On this page: Baked Halibut with Tomatoes and Onions, Blue Cheese Tart, and Baked Alaska
Baked Halibut with Tomatoes and Onions ^top
With the onset of Spring in Alaska comes the abundance of fresh halibut. This dish is easy to prepare and goes well with buttery rice. If you wan the broth to be more Mediterranean, replace some of the vegetable broth with some white wine. Also, you can replace the vegetable broth with fish broth if you prefer. If you like food a little spicy, splash a few dashes of hot pepper sauce over the dish right before placing it in the oven.
Ingredients
½ cup light olive oil
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 halibut steaks (about 2 pounds)
1 ½ pounds tomatoes, diced
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground Winterlake pepper blend (equal parts black peppercorn, white peppercorn, and allspice).
1 cup vegetable broth
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the oil, parsley and garlic. Trim the halibut, if necessary, to remove any skin, bones, or fat. Rub the halibut steaks thoroughly with the oil and spice mixture. Place the halibut and any remaining oil and spice mixture into Ziploc-style bags. Seal and place in the refrigerator to marinate for about 1-hour. Arrange half of the tomatoes and onions on the bottom of a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish. Add the fish fillets and marinade, then top the fish with a layer of the remaining tomatoes and onions. Season the vegetables liberally with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the vegetable broth over the fish and vegetables. Cover the baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the fish is tender, the broth is bubbling, and the onions and tomatoes are aromatic. Makes 4 servings.
Blue Cheese Tart ^top
At Winterlake Lodge, we serve this dish as a first course, sometimes with tossed baby greens. We serve the tart in small slivers with tangy chutney alongside to compliment the richness of the blue cheese. You could add toasted walnuts or a little drizzle of fig balsamic vinegar to this dish to make it more festive.
Ingredients
1 sheet of commercial or homemade puff pastry
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg
2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¾ cup blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll slightly just so the pastry won’t puff up too high in the oven. Cut the pastry into four squares and lay the pastry into four tart shells with fluted sides and removable bottoms. Gently press the dough against the sides. Trim the excess dough using a knife or just your fingers against the metal. With a fork, prick small holes throughout the bottom and sides of the dough. This is called “docking” and it helps the puff not to rise too much. Place some dry beans or ceramic pie weights into the pie shells. Bake the pastry shells on the center rack of the oven for about 20 minutes or until the shells are golden brown. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, egg, and egg yolks until combined, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour this mixture evenly into the tart shells. Sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese evenly over the top and return the tarts to the oven. Bake until the custard is set and golden brown, about 25 – 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. Serve the tarts on a bed of dressed salad greens with a dollop of Rhubarb Chutney or Apple Cherry Chutney. Makes 4 servings.
Baked Alaska ^top
This version of Baked Alaska uses a meringue that is heated first. This should be used if you are concerned at all about salmonella in raw egg whites. Very often we have our own fresh eggs and feel confident in their quality so we just whip the egg whites and sugar without the added precaution of heating the egg whites. The photo below shows how we serve Baked Alaska at the lodge. We press wild flowers around the edge of the cake in the summertime and serve it with fresh berries. In the winter we use dried fruits and nuts.
Ingredients
8½-inch-thick slices of pound cake
1 pint vanilla (or other) ice cream
½ cup plus
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint fresh seasonal berries
1 tablespoon crème de cassis
Instructions
Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut 8 circles from half of the pound cake slices. Place a scoop of ice cream onto one round. Top the ice cream scoop with an additional round of cake. Press down lightly and, using a knife, smooth away any ice cream that has pressed out the sides. Repeat with the remaining rounds of cake. Place the 4 cakes onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to firm the ice cream. In a large saucepan, bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer. In a metal bowl that will fit over the saucepan, place ½ cup of the sugar, the egg whites, 2 tablespoons water, and the cream of tartar. Set the bowl over the simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at low speed, moving the beaters around the bowl constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F degrees. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue beating over the heat for a full 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat the meringue until cool, about 4 minutes. It will form peaks. Beat in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes. When ready to assemble the dessert, preheat the broiler. In a small bowl, gently mix the berries, crème de cassis, and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and set aside. Remove the cakes from the freezer, and quickly spread them with the meringue, swirling it to make peaks. Place the cakes under the broiler, as close to the broiler flame as possible, just to brown the meringue at the tips, about 1 minute. Serve the cakes immediately, surrounded by some of the berry mixture. Makes 4 servings.
