Does this Hollandaise less Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict Make Me a Traitor

Im probably not the first person you think of when discussing adapting high-calorie recipes into lower fat ones. I know Ive done a few, but generally I believe one should make something in its full fat glory, or not at all. I hate to break it to you, but shredded, steamed chicken with fat-free yogurt on quinoa chips isn’t really "nachos."

This hollandaise-less smoked salmon eggs Benedict, however, has me on the other side of that argument. As promised, here is a video recipe for the plate you saw in the How to Poach Eggs demo. Youll have to take my word for it when I say that despite the absence of the traditional hollandaise sauce, it was really, really good.

As I explain in the clip, the dill butter spread, and the yolks from the poached eggs combine to form a fine substitute for the worlds highest calorie sauce. I think this idea can be adapted to feature any number of compound butters and meat combinations, and Id love to hear about any such breakfast experiments. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Dill Butter:

1/2 stick butter

2 tablespoons dill

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt, fresh ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

View the complete recipe

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Smoked Haddock Bake for St Andrews Day Night In

On the day that Scotlands First Minister, Alex Salmond, launched the SNPs independence blueprint, which argues the nation would prosper should there be a "Yes" vote in next Septembers referendum, I thought it was rather appropriate to post a recipe for  St Andrews Day Night In  Whatever your views on Scotlands Independence debate, you cant deny that there is some fabulous produce in Scotland or that Scots know how to celebrate!

So who was St Andrew?

• St Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland
• St Andrew is celebrated on 30 November
• St Andrews Day is a day to celebrate Scottish culture, food and dance
• St Andrews flag is the flag of Scotland
• The flag is in the form of a white X on a blue background and is commonly known as The Saltire
• St Andrews Societies celebrate Scottish culture around the world
• St Andrews Day is a bank holiday in Scotland but entitlement to leave depends on the employer
• St Andrew is also the patron saint of Romania, Greece and Russia
• Scotland is one of the few countries to have one of Christs disciples as their patron saint
• St Andrew was one of the Twelve Apostles (disciples of Jesus) and brother of St Peter
• St Andrew is believed to have died on a diagonally transversed cross which the Romans sometimes used for executions and which, therefore, came to be called St Andrews Cross
• St Andrews Day is connected with Advent, which begins on the first Sunday after November 26
• St Andrews Day marks the beginning of Scotlands winter festivals.

St Andrews Day falls on 30 November and is a bank holiday in Scotland, with many organisations enjoying a day off and events taking place across the country to celebrate St Andrews Day in a patriotic fashion, sadly I dont get this day as a holiday, but this year it is on a Saturday so most people will be able to celebrate the day.   The last few years have seen many more events taking place across the country with a number of Scotland’s historic attractions allowing free admission for the day.
Information from Scotland.Org

Seafood Scotlands Young Chef of the Year, Adam Newth, has created a couple of fish dishes for Scotland.org, the Gateway to Scotland.  I made the Smoked Haddock Bake after a long day preparing for a pre-Christmas family feast.  It was so quick easy to make and pop into the oven, everything is in one dish, we really enjoyed it.  There are lovely contrasting textures of salty, smoky fish, creamy but sharp creme fraiche, tender pieces of potato and the crispy breadcrumb and parmesan mix on top.  The dish also contains broadbeans and peas making it a great one pot meal.

Check out the rest of the St Andrews Day menu and maybe you could have a St Andrews Night In this Saturday?

I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

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Oven Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder Featuring SFQ – The Original San Francisco Style Barbecue Sauce

Pulled pork shoulder is such an easy recipe, and a great item to enjoy with your sample of SFQ, that I wanted to get this video up before I left for New York. As some of you know Im headed out to help my mom for a little while and wont have an opportunity to post much from there.

The conventional method for cooking pork shoulder is low and slow, but this recipe is really low and slow – like 210 degrees F. low and 12 hours slow. The result is an incredibly soft and succulent piece of pork, perfect for pulling.

Since I dont have a smoker (at the time of this posting), and most of you dont either, I thought I would show you a little trick I would have learned in the Army had I enlisted. As youll see, I cook the pork in a covered Dutch oven with a couple of ramekins of water into which Ive added a small amount of liquid smoke.

Ive never been a big liquid smoke guy, but this method seems to scent the meat with a nice subtle smokiness without getting in the way. The extra moisture also allows for a very humid cooking environment, always a good things when doing pork shoulder. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3 1/2 lb pork shoulder roast
3-4 tbsp dry rub
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
barbecue sauce as needed

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