2/20/2011 - Day 36 - Farmers' Market Day!

Ham & cheese croissant with 12oz decaf mocha from Fresh Flours

Sunday is Farmers' Market day around here and that means breakfast at Fresh Flours. YUM! I know I had more pictures of the Farmers' Market experience in last week's post, but I had already half eaten my pastry last week before I thought to take a picture. Lest you think that all pastries from Fresh Flours look half eaten, I present this photo as proof to the contrary :)

DBF went skiing this Sunday, but two of my good friends, Shiloh & Pete, joined me at the market & we ran into some more friends, Dan & Hannah, there as well. It was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle! We picked-up a variety of yummy treats including some salmon fillets for dinner.

 

Pete & I hadn't seen each other in almost a year, so after going to the market we decided to spend the day together hanging out at my house. We chatted & caught-up on each others' lives & played some video games. Then we got hungry & made dinner together: grilled salmon + sunchokes with hollandaise sauce + sauteed swiss chard. 

I marinated the salmon in lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, & Trader Joe's every day seasoning. Then I wrapped it with aluminum foil & grilled it over medium heat for about 4 minutes a side. I roasted the sunchokes in olive oil & spices for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I made the hollandaise sauce with the trusty recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook which never fails me. Pete was the chard man & cooked the stems up with some butter & balsamic vinegar until tender & then added the leaves until wilted. 

Better Homes & Gardens Hollandaise Sauce

• 1/2 C butter
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1T lemon juice
• 1T water
• salt & pepper to taste

In a thick bottomed pan over low heat or a double boiler, combine eggs, lemon juice & water. Add about a third of the butter & whisk until melted. Whisk CONTINUALLY. It will melt slowly & that's OK, that's what you want. Just keep whisking. Repeat with the second third of butter. Repeat with the last of the butter. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat & eat! :) Tip: Do not get impatient & turn the heat up. You'll wind-up curdling the sauce that way.

Catching-up with old friends, delicious! :)

P.S. Don't feel too bad for DBF for missing out on all of this deliciousness. He had a dinner of freshly smoked salmon at our friends' cabin in the mountains ;)