Johnny Garlic's Cedar Plank Salmon

This is Guy Fieri's recipe and it's one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon. It's certainly wonderful just as written. If however, you just want an delicious, easy meal or don't have a cedar plank you can just bake the salmon and then apply the warm sauce immediately before serving. I bake it at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes and then apply the sauce.


4ea - 6oz Salmon Filet, skinned and deboned

2 t Sea Salt

1 t Pepper, black fresh

4ea - Rosemary sprig, 3” fresh

2ea - Jalapeno, seeded, diced

1 T Garlic, minced

1 c Apricot preserves

1/2 c White wine

3 T Mustard, whole grain

4 pc Parchment paper, 4X4

4 pc Cedar plank, food service quality

1 Lemon, for zesting



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



In a small sauté pan over medium heat add oil, when oil is hot add jalapenos and sauté until caramelized. Add garlic, before it begins to brown, deglaze pan with white wine. Next add mustard and apricot preserves, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Let cool.



Place parchment paper on planks, add salmon, lightly salt and pepper, place rosemary sprig on filet, and liberally apply cooled apricot mixture.



Place cedar plank on gas burner and begin to set wood on fire. When plank has begun to smoke, place in oven.

Cook salmon until medium rare, remove from oven and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes before serving, Garnish with lemon zest.

Yum!

Banana Bread

Use  very ripe bananas for this bread. If your bananas aren't ripe put them in a brown paper bag for a day or so and they'll ripen faster. I used  large bananas for this bread; if yours are small add an extra banana.

Your house is going to smell heavenly.


• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 3 ripe bananas

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add dry ingredients, to the banana mixture and mix just until flour disappears

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake approximately 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing

Moist, delicious, simple.

Blondies

White chocolate, dark chocolate, pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts; it’s up to you. Use 1 cup of nuts and 1 cup of chocolate in any combination.

Adapted from Cooks

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 11 3/4 X 7 1/2-inch baking dish with 2 pieces of foil or parchment paper.  Coat the lined pan with vegetable cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.

Fold in the semisweet and white chocolate chips and the nuts, and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, for about25 minutes. Place the pan on a rack and let cool completely



Ridiculous.