and adds a nice little crispness. This fish has a sprinkling of sugar and a bit of Cajun spice blend and was seared in a cast iron skillet with just a splash of olive oil and a bit of butter. Served over mashed sweet potatoes with simple steamed asparagus over that. Simple and tasty.
Snow in Birmingham
May not be a big deal everywhere, but snow in Birmingham brings everything to a halt.
It was beautiful though–most snow we’ve seen in years!
Sister Julia and my great niece (in more than one way) Morgan
Christmas 2009 in Octagon. Got to see my very photogenic great niece along with my sister and her grandmother Julia.
Our Two Beach Trips
Ann and I have been on the go the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, we went to San Destin for a work-related trip and then headed to Santa Rosa the following weekend with Ann’s mom for a short vacation planned well before we knew we were heading to Paris or to San Destin just the week before (the last trip was actually one of the items we “won” at a silent auction for Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama). Anyway, it was a great trip and very relaxing. Here’s one of the photos I took. I’m trying to use the photo I uploaded onto Flickr earlier, so we’ll see how that works:
Fried Green Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
Made a surprisingly quick and tasty dinner last night.
Had a green tomato that I soaked in buttermilk before coating with a combination of Italian breadcrumbs, cornmeal and flour. I then re-dipped in buttermilk lightly and added a crust of panko breadcrumbs.
I chopped and seeded a fresh tomato (really beautiful one, at that) and combined it with a handful of chopped fresh basil, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. (I let this sit for about an hour to develop flavor)
I added a handful of fresh arugula to a plate and drizzled it with sherry vinegar and the extraordinary Italian olive oil that our Parisian friends shared with us on our recent trip. I sliced some fresh mozzarella and added one slice to the top of the arugula.
Heated about an inch of canola oil (olive oil would be great, but didn’t have any) to high and added the green tomato slices. Cooked until nice and brown, about 8 minutes or so (turning a time or two).
Pulled out, drained briefly and immediately placed on top of the cheese. Another slice of cheese and then a final tomato slice. Topped with the chopped fresh tomatoes and basil. Very, very good!