Stubb's Sauce Chicken Sandwich (the butcher's recipe)

Last week, I had a major breakthrough at the grocery store.  And by that, I can only be talking about the fact that the butcher and I are now on a first-name basis.

When I saw him again today, he told me to make this:

Sandwiches made by Todd

Here's what you do: buy a rotisserie chicken. Take off the skin then shred the chicken with your hands.  Add chopped green onion.  Add Stubb's wing sauce (go easy, it's spicy!).  Mix.  Toast two slices of sourdough bread.  On a plate, spoon some of the chicken mixture onto one slice of bread and place the other slice of bread next to it.  Heat in the microwave then place the other slice of bread on the chicken mixture.

Admittedly, that's not exactly what the butcher said.  I think the butcher butters the bread then adds cheese and grills everything on the stove.  Our version probably came out a bit drier than his, but I liked it just fine.  Sorry, that's an understatement.  This sandwich was amazing, one of the best things I've had all year (this and this are the other two).  And I don't even like sandwiches. 

As a note, I've never used Stubb's sauce before, but as you can see by the bottle, it's clearly legit.  Actually, I really have no idea, but the butcher told us to use this brand, and after eating this sandwich, I put my faith in his hands.

Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Sauce and Arugula-Herb Salad and Pistachio-Lemon Tart

Hi bloggies!  I'm back!

And I brought beer to the party ....

I have a mustache! 

It's officially spring-break time at UA Law, which means a visit from Todd's parents, tourist attractions, delicious foods, and cooking!

Yesterday night we made a delicious meal.  It was seriously classy stuff.  Sockeye salmon with honey, shallots, lemon juice and zest topped with greek yogurt  and an arugula salad with dill, tarragon and more lemon juice and zest.  Not being a licorice fan, I wasn't sure I'd like the tarragon, but this meal was incredible.  Like the mac and cheese with goat cheese and rosemary, I could definitely see this on a restaurant's menu, like maybe The Abbey?

To mix up the brown basmati rice, we used chicken stock instead of water then mixed in turmeric and onion powder and topped with parsley.  That simple!

And then there was this amazing thing...

It would be an understatement to say that we've been on a pistachio kick recently - we've been eating pistachios like it's our job.  Needless to say, the ingredients in this tart immediately struck a cord with me.  This is a pretty standard tart recipe, although the crust is a little different than those I've made before because it calls for an egg yolk and the filling is just a tad sweeter for lemon tart.

And do you know this trick?  For a flaky crust, make sure to use a pastry mat and sock for rolling and sub vodka for water.

And one more tip, be careful pulling your hot tart pan out of the oven.  When I pulled mine out, the bottom popped up from underneath and ended up hanging on my forearm like a big ring, giving me second-degree burns.  seconddegreeburnsfromatartpan#foddfortoddproblems.  Please, don't do what I did.

Something to Read:

The Most Common Cooking Mistakes

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Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Sauce and Arugula-Herb Salad

Slightly adapted from Epicurious

1 cup low-fat greek yogurt

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, divided

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

6 6-ounce salmon fillets

1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) arugula

1/4 cup small fresh dill sprigs

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

Sea salt

6 lemon wedges

Whisk greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in small bowl. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper.

Whisk honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning salmon fillets occasionally. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil. Transfer salmon fillets, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss arugula leaves and sprigs, dill sprigs, tarragon leaves, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Place 1 salmon fillet on each of 6 plates. Top with watercress salad. Drizzle with lemon-pepper sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve, passing additional sauce alongside.

Lemon-Pistachio Tart

From Epicurious

crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

filling

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 teaspoons water

1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios 

for crust:

Combine flour and salt in processor. Add butter; cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and 3 tablespoons ice water. Process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 30 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold in overhang and press, forming high-standing rim. Pierce all over with fork. Cover and freeze 20 minutes.

Bake crust until deep golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

for filling:

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients. Cook until mixture thickens, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk 2 minutes longer. Pour hot filling into crust. Chill uncovered until filling is set, about 2 hours.

Line small baking sheet with foil. Stir 2 tablespoons sugar and 4 teaspoons water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add pistachios and stir to coat. Spread pistachios in single layer on prepared sheet. Cool completely. Coarsely chop pistachios.

Sprinkle pistachios in 2-inch border around edge of tart.