Maui Mustard Sauce

Yield Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pineapple preserves
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard

Preparation

Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Coastal Living, JULY 2004

Spiced Salmon with Mustard Sauce

Butter-sautéed spinach seasoned simply with garlic, salt, and pepper makes a nice side dish for this fish entrée, but any wilted greens will do.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a fork. Rub mustard mixture evenly over each fillet. Place fillets, skin side down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 324 (53% from fat)

Fat: 18.9g (sat 3.7g,mono 6.6g,poly 6.7g)

Protein: 34g

Carbohydrate: 2.9g

Fiber: 0.1g

Cholesterol: 100mg

Iron: 0.8mg

Sodium: 268mg

Calcium: 22mg

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light,

Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

The steaks are sautéed in cooking spray to create a crust, while the mushrooms are sauteed in butter for flavor. Since the mushrooms release liquid as they cook, the butter is less likely to burn. Shiitake mushrooms create a sublime sauce with deep, earthy flavor, but you can substitute any other mushroom variety. Serve with mashed potatoes and Broccolini.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 steak, 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, and 3/4 teaspoon thyme leaves)

Ingredients

* 4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* Cooking spray
* 2 teaspoons butter
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
* 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. Sprinkle steaks with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steaks to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Transfer steaks to a serving platter.

2. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add butter to pan, swirling to coat; cook 15 seconds or until foam subsides. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, and soy sauce; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon mushroom mixture over steaks. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Wine note: Merlot can be as serious as many cabernets. It's also a natural with both red meat and mushrooms, making it a good partner for this dish. California's Paso Creek Merlot 2005 ($20) has flavors of dark cherry and smoke with a savory edge that will highlight the thyme, while firm, drying tannins balance the steak and buttery mushrooms. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information

Calories: 326 (31% from fat)
Fat: 11.2g (sat 4.7g,mono 4.2g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 34.9g
Carbohydrate: 22.9g
Fiber: 3.2g
Cholesterol: 95mg
Iron: 2.9mg
Sodium: 428mg
Calcium: 34mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2008

Dark Chocolate Mulled Wine Sauce

Yield: 2 cups (serving size: 2 Tbs).

1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 sachet Mulling Spice Blend
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cool 5 mins. Discard sachet. Add cocoa and corn syrup, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Simmer 2 mins, remove from heat. Add chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Cool to room temperature.

From Cooking Light, December 2008.

Earl Grey Dark Chocolate Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

3/4 cup whipping cream
3 Earl Grey tea bags
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbs light corn syrup

Cook whipping cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat just until hot (not boiling), stirring often. Remove from heat. Add tea bags, cover, and steep 5 mins. Remove and discard tea bags. Add chocolate and corn syrup, stirring until chocolate melts.

From Coastal Living.

Lemon-Dill Salmon Croquettes with Horseradish Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Sauce:
2 Tbs light mayo
2 Tbs fat-free sour cream
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
Dash of salt
Croquettes:
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 Tbs chopped fresh dill
3 Tbs light mayo
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (15-oz) can salmon
1 egg white
5 Tbs dry breadcrumbs, divided
Cooking spray

To prepare sauce, combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Cover and refrigerate.

To prepare croquettes, combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through egg white) and 3 Tbs breadcrumbs, shaping each into a 1/2-thick patty. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Place remaining 2 Tbs breadcrumbs on a plate; dredge patties in breadcrumbs.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking on each side or until golden. Serve with sauce.

Jan/Feb 2008 "Cooking Light"

Roast Beef Tenderloin with Port Sauce

Serves 10.

Salting the beef 24-36 hours in advance enhances flavor and texture.

Beef
1 4- to 5-pound trimmed whole beef tenderloin, tail end tucked under, tied every 3 inches
2 tsp coarse kosher salt

Sauce
4 T (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
3 T Cognac or brandy
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
1 cup ruby or tawny Port
Simple Homemade Beef Stock (see recipe on other blog)

Roasting
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T black peppercorns, coarsely cracked in mortar with pestle or in resealable plastic bag with mallet

Beef
Sprinkle entire surface of Beef Tenderloin with coarse kosher salt. Place beef on rack set over large rimed baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours.

Sauce
Melt 2 T butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots; saute until soft, 3 minutes. Add Cognac, rosemary, and 1 tsp cracked pepper and cook until liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add Port; bring to simmer. Add all of beef stock. Boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Strain into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer.

do ahead Can be made 24 to 36 hours ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and chill.

Roasting
Let beef stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 F. Rub beef all over with oil; sprinkle with 2 T cracked peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Return beef to rack on baking sheet and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125 F for medium-rare (135 F to 140 F in thinnest part), about 30 minutes. Remove roast from oven and let rest 15 minutes.

Bring sauce to a boil; whisk in remaining 2 T butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and peper.

Cut off string from roast. Cut roast crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices; arrange on platter. Serve with sauce.

test-kitchen tip Salting in advance, also called dry brining, is often done to improve the texture of sinewy cuts of meat. But it also works magic on tender cuts, amping up flavor and juiciness. It sounds counterintuitive; for years the accepted wisdom was that pre-salting dries out meat. But the moderate salting you'll be doing here does the opposite. Water is first drawn out of the meat and then gets reabsorbed; this saltier, more flavorful moisture helps intensify taste. What's more, the exterior of the tenderloin dries out slightly, making it quicker to brown the oven.

From Bon Appetit, December 2007.