almonds — The Bite House

Why not right? Runny egg yolks make great salad dressing. I made this the other day with a suillus mushroom foraged by Earlene from the Inn. She told us that the suillus goes really well with eggs. So I went ahead and put together this salad, topping it with the mushroom sautéed in butter, garlic, and fresh herbs. Yum. Feel free to top your breakfast salad with whatever you have around; toasted nuts, cheese, smoked trout, crispy bacon... Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs • 2 good handfuls of mixed greens • 1 tablespoon sunflower or grapeseed oil • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • 2 tablespoons chopped roasted almonds • a small handful of aged cheddar, grated • salt + ground black pepper

Mix the oil and balsamic. Set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and carefuly add the eggs. Cook 5 minutes. Put the eggs in cold running water for 30 seconds. Peel the shell off.

Top the greens with the almonds, cheddar, vinaigrette and the egg. Slice the egg open and season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Sole Amandine is a very old French classic, but, as we can all appreciate, the recipe is a simple one. Essentially, the dish is pan-seared filet of fish with a sauce of browned butter, almonds, and lemon. What I love about the recipe is that it works amazingly well with any type of fish; trout, haddock, tilapia - you name it. I had haddock in the fridge, so I went with that. But, you can also get creative - give your next batch of asparagus an amandine kick. The earthy sweetness of browned butter, the crunch of almonds, and the crisp, zesty taste of lemon go so well together, but the effect is still gentle enough to compliment a variety of core flavors. Try it out and enjoy!

This was originally a guest post for 2 Peas & A Pot. Serves 2 One filet is usually enough for two people. Adjust depending on the size of your fish.

Ingredients

• 1 haddock filet, cut in half • 1/4 cup white flour • 1/4 cup sliced almonds • 4 tablespoons butter • juice of 1/2 lemon • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped • salt + black pepper

First off, season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour on a plate and gently flour the filet.

In a sauté pan, on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once it's bubbling, add the fish to the pan. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer in another pan or on a plate.

In the same pan you've seared the fish, add the remaining butter and cook it until it browns. This does not take long; so be careful not to burn the butter. Add the almonds, remove from heat and squeeze in the lemon to stop the butter from cooking. If you used unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

Serve the haddock with the amandine sauce and garnish with parsley.