Friday, December 27, 2013

Dilled Gravlax with Mustard Sauce

Per Nana~
One of the most delicious brunch treats to me is a
 plate of lox, with cream cheese, thinly sliced onions, 
sliced tomatoes and a few capers thrown in.
 
Slice  bagel or bialy and just assemble it in any order, it really doesn't matter.
 So delicious.  Must be the New Yorker in me....
This week's recipe for gravlax made me wonder if I could trust myself 
to prepare it correctly. I still think in terms of "raw fish".  I mentioned it to Hubby,
 asking "if I leave it dressed for 72 hours it should be done, right ???". 
 We figured that since Tricia's husband enjoys Sushi, this can't be too bad. 
Well, 72 hours passed and out came the gravlax. It looked great. 
I sliced it very thin and prepared the sauce. 
I was very proud of myself at this point because I tackled a recipe
 I always wanted to try, but didn't have the courage to until now.  
Thank you Dorie.
It was truly delicious. Since Hubby does not eat lox at all, 
I sent some over to Tricia's family to enjoy.
Per Tricia~
This was simply outstanding. And it could not have been easier. 
warmed spices being crushed ~
"before"
The biggest challenge, in fact, was getting the Progresso soup 
cans acting as weights to stay in place and then find open rea
estate in the Christmas week refrigerator. 

"during"
pressed for 72 hours ~
I was a bit concerned about it "being done", but I could tell by the 
dark coloring that magic had indeed happened over the last 72 hours.
"after"
I am not a big fan of lox or gravlax, but my taste testers always 
enjoy it at brunch so I was delighted to try this recipe. 

 It was a huge hit. 

In fact, my younger son devoured the entire bagel in the photo -
after adding more gravlax and sauce to make 2 opened faced sandwiches. 
He said he liked how much more "fresh" it tasted than the usual lox.
My hubby tried the cream cheese version as well as the mustard
 sauce and was surprised at how much he enjoyed Dorie's sauce.  
Thankfully it turned out well because Nana had raised the bar
 when she sent her care package over earlier in the week.
 Expectations were high :)

This is a keeper and I look forward to making it for brunches
 or perhaps as a wonderful appetizer with drinks. 
If I can just remember to start it 3 days early......

Happy French Friday ~

14 comments:

  1. Nice job, ladies! Nana, you should be proud of yourself for trying this and knocking it off your bucket list. Tricia, it's not fair that Nana sends over a preview before you get a chance to do your thing in the kitchen. Glad that most of the taste testers enjoyed this. It doesn't sound like there was/is any left over. Wishing you a very Happy New Year! I loved meeting you in Seattle and hope we cross paths on the East Coast in the future.

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  2. You both did a great job and congrats on tackling this Tricia :) Wishing you both a happy new year - see you in 2014!

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  3. You have BOTH made me very hungry this morning. My toast just doesn't compare to your gorgeous gravlax. Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy, Joyful New Year!!! xoxo

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  4. Tricia - I agree with your son's assessment that Dorie's version tastes "fresher". I have not always been a huge fan of lox in the past as it can sometimes be a bit salty. But this one was delicious.

    Nana - I had the same feeling of accomplishment after this one. My aunt actually gave me a gravlax recipe years ago and I never trusted myself to make it. Thanks to Dorie for pushing me outside of my comfort zone and with such a delicious reward at the end:-)

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  5. Yes I was quite concerned about it's doneness so I waited another day. It did look different after 3 days, I think my salmon was thick. Gorgeous, gorgeous salmon so glad you both had success with it. Happy New Years to you.

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  6. I'm so glad you both liked this one! It seems to be a winner all around Doristaland and that doesn't happen so often. I just barely got this one done yesterday and I'm keeping it hidden in the fridge to nosh on all weekend. All Sina saw of it was the pan in the way for 3 days. Now it is all mine, mine, mine. Mine.

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  7. Both results are gorgeous! Happy New Year to both families!

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  8. Nana, I loved this too, and I reckon served with cream cheese on a bagel was an excellent way to serve it. Tricia, you are a champion to make this for your family, even though you are not a fan. Happy New Year ladies!

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  9. I have a family that loves gravlax, but I always thought it was way too complicated to try and make! And would it be safe?? Both of your gravlax looks perfect…How nice that you are trying recipes you've always wanted to try Nana! And Tricia, I am amazed at what a teenage boy can put away!
    This seems to have been a winner with everyone this week!
    Wishing you both a very Happy, Joyful and Healthy New Year!! It was such a joy to meet you both!!

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  10. Excellent work, all!
    I agree that finding refrigerator real estate was the hardest part of making this recipe - especially just a few days before Christmas.
    Happy New Year!

    (P. S. Road trip to Toronto??? Time to get the minivan out!)

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  11. I think everyone who tried it, liked it. I wish you all wouldn't mention how easy it was to make because I have told all MY friends that it was a three-day project and they are in a-w-e. Like you, Nana, I really think this was an accomplishment. And, that I didn't poison anyone with those pesky parasites, even better. I ate mine, like you enjoy, Nana, with cream cheese, capers, onions and bagels from Zabars. It was heaven. Tricia, I love your weighting combo. In fact, I think the hardest part for everyone was finding enough heavy stuff to weight that sucker down and then find a spot for it in the fridge. Anyway, a real success for one and all. One of the best things to happen this year was to finally meet our Dorista Mother-Daughter Combo in Seattle. You are an inspiration and a delight -- how you two interact is wonderful to see. Melissa and I work very hard at our relationship, to keep it thriving and happy. You two show that it's worth the effort. A happy new year to you all and hopefully we will meet again in 2014. I'll come East.

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  12. I had to skip this one. Kudos for making it!

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  13. I loved this too! so tasty, and the freshness could not be beat. I love that you have such a close family - that is such a treasure, and that you are able to share your interests with each other.

    Happy New Year to both of you and your families!

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  14. I agree, this one was a winner. You both sliced yours beautifully, too. Mine tasted good but the slices were kind of a mess.

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