Smoked Rainbow Trout

If you've visited the Smoky Mountains, then you've seen fly-fishermen standing in clear, rushing creeks. Trout fishing is part sport and part romance--and it can end in a fine meal if you are very, very lucky. Simple, pan-fried trout is considered a delicacy in east Tennessee; but if you want to knock the flavor over the moon, add smoke, bacon, and crab meat.

Smoked Rainbow Trout

Wrapped in Bacon & Stuffed with Crabmeat

Soak whole, cleaned trout in salt-lemon water for 1 hour.

Make the Crab Stuffing:

2 cans lump crab meat, drained and picked over

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1 to 2 tsps smoked paprika

1/4 to 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

1 tsp lemon juice

Dash of Tabasco

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp (or to taste) Kosher salt

Mix ingredients and set aside. 

Prepare the Trout:

Lay the trout on bacon strips. Through a side split in the trout, stuff with crab mixture.

Roll bacon around the trout. If desired, sprinkle with more Old Bay Seasoning.

Smoking:

Heat smoker to 225 degrees F (give or take 10 degrees). Smoke the trout for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, checking frequently. The final temperature should be approximately 160 degrees F.

Remove from smoker. Garnish with lemon and parsley. If you can find watercress, it pairs wonderfully with smoked fish.

"Everything was a rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!

And I let the fish go."

--"The Fish," Elizabeth Bishop, American Poet

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Smoked Standing Rib Roast

 For special occasions, it's hard to go wrong with a standing rib roast, 

especially if it has been marked down at the grocery. 

It's easy to prepare, feeds a crowd, and will please just about anyone who likes 

steakhouse quality prime rib.

Smoking the roast takes it to the next level, 

adding a crisp bark on the outside and a juicy, savory-sweetness within.  

 Smoked Standing Rib Roast

1- 6.8 lb Rib Roast

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Sea (or Kosher) Salt

2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp Chile Powder

Prepare the rub: into a bowl, mix salt, pepper, and chile powder.

Apply olive oil all over the roast, then add rub mixture.

Let the roast stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F.

Smoke for 20 minutes per pound (2 hours and 15 minutes for a 6.8 lb roast) or

until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F.

Remove roast from smoker, wrap in foil, and rest for 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with roasted vegetables.

. . .

Roasted Vegetables

Par-boil small potatoes for 15 minutes or until you can pierce them with a fork. 

Drain, cool, and cut in half. Slice red bell peppers and zucchini.

Place vegetables in a baking pan. Toss with olive oil. 

Salt and pepper.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until fork-tender.

If you have leftovers, the fun begins: 

make a French Dip Sandwich  or Prime Rib Hash.

Upcoming Recipe: Smoked, Crab-Stuffed Rainbow Trout

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Foodie Friday--April 25th

If you've followed my kitchen adventures, then you know about my saga with the clock.

Oh, what was the problem? 

Some people liked it, some were neutral, and others shared my opinion.

Nice clock. Wrong kitchen.

It was time to take a breath.

My carpenter made a prototype out of leftover wood, and when he propped it on the hood,

the kitchen had a completely different vibe. It was calmer with cleaner lines.

It's tall. But a small amount of trim on the hood will break up the long expanse. 

(I'm looking at you, Will. Small, honeybunch. That is all.)

After much thought, I'm painting the wood BM's Simply White.

Hand's down, my favorite part of the kitchen is the view.

Featured Recipes from Last Week's Foodie Friday.

(Note: Pinning has been disabled on the following photos; please click on the links to visit the featured blogs. Thanks!)

Sea Salted Rosemary Focaccia by I Thee Cook is one of those recipes that you will
hand down to your children, nieces, and grandchildren.
Focaccia doesn't get any better than this.

Balsamic Chicken Pizza  by The Scent of Oranges is fresh and tangy,
perfect for Spring meals and picnics.

A free, printable meal planner from Crystal and Co caught our eye.
What a great way for a busy household to plan meals.

Maple Bacon Fudge  by Meg Made pushed all of my culinary buttons.
As many of you know, I think that bacon should be a food group, so it's little wonder
that I went gaga over the recipe. If you love bacon, you will love this fudge, too.

Are you contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday?

 If so, locate the blue Inlinkz icon in the lower, left-hand portion of this post. Click on the icon and follow the directions. After you complete the process, you will see a red "x" beside your name. This allows you to delete your link if you made an error; the red "x" is visible to you only.

You can read a complete guide to this linky party HERE.  It's pretty simple: there are NO RULES. You don't need to "like" our Facebook page or be a follower of this blog to participate. Nor do you need to include a backlink or Foodie Friday button in your post. Add as many recipes as you wish, old or new. If you love food, we love you.

If you'd like to share your food photos--or photos of other FF participants on Pinterest, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions. Leave a message on the most recent "pin" if you'd like your name added to the list.

Every Friday, we are joined at this big, virtual table--thank you for stopping by today. I'm grateful to all of you who spend your days cooking. I'm grateful to old and new friends who contribute recipes every week. I'm grateful to friends who leave a comment. I'm grateful for the silent folks, because you are brought here by your love of all things culinary.

We are food people. And that's a marvelous thing.

Foodie Friday: Easter Round Up

Everywhere I look, I see flowers. Pansies, daffodils, forsythia. It's spring in Tennessee, a time of renewal and remembrance, a time for planting and dreaming and baking.

 I made a bunny cake yesterday, but when I inverted the pan, crumbs went everywhere. Bandwidth kindly brought home a carrot cake from the Publix bakery, along with some chocolate carrots.

 

Have you planned your Easter menu?
If you're like me, you're always looking for new dishes that will please guests. Settle back with a cup of coffee, a plate, and a fork. We're going to sample the most-viewed recipes from the last three link-ups.

Forks ready?
Let's go....

The Simple Sweet Life  is an artist. Just look at these gorgeous Spring Daffodil Cupcakes.

Palatable Pastime created a Hawaiian Brown Sugar Glazed Ham that will take center stage on your holiday table.

...

Mary at Home Is Where the Boat Is created festive, mouth-watering ideas for Easter celebrations,
starting with Veggie Medley Deviled Eggs.


Little wheelbarrows are filled with Peter Rabbit's Carrot-Zucchini Muffins. Love
the wheelbarrow in the background, too!

....

Oopsy-daisy. It's the season for bunnies that land face-first into a recipe. Will Cook for Smiles  made Bunny Butt Almond Joy Cheese Ball,
an instant smile-maker, perfect for the buffet table.

...

Don't miss Butteryum's  Jell-O Easter Eggs. They are adorable, colorful, and perfect for an Easter gathering.


...
A Spoonful of Thyme  brought together two favorite flavors with Lemon Strawberry Loaf.

...

Happier Than a Pig in Mud  prepared a Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling. Can you just imagine your fork sinking through these sweet, carrot-flecked layers?

...

Red Couch Recipes  made Meringue Baskets with Sorbet, an inventive, flavor-filled dessert.


...
Wives with Knives  has knocked it out of the ballpark with Coconut Almond Bunny Bites.

...
The Charm of Home  baked Ina's Lemon Pound Cake, a melt-in-your-mouth dessert that includes edible flowers.

...

Stone Gable has created Easy Puff Pastry Pizza, which is loaded with healthy veggies and could be an appetizer, entree, side-dish, or comfort food.

Looking for more Easter ideas?

Check out the Novel Bakers' Beatrix Potter Week on Pinterest.

Are you contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday?
 If so, locate the blue Inlinkz icon in the lower, left-hand portion of this post. Click on the icon and follow the directions. After you complete the process, you will see a red "x" beside your name. This allows you to delete your link if you made an error; the red "x" is visible to you only.

You can read a complete guide to this linky party HERE.  It's pretty simple: there are NO RULES. You don't need to "like" our Facebook page or be a follower of this blog to participate. Nor do you need to include a backlink or Foodie Friday button in your post. Add as many recipes as you wish, old or new. If you love food, we love you.

 

   

If you'd like to share your food photos--or photos of other FF participants on Pinterest, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions. Leave a message on the most recent "pin" if you'd like your name added to the list.

Every Friday, we are joined at this big, virtual table--thank you for stopping by today. I'm grateful to all of you who spend your days cooking. I'm grateful to old and new friends who contribute recipes every week. I'm grateful to friends who leave a comment. I'm grateful for the silent folks, because you are brought here by your love of all things culinary. 

We are food people. And that's a marvelous thing. 

Foodie Friday Link-Up

Beatrix Potter Easter Week: The Wrap-Up

 

I've loved all the Novel Bakers' projects, but for some reason, Beatrix Potter Easter Week was my favorite. Beatrix's early, sheltered years helped shape her art, preparing her for grand adventures that would not arrive until she was middle-aged. She took up gardening late in life, and, in reading her letters, it's clear that she drew inspiration and comfort from the land.

 

In her final years, when her eyesight was failing, she painted less and less, but she did not define herself as an author in absolute terms: writing was her profession, something she did every day, not an all-encompassing description. She loved the creative process and was successful beyond all imagining, but she drew a line between vocation and avocation. When artists fail to do this, they may plunge down a rabbit hole, losing the best part of themselves.

 

As I read about Miss Potter and her life, it seemed clear that she did not allow herself to be changed by fame and fortune--fleeting things that have the power to diminish, rather than to fill one's cup.

 

Deep in her heart, Beatrix was a wife, farmer, gardener, cook. She removed herself from the rat race--and wrote about rats! She protected her privacy as much as possible and chose her friends wisely. When all was said and done, Beatrix knew how to recognize the lasting value of simple pleasures. 

 

This applies to every profession: medicine, the law, teaching, writing, blogging.

Do what you love because you love it and for no other reason.

As I prepared for Beatrix Potter Week, I felt like a girl again, humming to myself as I cooked. I couldn't wait to visit Jain and Mary each day; I always came home inspired and joyful. Even Bandwidth got into the spirit and cooked a few dishes.

 Many of you shared Beatrix-related memories and pointed me in the direction of additional reading material, along with the charming film, Miss Potter, which I hadn't seen. 

Thanks so much for your stories and tidbits.

 

Here is one final recipe from Beatrix Potter's Country Cooking. It was prepared by

Bandy, and he made a few adjustments.

Cornish Buttered And Creamed Lobster

(Bandwidth's Easy Version)

"The Potter family used to leave London for two or three weeks in April to stay in seaside hotels in Lyme Regis, Minehead, Illfracombe, Tiegnmouth, Sidmouth, or Falmouth. In 1892, they spent their Easter holiday in Falmouth and Beatrix wrote at length in her journal about Cornwall."

-- from Beatrix Potter's Country Cooking
 

'The Cornish natives} are naive and unspoiled to an amusing degree. Very friendly, kindly, cheerful, healthy--long lived and the numerous old people very merry, which speaks well for a race.'

-- from Beatrix Potter's letters

The recipe called for the lobster to be presented in scrubbed, baked shells), but Bandwidth decided to make little lobster tarts.

What You Need:

3 cooked lobsters (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb each) or equivalent fresh lobster meat

fresh lemon juice

3/4 c butter

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon prepared English mustard

1/2 cup crème fraîche

Salt and pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Lemon slices (garnish)

Sprigs of fresh dill or fennel (garnish)

Frozen pastry shells

Cook pastry shells according to the instructions on the box.

Prepare lobster meat and sprinkle with lemon juice; and set aside. Into a saucepan, add 1/4 c butter and melt. Add breadcrumbs and cook until brown. Remove from stove and set aside.

Melt the rest of the butter in a large pot. Add mustard and lobster. Heat the brandy in a metal ladle; ignite and pour (it will be flaming) onto the lobster meat. After the flames extinguish, remove pan from heat and set aside.

In yet another pan, add cream, salt, and peppers. Over a medium flame, reduce liquid. Aim for a thick sauce.

Remove the brandied lobster (a large slotted spoon will work best) and place equal amounts in the pastry shells. Spoon cream mixture over the lobster. Top with browned breadcrumbs. Bake in a 375 degree oven until breadcrumbs are nicely browned. Garnish with herbs and lemon slices, if desired.

(When I was transferring the tarts to a tray, I dropped most of them...here are the survivors.)

The Novel Bakers' Beatrix Potter Easter Week has come to an end. I hope you have found a recipe or two along the way. Before you go, be sure to see the goodies that  Jain (...a quiet life) and  Mary (Home Is Where the Boat Is) have cooked and created this week. Take a visit to Mary's lakeside potting shed...Jain's English greenhouse ... and you'll also find recipes galore. 

Links to our recipes can be found on the Beatrix Potter Week board at Pinterest.

Thanks for sharing your time with us this week. Hope to see you on the next Novel Baker adventure.

I'm sharing this post at these linky parties:
Seasonal Sundays
Metamorphosis Monday
Wow Us Wednesdays  

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Chili-Beef Lettuce Wraps

A Novel Baker event just wouldn't be complete at our house without one of Bandwidth's contributions. The ex-rugby player has no interest in bunnies, but he's keen about food and greatly admires my fellow NBs, Jain (...a quiet life) and  Mary (Home Is Where the Boat Is).

He chose a Gordon Ramsay recipe on the basis that Gordon is British, as was Beatrix Potter, and also, Bandy is a huge Ramsay fan. So here is Bandy's version of Chile-Beef Lettuce Wraps.

Gordon Ramsay's Chile Beef Lettuce Wraps

from Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking

      

Olive oil

8 oz lean ground beef

8 oz ground pork

Sa salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 or 2 red chiles, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp light brown sugar

1 Tbsp fish sauce

Zest of 1 lime; juice of 1/3 lime

3 scallions, trimmed and chopped

2 small Boston lettuces (or equivalent), separated into individual leaves

Mix the beef and pork, adding salt/pepper and blending well. Into a large frying pan, add a bit of olive oil. Add the meat mixture to the pan and cook until brown and crumbly. Drain the cooked meat and set aside. Using a paper towel, wipe out the pan. Into the pan, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Next, add garlic, ginger, and chiles. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the drained, cooked meat. Stir. Add the fish sauce (we used Worcestershire) and stir. Add lime zest and lime juice; stir. Add scallions and stir for about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a separate bowl, mix:

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 red chile, thinly sliced

Small bunches of cilantro leaves, chopped

1 or 2 tsp fish sauce (to taste)

1 tsp light brown sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

Adjust the above dressing ingredients to taste. 

Pour dressing into a bowl. 

Place meat mixture in lettuce leaves and drizzle the meat with the dressing.

Serves 4

Bandy recommends taking a peek at Chef Ramsay's video, which

shows a step-by-step plus tips and commentary.



The Novel Bakers' Beatrix Potter Easter Week will continue today and tomorrow (I'll miss it!). Visit Jain (...a quiet life) and  Mary (Home Is Where the Boat Is) for some of the prettiest vignettes I've ever seen, along with festive springtime recipes. You can also find links on the Beatrix Potter Week board at Pinterest.

Bandwidth and I will return tomorrow, April 13, for the Beatrix Potter Easter Week wrap up.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 



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