Mustard Glaze Corned Beef

Even though I’ve posted two beef recipes in a row, I am generally pretty picky about my red meat. I usually only eat red meat on the rare (pun!) occasion I go to a steakhouse (NY strip, medium please). Red meat in general, and steaks to be exact, are the one thing I have yet to find and master a go-to, fail-proof recipe (quality beef is too expensive to experiment with). Brisket would be the one exception to the red meat rule. I can make a mean brisket. I did learn from the best. Mama CC makes the best corned beef I have ever had. Yes, I am completely biased, but really her recipe is wonderful. So wonderful I need to share it.

The special secret to her corned beef is the amazing mustard glaze she puts on top before serving. It’s delicious. There is something about the sweet, slightly caramelized mustard and the combination of salty corned beef that is out of this world. If you really want to impress any St. Patrick’s Day guests, I highly recommend this recipe. I would also recommend serving with a horseradish sour cream sauce on the side. It’s the perfect finishing touch.

Mustard Glaze Corned Beef

For the Corned Beef:

• 3-5 pounds corned beef (with spice packet or brine, if included), trimmed of excess fat
• 12 ounces pale ale/light beer or low-sodium beef broth
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 dried bay leaves

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup grainy mustard
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light, doesn’t matter)

1. Place corned beef in a large pot. Add the beer/broth, onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaves, 1 1/2 cups water and the contents of the spice packet/brine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until very tender and easily pierced with a fork, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
2. Heat oven to 375ºF. Transfer the beef to a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the mustard and sugar. Brush the beef with the mustard mixture and roast until the sauce has thickened and set slightly, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and let sit 5-10 minutes. To serve, slice thinly across the grain.

Baked Salmon with Garlic & Dijon

I had this post all ready to go for yesterday and then forgot to hit schedule… Oops. I’m back in school again and I’m still trying to figure out a blogging schedule that will work with school, life, and my addled brain. But let’s move on to the salmon now. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t like salmon. I love fish, but salmon is generally just too fishy for me. There are of course a few exceptions (I’m looking at you delicious Pesto Salmon). I think I have found another exception!

The main reason I like this recipe is that it is so easy. It’s basically foolproof. And secondly, the flavors! It’s difficult to go wrong with garlic and Dijon. We made this for a luncheon (lunch party? Doesn’t sound as good as dinner party) and ended up doubling the recipe. We had a tons of salmon, two whole fillets. If I was using this much salmon again, I would probably triple the marinade. Even with less salmon, I would still keep the garlic mixture doubled, but I’m a saucy person. We made the salmon ahead of time and served it cold at the lunch. I will admit I did sample a small bit of the salmon when it first came out of the oven and I was in love at first bite. It was just as delicious cold.

Leftover idea! We made two whole fillets and had the smaller one left over. I made an amazing salmon salad for lunch the next day. I took about a quarter of the leftover salmon and mixed it with 1 Tablespoon Dijon, 3 Tablespoons greek yogurt, 1/4 red onion, 3 sprigs fresh dill, a squeeze of lemon juice & salt and pepper. I had it with some crackers.  It was a tasty and super fast lunch.

Baked Salmon with Garlic & Dijon
From Natasha’s Kitchen.

• 3 pounds salmon (this was wild sockeye salmon)
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup mild olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Lemon slices, for garnish

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the salmon and lemon slices. Mix well.
3. Place salmon skin side down on lined baking sheet.
4. Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the marinade and top with fresh lemon slices.
5. Bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through.
6. Cut salmon into pieces and serve with lemon slices.

Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce

I will admit, I’m not a huge salami fan. For some reason, I decided to buy some the other day. Then I had no clue what to do with them. A little Googling later and I found this recipe. It’s fast, easy and makes for a more interesting type of appetizer.

It is important to watch these as it gets closer to the end of the cooking time. You have to find the perfect amount of time where they come out crispy. Too long and they will burn and be inedible, too short and the middles will be sort of chewy. If you get the timing right, they will come out perfectly. I love mustard, but I will admit I might have been a little over zealous here. I added a tablespoon of Greek yogurt to tone it down a bit. I am sure sour cream or mayonnaise would work just as well.

 Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce

• Salami slices (I just fill up the baking sheet)
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Grainy Dijon mustard
• 1-2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt or sour cream (if the sauce is too mustardy)

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil or place a rack on the baking sheet. Arrange the salami in a single layer. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. When done place on paper towels to drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the mustard and thyme. Serve the salami with the mustard sauce for dipping.

 

Broccoli with Caper-Mustard Sauce

I have made this recipe at least once a week for the last month. I’m kind of obsessed with it. Roasted broccoli has quickly become my favorite side dish (sorry brussels sprouts). I love coming up with new combinations for serving roasted broccoli. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Capers are totally under utilized if you ask me. I add them into just about every dish possible. They add so much flavor. In this dish they really complemented the earthy taste of the roasted broccoli. If you were in a hurry, you could also use this sauce over steamed broccoli, but I really think roasting the broccoli brings much more flavor.

Broccoli with Caper-Mustard Sauce

• 1 pound broccoli
• olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 Tablespoons capers

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
3. When broccoli is almost done, in a small saucepan, whisk butter, mustard, and lemon juice over medium heat. Once butter has fully melted and mixture has emulsified, add capers. Pour sauce over the broccoli and serve.

Dijon Roast Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

I have been really into sweet potatoes lately. I believe it stems from my fruitless quest to make fall happen. There are something about sweet potatoes to that seem particularly autumnal. Autumnal also happens to be one of my favorite words, so I plan on using it as often as possible.

I am a major fan of this meal. Fast, easy and it only uses one dish. It already sounds like a winner in my book. The sweet potatoes and onions cook up with this delicious, slightly caramelized flavor. I happen to really like mustard, sweet potatoes and onions, so I didn’t think twice about combining them. They turned out perfectly. The other great thing, was the amount of leftovers for lunch the next day. Next time, I might start cooking the sweet potatoes and onions before the chicken so they get a little crisper/more caramelized. Some of the vegetables that were directly under the chicken, didn’t get as crispy as I would have liked. Cooking them in a separate or bigger dish might help this as well. I also think you could easily substitute squash or regular potatoes as well, but I think the sweet potatoes complement the rest of the meal’s flavors that any substitute might.

Dijon Roast Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

• 2 Tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1½-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
2. Combine mustard, thyme, 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl; spread the mixture evenly on chicken.
3. Toss sweet potatoes and onion in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the vegetables on it. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
4. Return the pan to the oven and roast, stirring the vegetables once halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh registers 165°F, 30 to 35 minutes.

Grilled Tuna with White Bean and Charred Onion Salad

It’s been super hot here. And humid. If there are 2 things I hate, they would be hot weather and humidity. Southern California’s only redeeming quality is the year-round 70 degree weather with a slight sea breeze. If this keeps, I’m leaving. The weather also means cooking is one of the least appealing activities ever. Being in a hot, stuffy kitchen is just miserable these days. The only recipes that are appealing are those with little to no heat or actually cooking involved. This meal is great for hot weather. Very little cooking is involved and being outside at the grill is much more enjoyable than a being stuck in a hot kitchen.

The bean salad was the definitely the best part of this meal. It was tasty and tangy. The grilled onions gave it a nice smoky taste, which was great with the salty capers. I would probably make the bean salad again, before I made the tuna. I think that the salad would be great with grilled chicken or shrimp as well.

Grilled Tuna with White Bean and Charred Onion Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light

For the Tuna:

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks
• Cooking spray

For the Salad:

• 1 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained