Ultimate Brownies

Ingredients:
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 tspn salt
2½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a 9"x13" pan.
2. Melt chocolate & butter in a saucepan over low heat, set aside.
3. In a mixer, beat eggs, sugar & vanilla at high speed for 10 mins.
4. Blend in chocolate mixture, flour & salt until just mixed.
5. Stir in the nuts. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 35-40 mins. Don't overbake.
7. Cool & frost if desired, but it's not necessary.

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Ingredients:
Salmon:
1½ lbs (750 g) salmon fillet in 1 piece
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil or melted butter
1 tspn (5 ml) salt
¼ tspn (1 ml) black pepper

Cucumber Dill Sauce:
½ cup (125 ml) plain yogurt
½ cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
2 green onions, chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled & chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh dillweed (or half as much dried)
¼ tspn (1 ml) salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 120°C.
2. Brush baking pan with some olive oil or melted butter. Place salmon fillet on baking pan, & then brush with remaining olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper & place in preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 mins.
3. Meanwhile, stir together all the ingredients for the Cucumber Dill Sauce. Remove salmon from oven, cut into portions & serve with Cucumber Dill Sauce. (Or salmon can be chilled to serve cold as a fillet or in a salad).

Servings: 4

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1½ cups chicken broth
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 small green pepper - chopped
2 red potatoes, unpeeled & sliced
1 can (16 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tspn salt
ground black pepper to taste
½ tspn dried thyme
2.5 fl. oz. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp of hot sauce
Cream

Method:

1. Drain clams and reserve liquid. Add enough chicken broth to reserved liquid to make 3 cups of stock.
2. In a large saucepan, saute garlic, onions, carrots, celery, green pepper & potatoes.
3. Pour in clam juice and broth mixture, undrained tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, salt, pepper, thyme, worcestershire sauce & hot sauce. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Mash the vegetables slightly to thicken the broth.
5. Add clams to the saucepan and heat thoroughly. Serve hot with a twirl of cream.

(Steps 1 - 4 can be done before-hand & step 5 on the day required).

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
1 slice hickory-smoked bacon, minced
½ tspn butter
1 cup onion, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tspn The Cliff House Spice Blend (see separate post)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 can clams (6½ ounces)
1 cup bottled clam juice
1½ cups half and half (equal parts whole milk & cream)
¼ tspn white pepper
2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled & diced

Method:

1. In a heavy-bottomed, 4-pint soup kettle, saute bacon, butter, onions, garlic and The Cliff House Spice Blend over low heat. Do not allow to brown.
2. Drain clams & set aside, reserving the juice.
3. Slowly stir the flour and clam juices in the saute mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat.
4. Add Half and Half and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add white pepper, potatoes and clams. Heat to serving temperature.
6. Do not allow to boil, as this toughens the clams.
7. Serve at once with crackers and warm cornbread.