Cod with Olive-Tomato Crust

No, it's not burned! Just looks that way ... but the flavor of the topping was too good to pass up. It's just sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and parmesan. It would go well with chicken too. 

Recipe

1/2 c. oil packed sun-dried tomato halves
1/2 c. pitted black olives
2 T. parmesan
– put this in a food processor and process until you have a puree that will hold together

4 cod loin fillets
1 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Rub the fish with 1 T. of the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place on a piece of oiled foil on a baking sheet. Cover the top of the fish with the tomato-olive puree and put in the oven, about 4-inches from the heat source.

Depending on how thick your fillets are, broil for between 5 and 15 minutes. I had fairly thick fillets so it took just about 13-14 minutes to cook through. To serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the fish and sprinkle some fresh herbs on top (parsley or oregano would go nicely).

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Cookie Dough Raspberry Tart

Bring out your inner artist when making this fun dessert. Store-bought sugar cookie dough is used to create a giant surface for fresh raspberries, warm seedless raspberry jam, and fresh picked mint leaves. Simple. Have your guests arrange the berries while you heat up the jam.

Recipe

6 oz. sugar cookie dough
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 c. seedless raspberry jam
1/2 c. sour cream
Fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Flatten the cookie dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, then roll to about an 8-inch circle. Put the giant cookie on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, discarding the plastic wrap. Fold the edges of the dough like you would a pie crust to make it thicker on the outside.

Bake about 10 minutes – don't overcook or it will get very brittle. The dough will expand a bit in the oven. Let rest to cool and harden for about 15 minutes before putting it on a serving platter (or cake pedestal).

Just before serving arrange the berries however you wish. Heat the jam to thin it a little, making it easier to spoon over the berries. Cut the tart into 4 pieces and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of mint.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Bowpicker Fish & Chips

I really don't like hot weather. At all. It was 95-degrees in Portland yesterday. Escaping to Astoria on the Columbia River sounded like a good idea, but it was 93 there. Whenever visiting Astoria, I must have Bowpicker's Fish & Chips (it's that good) – they use freshly caught tuna from the docks every day, and it's the only item on their menu. They start serving around 11 a.m. and quit when they run out of fish.

They must be doing something right to for me to willingly stand in line for an hour in the searing sun for 5 pieces of perfectly fried fish. But stand in line I must, because it's worth it! You'll meet people from all over the world while waiting for your turn. Yesterday there was a couple from Germany who read about Bowpicker on Twitter, others from Seattle, Phoenix, eastern Washington, and Southern Oregon. Next time you find yourself in Astoria, look for their boat in a parking lot across from the Maritime Museum, and definitely try the fish.

Shrimp Pane on Watercress

Jacques Pépin's recipe for Shrimp Pane (pane means "breaded") is elegant, light, and crunchy – what a great dish for a party or a small gathering of friends. Whole shrimp are coated with a shrimp puree (using the lower tail segments of the shrimp + 3 whole shrimp, egg, garlic and parsley), breaded with fresh bread crumbs, and fried for 3 minutes on each side in oil and butter. It's served on a bed of peppery watercress dressed lightly with walnut oil and sherry vinegar. Make the shrimp before your guests arrive and keep in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

This past weekend, I served this with a first course of cold black bean soup with banana and a cookie dough raspberry tart.

For Jacques Pépin's recipe click here, and to watch him prepare click here (at about the 3:55 mark)

Cold Black Bean Soup with Banana

An easy, last minute, no cook black bean soup! Perfect for a 90-degree day when you just don't feel like lifting a finger.

In a food processor puree a can of black bean soup with a little olive oil, Tabasco, a few tablespoons of chopped onion, a crushed clove of garlic, and about 1/4 to 1/2 c. chicken stock to make the mixture creamy. Serve in small soup bowls, topped with a ribbon of sour cream diluted with a bit of water; garnish with a few slices of banana and a couple of cilantro leaves. Makes about three small first course servings.

From Jacques Pépin's "Fast Food My Way"

Orecchiette with Fennel and Tuna

I am constantly amazed at the ease of preparation for Jacques Pépin's recipes from his "Fast Food My Way" cookbooks. The marriage of pine nuts, garlic, raisins, tuna and fennel in this recipe is perfection, and the shape of the orecchiette pasta works well. For a quick meal, try this fabulous combination!

Recipe

1/3 c. olive oil
1-1/2 c. chopped onions
3 T. pine nuts
1-1/2 T. chopped garlic
2 T. golden raisins
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. finely ground black pepper
2 cans (6-oz. each) tuna
1 fennel bulb cut into very thin slices
3 T. water
1 lb. orecchiette pasta
grated parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and pine nuts and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic, raisins, parsley, 1-1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Crumble the tuna and add it with its juice to the pan and cook for 20 seconds. Add the fennel and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the water is gone and the fennel is tender. Transfer mixture to a bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, return to a boil and boil the pasta for about 8-10 minutes.

Add 1/2 c. pasta water to the tuna and fennel mixture in the bowl and drain the pasta. Add pasta to the bowl, toss well, and serve with grated parmesan and a sprinkling of the fennel fronds.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"