Garden fresh

Dad planted a garden this year and it wouldn't be a Green garden without fresh radishes!

Perfect light dinner

Rod is out tonight and I decided to crack open a can of smoked wild Pacific sockeye salmon. (Rod's very allergic to swimming fish.) This delectable little cracker has a smear of dill garlic cream cheese (fresh dill), a thin slice of cucumber and flaked smoked salmon (that I mixed a bit of maple syrup into while flaking). Paired with some Stump Jump white blend.... Mmmmmmmm.....

Summer sauces

Summertime has arrived and Chez Plouffe is back!
Today's post is dedicated to sauces. Not for the lazy chef, summer sauces usually require a bit of planning, fresh ingredients and prep time, but they are so worth it! The following two sauces made their debut at our dinner party last night and were a big hit :)

Creamy lemon-dill seafood sauce
This sauce is quick and easy. I served this sauce with home made crab cakes and it was delicious! It would go well with any white fish.

1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (grainy or smooth)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon seasoning (Old Bay, lime-chili, any mixed seafood seasoning)
Fresh ground black pepper

 Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, chill, and serve.

Apple stout barbecue sauce
This sauce goes well with anything on the barbecue, particularly chicken. It takes a bit of time but beats Kraft Original or Bull's Eye any day! For drumsticks or whole bone-in, skin-on breasts or legs, season chicken with salt and pepper and cook on low. Baste with barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking - you don't want to burn the sugars in the sauce. This recipe makes a lot so you can refrigerate the remainder for up to one month.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of stout beer
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute onion and garlic until softened. Add stout, applesauce, maple syrup, molasses, vinegar, tomato past and salt. Turn heat down, stir and simmer five minutes. With an immersion blender (or food processor or blender), puree until smooth. Some chefs like to press through a fine sieve into a clean pot at this point, I don't mind a thicker textured sauce so I don't. Bring sauce to a simmer over low-medium heat, cook until thickened and reduced to about three cups, about 15-20 minutes.