Baked Salmon Balls w/ Orange Pineapple Glaze

Salmon croquettes are basically a version of a salmon cake, salmon balls or patties and can be fried or baked. They were originally made of beef, probably leftovers that needed to be used up. Croquettes originated in France in about 1898 by the founder of classical French cuisine, Escoffier. As Escoffier’s chefs started to travel throughout the world, they took the recipe with them to other cultures where it was transformed based on local cuisines. From the original beef croquette, it branched out into salmon croquettes, chicken, vegetarian, and many other versions.

There are many variations of ‘croquettes‘ on the market, and just about every culture has developed their own recipe. Constantly, new recipes are formulated and something new is invented and created. With the input of different cultures, the original recipe has taken itself into many directions, different applications and ingredients. Very often salmon croquettes (cakes, balls or patties) are made with canned salmon though there are quite a few newer recipes that use fresh salmon that has been either chopped finely or ground to mold into the various shapes.

I think, using a zesty orange-pineapple glaze is the perfect compliment to these baked salmon balls.

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Baked Salmon Balls w/ Orange Pineapple Glaze
Instructions
Salmon Balls
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. If using canned salmon, drain & flake well. If using fresh salmon, brush with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill for about 6 minutes or bake wrapped in foil at 350 F. for approximately 10 minutes. When cool, flake salmon. Add carrot, green onion, potatoes, tartar sauce, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro paste, Old Bay Seasoning, salt & pepper. Combine well.
  3. Using a small scoop (about 1/2 oz size), measure salmon mixture out into palm of your hand & gently roll into balls. Mixture should make about 32 balls.
  4. Roll salmon balls in Panko crumbs & place on a well buttered or sprayed baking sheet. Lightly spray tops with spray as well.
  5. Bake about 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from oven.
Glaze
  1. Place all glaze ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently & simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken slightly & reduces by half.
  2. Drizzle over salmon balls or serve on the side. These salmon balls are nice served with rice & a steamed veggie.

French Baked Brie Ideas

Appetizers, starters, hors d’oeuvers or whatever you want to call them, are such an important part of any gathering. They provide the ‘welcome’ and set the stage for what comes next.

A comfort food and party food all in one, Christmas and New years celebrations would not be complete without cheese. Brie, one of the world’s best known soft cheeses, originated in northeast France, but is now produced all over the world. A decadent cheese that evokes thoughts of sophistication and elegance.

Brie, a soft, creamy, off-white or yellow cheese with an edible rind is produced from whole or semi-skimmed cow’s milk. Typically described as tasting earthy, nutty, fruity, grassy and even mushroomy.

In France, Brie is very different from the cheese that is exported. ‘Real’ French Brie is unstabilized and the flavor is complex when the surface turns slightly brown. When the cheese is still pure-white, it is not matured. If the cheese is cut before the maturing process, it will never develop properly. 

Possibly, the most incredible way to serve brie, is to bake it, but of course that’s just a personal opinion. However, it can be difficult to find the perfect balance between under and over baking. If you remove brie from the oven too soon, it will only stay melted for a few minutes. On the other hand, if it is left in the oven to long it will lose it’s shape and be difficult to handle.

There are a variety of brie options on the market and any of them technically work. ‘Double Cream’ (227 gm) is an excellent choice, whereas ‘Triple Cream’ will become too runny when melted. 

After all these years, our memories of France, it’s food, culture, beauty and not to be forgotten — the wine (and Brion’s favorite goat cheese) have not lessened. My sister, Loretta joined us on that first trip any of us had ever made to Europe, which added to those memories of a lifetime. 

I wanted to share a few BAKED BRIE  recipes today that have been favorites of mine to use at this time of the year. Hope you will enjoy.


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Baked Brie - Blueberry * Gingered Grape * Fig & Nuts

Nothing short of impressive!

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Servings


Ingredients
Blueberry Chutney

Brie Cheese
  • 227 - 375 gram wheel of Brie cheese If you plan to make all 3 kinds you will need 1 wheel of brie for each.

Servings


Ingredients
Blueberry Chutney

Brie Cheese
  • 227 - 375 gram wheel of Brie cheese If you plan to make all 3 kinds you will need 1 wheel of brie for each.

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!


Instructions
Blueberry Chutney
  1. In a large saucepan, combine all chutney ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute. Remove cinnamon stick. Cover & cool.

Gingered Grape Chutney
  1. Slice grapes in half. In a saucepan, stir wine with cornstarch until dissolved. Add sugar, candied ginger & grapes. Stir over high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring often until liquid thickens, 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in green onion. Cover & cool.

Fig & Nuts RECIPE SOURCE: https://www.themediterraneandish.com
  1. Place fig jam/preserves in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds to soften. In a small bowl, combine the sliced, dried figs with chopped pistachios & walnuts. Add half of the fig jam & mix well to coat the nut mixture.

Baking Brie
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Set the brie on prepared baking sheet.

  2. For the Blueberry or Grape Chutney: You can either bake the cheese FIRST & then add the topping or TOP it & then bake it.

  3. For the Fig & Nuts: Before baking, coat the brie with the remainder of the jam. Top the brie with the fig & nut mixture.

  4. Bake the brie for 12-13 minutes. At this point it should be starting to bubble on top. The trick is to leave it in the oven for as long as possible before the wheel begins to lose it's shape. You may have to leave it a bit longer. Serve the brie warm with crackers.


Recipe Notes
  • For best results, allow the brie to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking as it will ensure that the cheese melts evenly all the way through.
  • Brie tastes equally wonderful with a mix of both savory and sweet toppings.

Overnight Layered Salad

Seven Layer Salad was a popular salad in the 70’s and 80’s. It was perfect for most any large gathering. Typically made with lettuce, onion, celery, frozen peas, boiled eggs, bacon and cheese. The salad was topped off with a thick layer of mayonnaise based dressing. It was always prepared a day before your event, covered and refrigerated overnight. The salad was easy to transport, a beautiful presentation and had a great taste. It could be tossed at serving time or let everyone scoop out their own serving, ‘digging’ through all the layers.

Today, there are unlimited salad combinations and ways to serve them. It seems this old-fashioned salad has found its way into Mason jars, plastic cups and small individual bowls. Just a great summer lunch to take to work, providing you can keep it cool until eaten. Make it in the evening and its ready to go in the morning. The nice thing is you can personalize it in your choice of veggies, dressing, type of cheese and even add meat or fish if you wish. All that being said, here’s a little outline of what you are seeing in the blog picture of the Individual Overnight Layered Salads.

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Overnight Layered Salad
An old idea with a few new twists.
Instructions
  1. Boil eggs to hard boil stage being careful not to overcook.Cool in cold water, peel & set aside. Crisp fry bacon, drain & blot on paper towel. If using tomatoes you may want to seed them.
  2. Layer the ingredients from the outside rim, (of whatever your serving container is) & then in toward the middle, so that you can see some of everything from the outside of the serving container. Top with salad dressing of choice, making sure it covers the salad completely to 'seal' it. Refrigerate overnight.
  3. When ready to serve combine ingredients & enjoy!
Recipe Notes

OTHER OPTIONS:

  • GREENS: Iceberg lettuce, romaine, butter lettuce or spinach
  • VEGGIES:  carrots, broccoli, red onions, jalapenos, fresh mushrooms, cucumber, zucchini, water chestnuts
  • CHEESE: your favorite kind
  • SALAD DRESSING: Ranch or your preference
  • MEAT or FISH: ham, turkey, salmon or tuna