Boardash: Hot Macadamia Dip, Salmon Poached in Champagne, and Orange Date Squares

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Recipes: ArcaMax Chef

For You
Friday February 12, 2010

Appetizer -- Hot Macadamia Dip
Main Course -- Salmon Poached in Champagne
Dessert -- Orange Date Squares
Grocery List
Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

We hope y'all enjoy this menu that serves 6 to 8.

Appetizer -- Hot Macadamia Dip

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 oz sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
One half cup macadamia nuts, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm with assorted crackers or crusty bread.

The Skinny: Use light cream cheese and sour cream.

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Main Course -- Salmon Poached in Champagne

2 pounds salmon fillets
3 cups champagne
One quarter cup fresh lemon juice
1 small sweet onion, sliced
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the salmon fillets in a shallow pan in one layer. Add the champagne, lemon juice, and just enough water to just cover the fillets. Remove the fish and bring champagne/water mixture to a boil. Place the salmon fillets back in the pan in a single layer and top with the onion slices, dill sprigs and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer and cover and cook for about 10 minutes. The salmon will be done when the flesh is firm and flakes easily. With a slotted spatula, remove fish from the poaching liquid, keeping the onions and dill on top of the fish. Allow fish to drain and serve hot.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement. I have heard you can add a vanilla bean or a dash of vanilla extract to the poaching liquid before cooking the fish for a different flavor but I have not tried this method.

Veggie Pasta

2 cups baby carrots
2 cups of broccoli florets
8 oz. uncooked penne pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup frozen green peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
One third cup dry white wine
One third cup Half and Half
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
One third cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Cook carrots and broccoli in boiling water until broccoli is just crisp/tender. Remove vegetables from water and add pasta. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. Heat oil in skillet and add carrots, broccoli, peas and garlic and cook for a minute or so. Add wine and stir. Add Half and Half and lemon juice and cook for another minute or so. Add salt and pepper, pasta and Parmesan cheese and mix well to heat through.

The Skinny: Use fat free Half and Half.

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Dessert -- Orange Date Squares

1 cup dates, chopped
Two thirds cup dark brown sugar
One half cup water
One half cup butter
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
One third cup orange juice
One third cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 and one quarter cups all-purpose flour
One half tsp. salt
Two thirds cup walnuts, chopped

Place dates, brown sugar, water and butter in a saucepan and simmer until dates are soft. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Add eggs, orange juice and milk and stir. Combine baking soda, flour, salt and walnuts and fold in date mixture. Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool and prepare glaze and drizzle over bars. Cut into squares and serve.

Glaze

3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
One third cup milk

Combine ingredients and mix well.

The Skinny: Use your favorite egg and sugar substitutes and low fat milk in the glaze.

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Grocery List

1 8-oz. package cream cheese
4 oz sour cream
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
One half cup macadamia nuts, chopped
2 pounds salmon fillets
3 cups champagne
One quarter cup fresh lemon juice
1 small sweet onion
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh dill
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups of broccoli florets
8 oz. uncooked penne pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup frozen green peas
One third cup dry white wine
One third cup Half and Half
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
One third cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dates, chopped
One third cup dark brown sugar
One half cup butter
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
One third cup orange juice
Two thirds cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 and one quarter cups all-purpose flour
Two thirds cup walnuts, chopped
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest

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Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

I successfully employed my leaf waiter approach to leaf removal the entire time I lived in my first house. Every year, the leaves would pile up in the yard and I would come under pressure from neighbors and my family to do something. I would make excuses and put off raking week after week, all the while waiting for Mother Nature to lend me a hand.

Some years, we had stormy winters and the leaves would pretty much be constantly shifting from my yard to the other yards in my neighborhood. But every once in a while, we would have a protracted spell of nice, calm weather. During these spells, the rakers in the neighborhood would dutifully rake weekend after weekend to keep their yards clean. In my yard, on the other hand, the leaves would really pile up. The difference between my unraked yard and those nice clean yards of the neighbors was very apparent.

Just when the neighbors would be ready to revolt against my leaf waiting ways, we would get a nice big Nor'easter. For those of you that are not familiar with these storms, they are somewhat like hurricanes except they are generally not as strong but they can last for days. We had one this year that lasted for more than four days. During these storms the rain comes down in sheets and the winds will blow out of the northeast constantly and at wind speeds in excess of 40 to 50 miles an hour.

After three or four days of one of these storms, my yard would look like every other yard in the neighborhood. My leaves would be mostly distributed among the other yards in the neighborhood. The redistribution would be greatly obscured by the fact that the high winds would cause leaves to blow around in general and would also strip off the leaves remaining on the trees. The entire neighborhood would be facing days and days of raking and baggingexcept for me.

What a wonderful system.

God Bless America.

Enjoy!