I recently had the immense blessing of spending my spring break in Pensacola, Florida, in a giant (like, sleeps-28-people-fairly-comfortably-giant) house ON THE BEACH with some people that I love very much.
My grandparents rented the house to celebrate 50 years of marriage. My boyfriend and I got to spend the week with my grandparents and aunts, then for the weekend we were joined by the rest of my family and my uncle! My grandparents had all their children and grandchildren gathered under one roof and the happiness it brought them was a glorious thing.
Another bonus of the week was getting to eat really. good. food. Pensacola is home to a fresh seafood market called Joe Patti's, where we (not me specifically forking over the cash-ola but you get the idea) picked up some halibut, salmon and local shrimp.
Just fyi: 3 lbs of halibut cost the same as 6 lbs of salmon.
I had no idea!
I used this recipe to make the halibut.
First, you roast the potatoes, red peppers and onions (sliced, of course) in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Then, once they are just becoming softened, you clear out a space in the middle of the pan and add the (salt-and-peppered) halibut, skin side down.
The halibut gets topped with a "gremolata" that was made with fresh parsley, lemon zest, oregano and crushed garlic.
You untangle some of the onions and red peppers from the potatoes and place them on top of the halibut and it all finishes cooking together in the pan.
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| Hard at work |
We were supposed to reserve some of the gremolata to put on the finished plates... but I didn't read that part of the directions until I had already stuck the pans in the oven, sooooo
We just served with lemon slices and called it a night.
Everyone was raving, and I'll admit, if I ever win the lotto and can afford halibut on a regular basis, I'll definitely be using this recipe again.
The next night, we made salmon with basmati rice and roasted asparagus. The real winner of this dinner was the after-dinner-treat. AKA dessert.
We cooked up two of their favorites: carrot cake and chocolate bread pudding.
The carrot cake recipe, I got from the Marietta Daily Journal and had made once before. It was delicious the first time and didn't disappoint this time either.
I've posted the recipe at the end of the post, for you who have a few hours to kill and a serious sweet tooth to satisfy. My one note to you is this: they're not kidding about the parchment paper. Use it or you'll end up scraping buttermilk-glazed-carrot cake bits from the bottom of the pan to assemble something that I affectionately named carrot cake pie.
And not to be out-shined: chocolate bread pudding!
It was super decadent; the vanilla ice cream was a welcome addition to that plate! I posted that recipe below as well. Not sure where I got it from; someone told me it was my grandmother's recipe originally?
Hope you enjoy!
Paula’s carrot cake supreme
2 cups all purpose flour (I use Swans Down) (1 + ⅓ C)
2 teaspoons baking soda (1 + ⅓ tsp)
½ teaspoon salt (½ tsp)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 + ⅓ tsp)
3 large eggs (2 eggs)
2 cups sugar (1 + ⅓ C)
¾ cup vegetable oil (½ c)
¾ cup buttermilk (½ c)
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation) (1 + ⅓ tsp)
2 cups grated carrots (1 + ⅓ c)
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained (~5 oz)
1 (3-1/2 oz) can flaked coconut (2 oz)
1 cup chopped pecans (⅔ c )
Note: Have all ingredients at room temperature for best results.
For ⅔ the recipe
1 + ⅓ C cups all purpose flour
1 + ⅓ tsp teaspoons baking soda
½ + pinch teaspoon salt
1 + 1/3 tsp teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 + ⅓ C cups sugar
½ c cup vegetable oil
½ cup buttermilk
1 + ⅓ tsp tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
1 + ⅓ c cups grated carrots
5 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 oz flaked coconut
⅔ c cup chopped pecans
Note: Have all ingredients at room temperature for best results.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease three 9-inch round cake pans then line with wax paper. Lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.
Stir together first 4 ingredients. Beat eggs with next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrots and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Drizzle warm buttermilk glaze evenly over warm cake layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, inverting layers. Peel off wax paper; invert again, glaze side up. Cool completely on wire racks.
Spread deluxe cream cheese frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Chill cake several hours before slicing. Store in refrigerator.
Yield 16 servings
Buttermilk Glaze
1-cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1teaspoon vanilla extract (not imitation)
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.
Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
¾ cup butter, softened
1 (16oz) package powdered sugar, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (not imitation)
Beat first three ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.
Yield 3-1/2 cups
Chocolate Bread Pudding
4 lg eggs - whisk & add
1 C firmly packed lt. br. Sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1 t Vanilla
1 C semi sweet choc chips, melted
1/4 ro 1/2 C Grand Marnier (or orange flavor)
2 C Half & Half
Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and melted chocolate chips. Stir in the Grand Marnier and Half n Half.
add 8 slices day old white french bread w/crusts removed & cut
in 1/2" cubes - about 4 cups
let mixture set for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Pour half of mixture in a greased loaf pan (6 cup) 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4
sprinkle w/unmelted 2 C semi choc chips
pour remaining mixture over & bake 350/55 minutes
(till set in center)
cool 5 minutes - cut into 1" slices & top with
SPICED CREAM
1 qt. heavy cream
1/4 C sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
Beat cream on high in lg bowl for 2 minutes
add remaining & beat until stiff peaks
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