Southern California Cooking from the Cottage (17 page)

cup chopped black olives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2½ teaspoons cider vinegar

½ tablespoon hot sauce

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl stir together the mayonnaise, cream, Salsa Fresca, olives, parsley, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, hot sauce, pickle relish, and salt and pepper to taste.

MAKES 4 CUPS

COTTAGE BASIL PESTO

W
hen we first started making dishes with pesto at the restaurant, we used a jarred product but couldn't get the flavor we wanted. After lots of experimenting, we came up with our own recipe and think it is so much better than anything that is commercially made.

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

¼ cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the basil and olive oil in a food processor or blender and begin to purée. Add the garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and continue to process for 10 more seconds.

MAKES 2 CUPS

SAFFRON SAUCE

T
his sauce has a nice summer feel and is best on salmon and trout.

1 cup white wine

½ teaspoon saffron

Pinch of salt

4 cups Buerre Blanc Sauce (page 123)

In a small saucepan over low heat combine the wine and saffron. Whisk for 1 minute. Add the salt and keep stirring until reduced by half. Add the Buerre Blanc Sauce and continue stirring until desired thickness.

MAKES ABOUT 2½ CUPS

BBQ SAUCE

A
terrific homemade recipe for BBQ sauce, we use this on our BBQ Chicken, Swiss & Onion Melt Sandwich (page 89).

cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 cups tomato sauce

cup dark molasses

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup red wine vinegar

1½ teaspoons ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1½ teaspoons black pepper

1½ teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

1½ teaspoons coarse salt (sea or kosher)

1½ teaspoons liquid smoke

In a deep, heavy pot sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is transparent. Add the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, chile powder, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, salt, and liquid smoke. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool. Store in the refrigerator.

MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS

BUERRE BLANC SAUCE

T
his sauce, and its variations, takes on a warm summer feel with the white wine and fresh basil.

½ cup chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

cup chopped fresh basil

1½ cups chardonnay or white wine

Pinch of white pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups heavy cream

1 stick unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Cook the onion, garlic, basil, wine, and white pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture reduces by half. Add the salt. Reduce the heat to low and add the heavy cream and butter. Stir until the butter is melted. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and the water. Slowly stir into the sauce, whisking occasionally, until desired consistency is reached.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Variations:
For cilantro sauce, best on blackened fishes, add 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro to the saucepan at the beginning.

For raspberry sauce, best on fried catfish, add
cup fresh raspberries to the saucepan. Purée in a blender before serving.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

W
e sell a lot of eggs, and we decorate many of those eggs with fresh hollandaise sauce.

After much experimentation, we feel as though we have perfected a recipe that can be made easily in a home kitchen. Oftentimes I make more than what is called for and then use it during the week on top of vegetables and fish.

8 egg yolks

6 drops Tabasco

¼ teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 teaspoons water

In a blender on the lowest speed, combine the egg yolks, Tabasco, salt, and lemon juice. In a small saucepan slowly melt the butter. Add the butter slowly to the blender, processing constantly. Add the water. Serve immediately.

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE

H
omemade tartar sauce is so easy to make and so much better than the store-bought kind. We serve it alongside some of our fish dinners, but mostly it complements crab cakes (page 154) beautifully.

½ cup chopped yellow onion

½ cup chopped sweet pickles

2 tablespoons chopped green olives

2 tablespoons chopped capers

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups mayonnaise

Salt

Combine the onion, pickles, olives, capers, lemon juice, parsley, mustard, mayonnaise, and salt to taste in a bowl. This keeps for a while and is a nice alternative to the store-bought kind.

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

SANTA FE SAUCE

W
e use versatile Santa Fe Sauce on our Brie, Avocado & Sun-Dried Tomato Melt (page 91), which can also be an appetizer, and our Santa Fe Fire-Grilled Chicken Sandwich (page 101).

It is really easy to make and tastes delicious on whatever it is added to.

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon chopped celery

teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon chili powder

Combine in a small mixing bowl the mayonnaise, onion, sugar, celery, lemon juice, parsley, paprika, and chili powder. It's best if the sauce sits for 24 hours before using.

MAKES 1½ CUPS

ESSENCE

T
he Essence seasoning is one that we make from scratch to get the perfect combination of flavor and spice. We use it in a variety of recipes including the Garlic Rib Eye (page 177), “All-American” Burger (page 106), and the Blackened Salmon Salad (page 73).

2½ tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

Mix the paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne, oregano, and thyme together in bowl. Store in an airtight container.

MAKES
CUP