Blackened Halibut, Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon Sandwich

How is it that my calm and centering weekend was followed by a week of torrential downpours?  This week has left me drained, yet surprisingly hopefully.  Take this sandwich for instance, don't get me wrong it was insanely delicious, but I felt conflicted as to whether or not the bacon was a necessary component of the equation.

I do love bacon, but is it absolutely necessary for a happy life?  What does the bacon add other than a savory, smoky, salty edge.  Would the sandwich be just as good and flourish without the bacon?  There are some things that are integral to the sandwich, such as the bread.  The avocado, yep that was necessary in my opinion. 

So how could something so good ended up going so wrong?  I'm still working that one out.  But I did work out the fact that you do need to try this sandwich and that the bacon needs to be a part of it. 



Blackened Halibut, Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon Sandwich

2 pounds halibut fillets – you need 4 filets

2 large green tomatoes

1 pound apple wood smoked bacon

1 large loaf focaccia bread

1 avocado

½ cup mayo

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. Emeril’s original essence (or blackening spice)

1 cup dried polenta (or cornmeal)

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 cup buttermilk

Canola oil for frying

1) Wash and pat dry the halibut and set aside.

2) Place bacon on a baking sheet and cook in a 375 degree F oven for 15-17 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

3) In a large skillet add about 1 cup of oil or enough to cover the bottom by ½”. Heat the oil on medium high.

4) In a small bowl combine polenta, sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. In another bowl add buttermilk.

5) Cut the green tomatoes into ¼” thick slices, dip in buttermilk, then polenta mixture. Place the dredged tomatoes into the hot oil carefully and fry on each side for about three minutes, until crispy. Set on a rack to drain.

6) Heat a large skillet on medium high heat, when really hot add 1 tsp. of canola oil and add the fish. Cook 3 minutes per side or until firm. Remove from heat; remove any skin and bones from the fish.

7) In a small bowl combine mayo and lemon juice. Set aside.

8) Slice the focaccia in sandwich sized pieces and toast the pieces on a flat griddle.

9) Slice the avocado and start layering your sandwiches. Layer with the following: Generous amount of mayo, a piece of halibut, bacon (your choice), tomatoes and avocado.

Optional: Wear bib, although I did enjoy the juice cooling my chin as it ran down.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Enjoy,

Gina

Bacon, Smoked Cheese and Fresh Herb Biscuits

It's been quite the week already, on Easter my daughter accidentally tripped on Mr. Rusty and I've been back and forth with him to the vet.  He will be fine; he is on bed rest though for the next couple weeks for a broken pelvis.  Luckily my daughter was fine; she was just upset she hurt Rusty.  So I've been playing nursemaid to him on top of my regular schedule.  He has already had lots of get-well wishes and he really appreciates it, not to mention the made-to-order dinners he has been receiving.

We had the whole nine yards on Easter, ham, lamb, tortellini salad, scalloped potatoes, desserts; I think you get the idea.  Good thing about making all that food is I had leftovers, day one leftovers are pretty enjoyable, day two are tolerable, but by day three I am just plain over them.  After a long day, I decided I wanted something comforting like biscuits.  I told my Facebook friends I was going to whip up some biscuits and this is what I came up with.

Bacon, Smoked Cheese and Fresh Herb Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1-2 fresh chopped sage leaves

8 tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

3/4 cup milk with 1 tsp. white vinegar added (or buttermilk)

1 cup shredded smoked cheese blend (Cheddar, Gouda, Provolone and Mozzarella)

3 sliced cooked bacon, chopped (I prefer thick bacon that is apple wood smoked)

1 tbsp. butter, melted

Pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a 12" ovenproof skillet and set aside.

In a food processor add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage and pulse once or twice to combine.  Add butter and pulse until the mixture looks like large crumbs. Stream in milk and pulse until barely combined.  Add cheese and bacon and pulse once or twice until combined and dough has come together.  (If you don't have a food processor add dry ingredients to a bowl then add butter and use two knives or a pastry blender to cut butter into flour, and then add rest of the ingredients.)

I like the strong flavor of rosemary so I added a little extra; it's up to you.  You could also increase the bacon if you want it to be the predominate flavor.

Put some flour on your cutting board and put dough on it and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle, fold it in thirds and roll it again and repeat.  Using a floured 2 1/2" biscuit cutter cut out biscuits and place in the skillet.  Gather up scraps, re-roll the dough and cut out more biscuits.  You should end up with 12.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Bake the biscuits until golden brown 20-25 minutes.

For the last week I have been seeing some amazing white asparagus recipes and must admit to having white asparagus envy, I never see them in the local markets here.  I could find them if I drive an hour away, but that was not in the cards this week.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Gina