Hazelnut Financier with Glossy Chocolate Frosting (and optional sautéed pears)

A couple of posts ago I mentioned a series of classes I have been teaching called “Inspired Cooking by the Book.”  In addition to obviously seasonal recipes (during the winter, recipes that include brassicas—broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, kale, turnips, etc.—as well as root and other storage vegetables and citrus fruits of all kinds), I always like to include a dessert (classes that end with dessert are always a good idea).  The dessert could of course be something with apples or pears.  But these would most likely show up in the autumn version of the class. During the winter I like to turn to chocolate and nuts for the dessert course.

For the most recent version of the class I decided to teach the Hazelnut Financier that appears in Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  She loves this cake so much that it was the cake she chose to have made for her wedding.  I think that’s a pretty strong recommendation for a cake.  But really, what’s not to love about a cake made with toasted hazelnuts and browned butter?  It seemed like a slam dunk addition to the class, so as the class approached I focused on the other recipes.  I have been making financiers for years and knew that I would only need to make the cake once to make sure there weren’t any typos or errors in the recipe (because all cookbooks…even really good ones…have recipes with typos….). 

During this same time period I noticed that a cookbook group I am a member of on Facebook was cooking through Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  I don’t have as much time as I would like to participate in this group, but I try to keep an eye on the activities.  It’s a great way to hear about new cookbooks and learn from the experiences of other cooks.  Several people were making the cake I had chosen for my class.  I noticed one version in particular because they had covered the cake with chocolate ganache instead of serving it plain with sautéed pears (as in the book).  

In reading the post, I discovered two things:  First, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen had made this cake and had been the one to come up with the idea of the chocolate ganache (a fantastic idea, I think).  And second, this cake—which is called a “Hazelnut Browned Butter Cake” (not a Hazelnut Financier) in the book—was not made like a traditional Financier at all.  This was a surprise to me.  I had looked at the ingredient list and assumed the method….

For those who have never made a Financier, you should check out my post from a few years ago for a Rhubarb Financier.  The mixing method could hardly be easier:  Simply combine the dry ingredients…then whisk in the egg whites followed by the browned butter.  The cake in Goin’s book was mixed in an entirely different way:  First, you whip the whites with the sugar to stiff peaks and then you fold in the nut flour/flour mix and the browned butter in alternating additions. 

I was intrigued and a bit put out when I discovered this.  Intrigued because I wanted to know how the cake would be different.  Put out because I was running out of time before my class and would possibly need to make the cake more than once.  (But since this would just mean that I got to eat more cake, I wasn’t too upset.) 

After making the cake both ways, I decided to teach it with the traditional Financier method.  I did this mostly because I really like the texture of a Financier.  Financiers have a dense crumb—in a pleasant, pound cake-like way.  This is the perfect texture if you are making and serving this cake in a single layer—whether you are serving it plain or with chocolate frosting or sautéed pears. 

As for the method from Goin’s book, if you are making the cake to serve as a layer cake (as Goin would have for her wedding) her altered method would probably work well.  The resulting cake should be much lighter. But be warned: the altered method is for an adept baker.  The volume of fat that is folded into the whites is unusually high.  If you are not experienced at whipping whites…and folding heavy ingredients into said whites…you can end up with a fallen/sunken cake.  Several of the versions of this cake I have seen on line have a distinctly sunken look about them.  Furthermore, I know from experience how touchy the batter is.  I got a phone call while I was mixing the cake.  I thought it was an emergency (I wouldn’t have picked up the phone as I was starting to fold things into my whites if I hadn’t thought it was an emergency).  When I discovered it wasn’t an emergency I couldn’t convince the person on the other end that I really needed to get off the phone.  Meanwhile…my whites were losing volume under the weight of the half folded dry ingredients and butter.  I knew the cake was a loss.  But I could tell from the way it behaved around the edges that the method would have produced a nice cake layer if I had been able to prepare it properly.

So I ended up with the cake I had imagined from the start:  a delicious, dense, buttery, hazelnut-y Financier.  But I picked up a great idea for the garnish:  chocolate.  I decided to frost mine with a glossy chocolate frosting that I discovered while searching for a deep chocolate frosting that wouldn’t get as firm as ganache.  I think it is just perfect.  But since I was testing a specific recipe that included sautéed pears, I made those too…and you can do the same if you like.  This is basically a cake that can be served three ways:  plain (for a snack with coffee or tea), frosted with chocolate (for a simple dessert), or with sautéed pears (cake frosted or not…as you please) for a nice dinner party. 

Hazelnut Financier

5 oz. (143 g./1 heaping cup) blanched/skinned hazelnuts

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 t. vanilla
180 g. (1 1/2 cup) powdered sugar
40 g. (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
6 egg whites (180 grams)—beaten until foamy

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 350° oven until light golden brown and fragrant—about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and using a nut grinder, grind the nuts to a flour. (You may use 5 oz. of purchased hazelnut flour if you prefer.)

Meanwhile, place the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. As the butter begins to sputter and pop, whisk occasionally. The butter solids will begin to turn brown. When the solids are a golden brown and the butter has a pleasantly nutty aroma, scrape the butter (making sure to get all the browned bits) to another container to stop the cooking process (you should have 180 g. browned butter).  Whisk in the vanilla extract.

Place the ground hazelnuts, all-purpose flour, salt & powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in the egg whites. Drizzle in the warm browned butter and whisk until smooth.  Refrigerate the batter for at least an hour and preferably overnight. (This will allow any developed gluten to relax and will give the butter time to firm up.)

When ready to bake the cake, butter a 9-inch round cake pan.  Line the pan with a round of parchment and butter the parchment.   Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it into an even layer.  

Transfer the pan to a pre-heated 350° oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides.  A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean—about 40 minutes.  Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

The cake is delicious served with nothing more than a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Suzanne Goin serves hers with sautéed pears and lightly sweetened whipped cream.  I like to smear the top with a glossy chocolate frosting (recipe below)…which gives a Nutella-like taste.

(Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin)

Glossy Chocolate Frosting

4 T. unsalted butter (2 oz.)

3/4 c. sugar (150 g.)

1/2 c. plus 2 T. unsweetened cocoa—natural or alkalized (2 oz.)

1/2 c. plus 2 T. heavy cream (145 g.)

2 T. sour cream (30 g.)

1 t. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Combine heavy cream and sour cream in a measuring cup, mixing until smooth.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the sugar and cocoa.  The mixture will be thick and grainy.  Gradually add the cream mixture, stirring until blended and smooth.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch. Do not boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.

Use warm as a sauce or a glaze, or let it cool and spread it like frosting (it will take about 3 hours at a cool room temperature.  Store the leftovers in a covered container in the fridge.  Reheat gently in a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on low.

Makes 2 cups  (Recipe is easily doubled.)

(Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home)

Sautéed Pears

1 lb. Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored and cut into a 1/2-inch dice

1 T. butter

1 T. granulated sugar

Heat a sauté pan that is large enough to hold the pears in a snug single layer over moderately high heat.  Add the butter.  When the foam subsides, add the pears.  Let them cook, tossing once or twice until they stop releasing moisture and begin to caramelize.  This might take a minute or two, but will depend on the ripeness of the pears.  Sprinkle the sugar over the pears and continue to cook, allowing the pears to caramelize in the butter and sugar until they are golden and tender…but not mushy.  Regulate the heat as necessary to maintain a good sizzle without letting the pears scorch.

Makes about a cup and a half of sautéed pears.  Recipe is easily doubled…just choose a larger pan…or cook in batches (rinsing and drying the pan between batches).

(Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin)

 

Printable Version

Salmon Baked with Fennel-Orange Butter….and served with the green vegetables of spring

I seem to eat more salmon in the spring than during any other time of the year.  I would love to say this is because of some innate hunger that I possess for all things seasonal (fresh wild salmon begins to hit the market during the spring), but sadly, I know this isn’t true.  I have no real long term experiential connections with the Pacific Northwest or the North Atlantic.  I think I have to admit that I just like the combination of the colors of salmon pink and spring greens on my plate.  It is so lovely to look at…and therefore it makes me happy.  And because of the reality that foods that share a season frequently have an affinity for one another, salmon is delicious with the green foods (asparagus, peas, fava beans, artichokes, greens….) of spring and early summer.  Beautiful and delicious...the ultimate combination.

Recently I served some salmon with the early spring partners I wrote about in my last post (asparagus and mushrooms), along with some of the first beautiful spinach to make its way to my local farmers’ market this year.  I tied it all together with a compound butter flavored with fennel and orange—smearing the salmon with it before baking…and finishing the asparagus with it too.  

If you are new to fish cookery…or just don’t like the aroma that the frying of fish leaves in your home…then you will love the technique of baking fish with a compound butter.  I wrote about it for the first time several summers ago…and it is a method I turn to again and again.  Once you put the fish in the oven, you can pretty much ignore it (no worrying about regulating pan temperature, flipping the fish over or possible sticking...) and focus on the rest of the meal.  It comes out of the oven moist and flavorful (bathed in whatever aromatic flavor you have packed into your butter).  Most of the greasy particles (the source of the smell) remain trapped in the oven.   

This super simple technique makes this particular dish--which admittedly looks like it has a lot going on--surprisingly quick to prepare.  Even including making the compound butter from scratch…and stemming and washing the spinach…I was able to make this meal for two in under an hour.  If you decide to make it for more than two, it might take a bit longer…but not much.  Beautiful…delicious… and quick to make—you can’t ask for much more than that.

Salmon with Fennel-Orange Butter,

Spinach, Mushrooms, Asparagus & Hazelnuts

2 4- to 6-oz. portions skin-on salmon

2 to 3 T. fennel-orange butter

6 oz. asparagus, trimmed (3 oz. trimmed weight) and cut on a long diagonal

4 oz. crimini (or other favorite) mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. butter

1/2 c. thinly sliced spring onions (about 3), use equal amounts of the white and green

5 oz. stemmed spinach, rinsed in several changes of water and roughly chopped if leaves are large

1 1/2 to 2 T. chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 425°F.   Place the salmon skinned side down on a small oiled, rimmed baking sheet.  Smear the top of each filet with 1/2 to 3/4 T. butter and season with salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Blanch the asparagus in a medium-sized sauce pan in boiling salted water until just tender—about 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain and spread the asparagus on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.  Set aside the (now empty) saucepan used for blanching the asparagus. 

In a medium sauté pan set over moderately high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and tender—about 5 minutes.  Decrease the heat to medium and add a half tablespoon of butter to the pan.  Add the spring onions along with a pinch of salt and cook until tender—about 2 to 3 minutes. 

While the onions cook, place the salmon in the oven.

When the onions are tender, add the spinach to the pan (if there is no water clinging to the leaves from a recent washing, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan with the spinach).  Cook, turning occasionally with tongs until the spinach is collapsed and tender.  If there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, increase the heat slightly until the excess liquid evaporates. Set aside and keep warm until the salmon is ready.

Check on the salmon—I like mine slightly under medium, so I start checking mine after about 8 minutes per inch of thickness of the fish.  I like to pull it when the white proteins have begun to become visible on the sides of the fish…or when an instant read thermometer reads about 115°F (or just under).

Remove the salmon from the oven.  Melt a tablespoon of the compound butter over moderate heat in the pan the asparagus was cooked in.  Add the asparagus and heat until sizzling.  Add the hazelnuts and toss. 

Divide the spinach-mushroom mixture between two plates.  Using a wide thin spatula, lift the salmon off of the baking sheet (the skin will have stuck and will remain on the baking sheet as you slide your spatula under the fish).  Place the fish on the bed of spinach.  Divide the asparagus and hazelnut mixture between the two plates, mounding it on top of the fish and allowing it to cascade naturally over the sides.  Serve immediately.

Fennel-Orange Butter

Zest of half an orange (about 1 1/2 to 2 t.)
Juice of one orange (about 1/3 c. juice)

rounded 1/4 t. fennel seed, toasted and crushed/ground to a powder

a small squeeze of lemon juice (1/2 to 3/4 t), to taste

4 T. room temperature butter

Salt & pepper

Strain the orange juice into a small non­reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently cook until reduced and very thick. Let cool to room temperature.

Place the reduced juice in a small bowl with the fennel, lemon juice and butter and cream together.  Season to with salt & pepper—adding more lemon juice if the butter seems flat tasting or too sweet. Set aside.  

 Printable Version

Suzanne Goin's Roasted Pear Salad with Endive, Hazelnuts & St. Agur

Last spring I started a new series of classes called "Inspired Cooking by the Book."  The idea for this series came about because a small portion of my rather large cookbook collection is made up of books that are organized by the seasons.  Since I truly do cook seasonally, this particular portion of my collection is a constant source of inspiration in my kitchen.  I thought it would be fun to share recipes sourced from these books in a series of (at least) four classes.  The third class in the series (Autumn) is this week and will feature—among other things—the yellow split pea soup I posted at the end of September as well as a fantastic salad of pears with endive, arugula, hazelnuts and blue cheese...which I'm sharing today.

Both the soup and the salad are unusual in that I have not changed the recipes in any marked way from the originals.  I don't very often leave recipes unchanged, and it is testimony to how much I love these books—and respect the authors—that I don't need or want to alter some of the recipes.  It is true that an equal balance of the recipes in these classes bear only a passing resemblance to the "inspiring" recipe...but that is more a reflection of my preference or mood—and the fact that often a recipe is nothing more than a single point of inspiration—than the quality of the original.

The pear salad is from Suzanne Goin's first book Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  I turn to this cookbook all the time.  I particularly love Goin's salads...  Generally layered affairs of big pieces of cooked and/or raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, cheeses, dried fruits and interesting greens...they are exactly what I want in a salad:  a knife and fork worthy platter of interesting flavors and contrasting tastes and textures. 

Of particular note in the pear salad is the St. Agur cheese.  From the Auvergne of France, it is a double cream cow's milk blue that is firm, yet decadently creamy and spreadable...some say buttery.  It is tangy and salty...but mildly so.  It provides wonderful compliment and contrast for the soft, sweet pears, the crunchy and rich hazelnuts, and the crisp and slightly bitter endive.  If you can find it, you should try it.  If not, Goin recommends a Gorgonzola Dolce or a creamy sheep's milk cheese of some kind instead.

Now would be a great time to try this salad:  Pear season is in full swing.  But pears are available and delicious for most of the fall and winter months, so if this salad seems like too much work (sautéing the pears might seem like a bit of a project if you don't have a very large sauté pan) for an everyday dinner, it would also make an impressive salad course for a holiday dinner party.   

Roasted Pear Salad with Endive, Hazelnuts and St. Agur

3/4 c. hazelnuts

3/4 c. olive oil, plus more for the toasted hazelnuts and sautéing the pears

1 T. finely diced shallot

2 1/2 T. sherry vinegar

2 T. rice vinegar

5 Bartlett pears (2 to 2 1/2 lbs), peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into eighths

2 to 4 T. butter

2 t. fresh thyme leaves

6 heads Belgian endive, core removed and leaves separated (if you can find red endive, use 3 red and 3 white)

1 ounce stemmed arugula, rinsed and dried

2 T. thinly sliced shallots, rinsed and dried

4 to 5 oz. St. Agur, or other favorite blue, cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350° oven until the skins begin to split and the nuts (as visible beneath the skin) are golden and fragrant—10 to 15 minutes.  Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and set aside for a few minutes.  Rub the nuts in the towel to remove the skins.  If the skinned nuts aren't as well toasted as you would like, briefly return them to the oven.  Toss the warm, hazelnuts with a drizzle (1 t.) of olive oil and a pinch of salt.   When cool, chop coarsely and set aside.

Place the vinegars, diced shallots and 3/4 t. kosher salt in a tall narrow container (that will accommodate an immersion blender) and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan (see note) over high heat add enough olive oil to lightly coat the surface and add as many pears as will fit in a snug single layer cut side down.  Add some butter to the pan—enough so that the pears look moist and sizzle nicely in the browning butter—along with some of the thyme and a good pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook till nicely caramelized on the first side—4 to 6 minutes.  Carefully turn the pears over and caramelize the second cut surface—another 3 or 4 minutes.  Regulate the heat as necessary to keep the pears from burning.
  

They should be nicely caramelized and tender, but not mushy, when they are finished.  Transfer the pears to a platter, wipe out the pan and repeat in as many batches as necessary with the remaining pears, oil, butter and thyme.  When ready to serve the salad, place all the pears in the pan and heat briefly in the oven or gently on the stove top.  (Alternatively, serve the pears at room temperature.)

When the pears are finished cooking, prepare the vinaigrette.  Add 6 of the cooked pear wedges to the container with the vinegar and shallots and purée using and immersion blender (see note).  With the blender running, add 3/4 cup of olive oil in a thin stream.  Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and the balance with vinegar.

To serve: Place the endive, arugula and shallots in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle in enough of the vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens.  Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the warm pears.

Arrange half of the salad on individual plates or a large platter.  Nestle half of the pears in the greens.  Depending on the texture of the cheese, use a cheese pull to make long ribbons, or a knife to cut small slender slabs.  Arrange half of the cheese in and among the greens and pears.  Scatter half of the hazelnuts over all.  Repeat the layering with all of the ingredients and serve.  Pass extra dressing on the side.  Serves 6

Note:

• The original recipe called for cooking the pears simultaneously in 2 large sauté pans. This is impractical for most home cooks. I have given directions for working in batches. Use your largest sauté pan and add only as many pears as can be accommodated in a snug single layer. To sauté five pears you will need about 2 T. of oil, 2 t. of thyme and 2 to 4 T. of butter in total. Divide these items in equal increments to match the number of batches of pears (so, if you only need to make two batches of pears you will use about 1 T. of oil, 1 t. of thyme and 1 to 2 T. of butter per batch). 
• If you don't have an immersion blender, place the shallots in a bowl with the vinegars and salt. Smash the cooked pears to a chunky purée with the side of a chef's knife or in a mortar and pestle. Whisk the oil into the vinegars in a thin stream. Fold in the pear purée. 
• If you like, replace 1/4 c. of the olive oil with hazelnut oil. 

(Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques—Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table, Suzanne Goin)

Printable Version

What's in Season?... Arugula

For the month of March, the illustration on my 2016 "Twelve Months of Fresh Food" calendar is a scattering of arugula leaves.  

And while there is no arugula growing in my part of the world (at least not in the garden) right now, it is in March that I really begin to be hungry for salad.  And arugula is almost always the green I reach for first when I want to make a salad.  From earliest spring...to late in the fall...arugula is a constant presence in my pantry.

Arugula has a friendly nuttiness and peppery bite.  The bite can be mild or quite strong...depending on the maturity of the plant and the weather (more mature plants and hotter weather produce hot, peppery arugula).  In early spring, arugula is delicious with asparagus, artichokes, peas, radishes and young root vegetables. During the summer, it is marvelous with broccoli, tomatoes, corn, summer squash, cucumbers and melons, peaches and berries as well as green and shelling beans.  Its flavorful presence is just the thing for fall fruits...especially figs, grapes and apples.   No matter the season, it is perfect with nuts of all kinds, salty and tangy cheeses, olives, cured meats, grains, lemon (and orange), avocadoes, potatoes and mushrooms.  It is a most versatile food.

And it needn't be limited to being just a salad green.  It can be used like an herb...folded into pastas...or vegetable ragouts...  It makes the best pesto imaginable (I happen to prefer it to basil pesto) and is delicious stirred into soup...tossed with pasta...or spread on a crostini, pizza, sandwich, or quesadilla.  No wonder I love it so.

Today, I am posting a new recipe for a delicious and simple salad...featuring (in addition to the arugula) blanched green beans, toasted hazelnuts and a fantastic orange vinaigrette.  The vinaigrette is particularly good with the arugula.  I posted a similar vinaigrette—with a reduced orange juice base—last spring.  If you have never reduced a liquid to a syrup before, you should check out that post.  I am posting the salad today accompanied by pan-seared salmon...but it was the hit of a recent wine-pairing class when served with sea scallops.  I also think it would be wonderful topped with a round of baked goat cheese. 

Since today's post is intended to be a celebration of arugula, I thought I would end with a picture montage of some of the recipes I have posted featuring arugula over the last six years (there have been dozens...  And yes, I have been keeping For Love of the Table for almost six years.  It is hard to believe....).  Enjoy!

Pasta with Arugula and Walnut Pesto and Summer Squash

Gemelli with Sugar Snap Peas, Mushrooms & Goat Cheese

Fettuccine with Corn Pesto, Arugula & Prosciutto

Pizza with Potatoes, Mushrooms & Arugula

Minestra Verdissima

Wild Rice Salad with Apples & Roast Chicken

Farro Salad with Broccoli and Green Olives

Quinoa with Golden Beets, Avocado & Arugula

Chicken Salad with Cantaloupe, Feta & Arugula

Potato Salad with Spring Herb Pesto & Peas

Asparagus & White Bean Salad with Arugula

Broccoli, Chickpeas & Arugula

Autumn Salad of Fresh Figs, Grapes, Arugula, Escarole & Mint

Spring Salad with Arugula, Mint, Beets & Asparagus

Citrus & Avocado Salad

Watermelon, Blueberries & Arugula

Cantaloupe, Blueberries & Arugula

Corn Cakes with Roasted Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula & Bacon

Salad of Haricot Verts, Arugula, Hazelnuts & Orange

with Pan-Seared Salmon

1 orange, scrubbed

1 lb. trimmed haricot verts, cut on a slight diagonal into 2-inch lengths

1/2 c.  (60 g) Hazelnuts, toasted, husked & very coarsely chopped

Four 4- to 6-ounce portions skinless salmon filet

Salt & Pepper

Vegetable or olive oil

1 recipe Orange Vinaigrette (below)

2 handfuls arugula (2 to 2 1/2 oz.)

Using a vegetable peeler, remove 5 or 6 strips of zest from the orange, being careful to avoid the bitter white pith...you will need about half of the orange.  Cut the strips lengthwise into a very fine julienne.  Set aside.

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil.  Add the haricots verts and cook until just tender.  While the haricots cook, place the zest in a bowl sieve and dip the sieve into the pot with the haricots (just far enough to submerge the zest) for 10 to 15 seconds.  Lift the sieve out and spread the zest on a paper towel.  When the beans are tender, drain and spread on kitchen towels.  Set aside to cool.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat.  While the pan heats, pat the salmon dry and season with salt and pepper.  Add enough oil to the pan to lightly coat the pan (the pan should be hot enough that the oil shimmers and disperses across the surface of the pan immediately).  Add the salmon to the pan, service-side down, and let cook undisturbed golden brown and crisp on the first side (about 2 minutes)—regulating the heat as necessary to maintain an active sizzle.  Carefully turn the filets over and continue to cook on the second side.  Cook the salmon a total of 7 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness.  I like mine to still be slightly translucent in the center, so I cook it for the lesser amount of time.  If you like, you may place the pan in a hot oven to finish the cooking after the salmon has been flipped to the second side.  Transfer the salmon to a plate and keep warm while you finish the salad.

While the fish cooks, place the room temperature beans, the zest and the hazelnuts in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat.  Toss to combine.

When the salmon is ready, add the arugula and toss with the haricots. Taste and correct the seasoning.  Drizzle in more vinaigrette if the salad seems dry. 

Divide the salad among serving plates and top with the salmon.  Drizzle the salmon with some olive oil...or a bit of vinaigrette...if you like. 

Serves 4 as an entrée.

(Salad adapted from Ottolenghi the Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

Note:  This salad is also delicious with seared Sea scallops or Halibut.

Orange Vinaigrette:

2 T. Sherry vinegar

1 small shallot, finely diced (about 1 1/2 T.)

1/4 t. kosher salt

Juice of 1 Valencia Oranges (1/3 to 1/2 c.), reduced until syrupy

1/2 t. fennel seed, toasted and crushed

1/2 T. minced fresh tarragon

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and shallot.  Let macerate for 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the salt, reduced orange juice, fennel seed and tarragon.  Gradually whisk in the oil, adding it in a thin stream.  Taste and correct the seasoning and balance.

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