Tag: Gourmet

Trout Amandine

The Best Trout Amandine

Trout Amandine is a classic recipe and it just so happens that I live near one of the most popular fly fishing spots in the nation.  You can pull Rainbow, Browns and Cut Throat Trout from several different rivers that are only minutes away from my house.  And, believe me, this recipe will dress to impress any fan of any of those fish.  I’d even dare say that the preparation of this fish can be easily done with Salmon too; at least the way I do it.

Prepare Trout Amandine

For Trout Amandine, I’ll cut and slice a whole cleaned fish, then marinate it in buttermilk, season with salt and pepper, then stuff it with lemon slices and a seafood medley.  At this point you can choose to grill, bake or pan fry the fish.  In this video recipe, I take it to the grill but you can do what you prefer.  After I cook for 5 minutes, I’ll carefully flip the fish over and prepare the topping which consists of fresh ground Almonds, butter, Amaretto and squeeze from a fresh lemon.  I brown the almonds in a pan with some melted butter just before I add the Amaretto and lemon juice and cook over medium low heat till it lightly caramelizes.  By then it’s time to pull the Trout off the grill and smother with the caramelized sauce.

Be sure to check out my Grilled Halibut, Smothered Salmon and my Blackened Chipotle Tilapia recipes!

Grilled Trout Amandine Ingredients:

1 whole Trout
1/2 cup Butter Milk
1 lemon, sliced
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
2 sprigs fresh Parsley
2 sprigs fresh Dill
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Melted Butter for basting

Amandine Sauce
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Almonds, chopped or sliced
2 oz Amaretto

Cook fish over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side and serve with the Trout Amandine Sauce.

Dan Dan Noodle

Dan Dan NoodleHow do you like your Dan Dan Noodle?

The Dan Dan Noodle is originally a Scechwan recipe, which in my opinion translates, “Hot and Spicy”!  But the heat can literally be thrown out all together if you’re not really into that much of a kick.  This recipe is a perfect example of how I “dumb it down” for my girls.  Mostly because the flavor still exists, I just extract the spice so that their little mouths won’t set on fire.  But if you want it in there for your self, feel free to throw in some chili flakes or some chili oil to pep it up a bit and you’ll love it.  Aso, you need to decide if you want to use Ground Pork or Chicken.  In this recipe I’m using Pork but it can very easily be substituted and it won’t change the recipe at all what so ever.  In fact, I personally prefer Ground Chicken.

Now, that we’ve covered the basics, all you have to decide now is whether you want the Dan Dan Noodle on a plate or in a bowl as a soup.  Just like deciding if you want it spicy or not, it’s just a simple additive of chicken stock if you want it to be a soup.  Nothing to it, it’s that simple.  On a side note, you can add some peanuts to this dish as well because it gives it a little crunch.  I only mention it because you’re going to find that ingredient in other versions of this recipe if you’re doing some investigative research on the Dan Dan Noodle.  I think here in America, P.F. Chang’s is ultimately responsible for bringing this dish to light.  Other restaurants in the corporate chain like Typhoon’s and the like have added it to their menu as well because it’s a great gourmet Noodle dish.

Dan Dan Noodle Ingredients:

8 oz Noodle
8 oz ground Pork or Chicken
1 chopped Green Onion
2 tbsp chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/2 tsp minced Ginger
2 tbsp Black Bean Garlic Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes or Chili Oil (optional)
1 tsp Corn Starch (deluded with 2 tbsp water)

Garnish with Grated Cold Cucumber and Bean Sprouts
If you’re preparing a Dan Dan Noodle soup, just add 1 cup Chicken stock over the top.