Friday Response To the Acting President Blogging

Here's your hot dog, Brainiac

Salmon Mousse
325º 45 minutes to 1 hour
greased ring mold or baking dish, plus pan of hot water to set it in

3# fresh salmon, good quality
poached in fish stock or white wine
strain stock and reduce by 2/3
put salmon in large bowl, remove skin and bones, flake
3T butter, melted over medium heat
3T flour, dump into hot butter all at once and stir until smooth; cook, stirring, for two minutes to remove flour taste
Add the strained and reduced poaching liquid and cook until thick. Season to taste.
Add to salmon:
3T diced green pepper
3T diced red pepper
2T finely diced onion
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
juice of 1 lemon
hot sauce, to taste

Blend sauce into salmon mixture
beat 2 eggs until pale, fold into salmon mixture

Bake in bain marie until firm. Allow to set 10 minutes before unmolding. Serve with good rye bread and dill mayonnaise. Can be served warm or cold, but rarely makes it to the cold stage in my vicinity. Reduce calories by substituting for butter and omiting egg yolks, although this will cause it to rise, soufflé style. Good accompaniment to any white wine you'd like--even those unmatchable California chardonnays--or a chilled Beaujolais while there's still some summer left.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Universe, Evah, x 2
350º for 9-12 minutes, depending

(I have never given this recipe away before)
1-1/4 c. oats, ground fine in food processor
1/2 c. chocolate chips, ground fine in food processor

combine in a bowl and set aside

cream:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened (not completely to room temp!)
1/2 c. granulated brown sugar 1/2 c. granulated white sugar
If you do not know how to properly cream butter and sugar, find out. Don't get the butter too warm, and don't overbeat.

Fun fact: around the turn of the last century you could choose from nearly two dozen shades of brown sugar.

add:
1/2 t. vanilla
1 egg

Fun fact: imitation vanilla is not the cheap plonk of the flavoring world. It's designed to stand up to the heat of baking. Real vanilla breaks down. I don't bother about it with cookies, though, since they don't spend very long in the oven.

Whisk together:
1 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda (fresh!)
1/4 t. baking powder (fresh!)
1/4 t. salt

Add the oats/chocolate mixture by thirds to the creamed butter, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Then add the flour mixture the same way. Finally, stir in (by hand):

1/2 c. chocolate chips or more to taste

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets. I scoop the dough out with an ice cream scoop, which makes a bigger cookie. You'll get around 18-24 normal sized ones. Don't overbake. If you're health conscious or on a diet, don't fuckin' eat fuckin' cookies.