This week is the first French Fridays with Dorie challenge, and boy am I glad to be a part of this! I've been practicing my poor neglected french skills for the past couple of weeks. Mr. Boom and Chirp-chirp are just about at wits end listening to my conversations with myself, the cats, the fish, the bees, and any other creature caught in my evil french aura.
The look on Mr. Boom's face as I was leaning over the bridge the other night, counting spawning sockeye salmon in a sort of frenchy Count from Sesame Street voice...well it was just something. That's all I'll say about that.
This is not sockeye salmon, rather it's wild Coho. And that's the last of the broccoli from this year's garden. The gougeres really stole the show, though. And my friends, I'm not kidding when I say it's a real feat to top fresh Coho salmon.
The recipe called for any type of sharp cheese. I used an applewood smoked natural cheddar. The smokiness went really well with the salmon and held it's own against the almost peppery taste of the late season broccoli. The recipe also called for five large eggs. One of my young hens is laying cute little eggs now, so I used up seven of her eggs to equal the five the recipe required. One large egg, without its shell, weighs 50 grams. So, I just kept cracking the eggs into the bowl until I hit 250 grams. The yolks are just a bit bigger than my thumbnail, to give you a sense of perspective that the photo is sorely lacking!
So, first challenge was a total success. I can't wait for next week!
Hi! Your gougeres are gorgeous. I just wanted to say that I appreciate your salmon awareness! Coho is delicious, but I must confess Chinook is my favorite. I'm a commercial salmon fisherman (fisherwoman? fisherperson?) and have a lot invested in wild salmon and sustainable seafood, so it's good to see wild salmon highlighted in blogs.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to cooking along with you ala FFWD!
I ALWAYS buy WILD salmon. We don't eat a lot of seafood because of the high cost too the environment, but when we do eat it, I try to get the best.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to buy a box of frozen salmon from you? I also live in WA, albeit on the desert side.
What a fantastic meal! (I'm doing FFWD, too :)).
ReplyDeleteI'll say your first challenge was a success. Your gougeres look spectacular. I can't believe how many eggs you needed to crack for this recipe. WTG you for turning out picture perfect gougeres!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job with the gougeres! The whole meal looks perfect, actually. Wild Coho - bliss!
ReplyDeleteI want to eat at your house!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the kind comments everyone! I just came back out of the woods after a three day hunting trip and your words are just as warming as this first cup of espresso.
ReplyDeleteG'dday, thanks for the welcome back. Have been catching up on all your news. I was going to ask where the recipe was but I followed the link and found out the why-fors. You have so many talents! Who could believe such a happy woodsman could be such a gourmet French chef! Love your work
ReplyDeleteBut woodsmanship is, in large part, food. Turkey, porcini, morels, wild greens, fish...all these are central to good cooking, and in fact highly valued ingredients in cooking around the world. Maybe even especially so in France? Anyway, I love the forest, I love the rolling hills, and I love food.
ReplyDeleteBut, Tanya, you know how to knit. I just can't master that skill at all! Or throw a great party. Or decorate pleasingly. I'm always in awe of your mad skillz!