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Salmon with a Whiskey Sauce
This is a very easy recipe to make and is definitely company worthy and makes for an elegant dish. We love salmon on our house and I am always looking for new ways to prepare it. I used Chivas Regal whiskey as this is what was in the cupboard but I have also made this with Crown Royal which I love, but I am sure this would also work well with any other whiskey. I served ours over wild rice with mushrooms and broccoli. I also topped it with some green beans and prawns to make for a pretty presentation.

Ingredients

2 Salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper to season
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon creamy fremch mustard
1 Teaspoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1/2 Cup whiskey
1 Teaspoon vegetable stock granules
1/2 Cup orange juice
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1-2 Teaspoons cornflour (depending on how thick you want your sauce.)

Method

1. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

2. In a pan, heat oil, add fillets skin side down, cook both sides until browned and cooked through. Approx 3-6 Min’s a side depending on thickness. Mine were quite thick I cooked mine 5 a side.

While fillets are cooking make sauce.

Sauce

1. Melt butter in another pan, add garlic and onion, cook until onion softens, add mustard and brown sugar. Cook for a few seconds.

2. Add vinegar and whiskey, cook for a couple of minutes, add stock granules and orange juice, stir to combine.

3. Add cream, mix a little water with the cornflour and add to sauce, stir until heated through and sauce thickens.

To serve: Place salmon on plate and drizzle sauce over sprinkle with parsley if desired.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Stuffed Veal Loin
This is a little more time consuming than the recipes I have been posting lately but it is well worth the effort. It would be one to make for a special occasion or a dinner party to impress.

Ingredients

800g Veal loin
2 Medium yellow peppers, roasted
150g Boursin herb and garlic cheese, at room temperature
150g Soft goats cheese, at room temperature
20 Baby spinach leaves
12 Basil leaves
Seasoning, Pepper, salt and garlic
4 Large sun-dried tomatoes, drained
6 Slices bacon
Olive oil

Sauce

Olive oil
2 Shallots, chopped finely
11/2 Cups water
11/2 Teaspoons chicken stock granules
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons capers
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 Cup butter, 40-50g approx
Reserved cheese mixture
Pepper to taste
2 Teaspoons cornflour

Method

1. Roast peppers in 200c oven, flesh side down, until skin blisters and blackens. Allow to cool peel skin off and slice into thin strips, set to one side.

2. Stir the boursin and goats cheese until well combined, set to one side.

3. Slice veal down the middle, length ways, being careful not to cut all the way through. Open out and with a meat mallet pound until is of equal thickness and a rough rectangle shape. Season with pepper, salt and garlic powder

4. Place spinach leaves down the centre of the veal to form about a 2 inch wide strip, lay peppers on top of spinach, arrange sun-dried tomatoes on pepper.

5. Set aside about 1/4 cup of cheese mixture for the sauce. Spoon remaining cheese mixture in an even log over the tomatoes, finally arrange basil leaves on the top of the cheese.

6. Fold veal over filling,and roll up, secure by tying kitchen string at several intervals down the length, also wrap the string once lengthwise around the veal to secure ends.

7.Cover ends of veal with aluminum foil to enclose filling completely. Cover veal and reserved cheese separately and chill for at least 6 hours. This can prepared a day ahead of time.

8. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large fryimg pan over medium high heat. Remove foil from ends of veal, keep to put back on. Brown veal on all sides, turning frequently, about 10 Min’s. Remove from pan, replace foil on ends and drape bacon across the veal and tuck ends under.

9. Place veal in a roasting pan and roast in pre-heated oven 180c-190c depending on oven temps for 50 Min’s, Remove and transfer to a chopping board and allow to rest 10 Min’s before slicing.

Sauce

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and add shallots, cook until shallots soften.

2. Add water and stock granules, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, for a few minutes.

3. Whisk in lemon juice, capers and parsley, over a low heat gradually whisk in butter and reserved cheese mixture.

4. Season with pepper.

5. Mix a little water with cornflour, add to sauce, turn the heat up slightly and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens.

To Serve: Remove foil, bacon and string from veal, slice into even slices, arrange on a plate and drizzle sauce over. I served mine with dilled carrots. So serve with your favourite veg and mash if desired.

I served this for three and it was perfect but I did not serve any starchy carbs with, so it may work for 4, but I would suggest upping veal to 1kg for 4.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.