A Lighthouse Supper to Remember

Today is filled with National and International Days I need to acknowledge. There’s Purple Heart Day and Raspberries in Cream Day (oh yum). It’s also the first Friday in August, which gives us International Beer Day and that goes well with National Water Balloon Day. Think about it – a warm summer’s day, a few beers too many and water balloons – a deadly combination!

My personal favorite for today is National Lighthouse Day. There is something about being in the fog and hearing the distant blast of fog horns or that beacon of light on a dark night that resonates deep inside my soul. There is a connection I cannot explain.

Did you know that once upon a time the United States had more lighthouses than any other nation? The first was built in St. Augustine, Florida. The oldest still in existence is Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey. It was built in 1764 and is still in operation today. Lighthouses were originally lit by an open fire, and then candles, if you can imagine that! At one point in American history, the beacon of light symbolizing safety and security could be found across almost every shoreline. Amazing! Over the years, lighthouses have declined due to the expense of maintenance and the lack of a real need thanks to modern navigational systems. Personally, I find it sad.

Although we live in California, and there are a number of lighthouses along our shoreline, it’s Oregon’s lighthouses that we’ve visited the most. When I bought a tour book of Oregon’s lighthouses, I realized we’ve been to all but 2 from the book. One is Tillamook Rock. While you would think it would be off the coast of Tillamook, it’s not. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is actually just off the coast of Cannon Beach, some 50-odd miles north of Tillamook. However, Tillamook is not without its lighthouse, Cape Meares. The other we haven’t visited is Warrior Rock, an inland lighthouse along the Columbia River.

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Still, over the last three years we have managed to visit seven of Oregon’s lighthouses. There’s Cape Meares to the north all the way to Cape Blanco Lighthouse in the south. Not bad. While Hubby and Kiddo have climbed the spiral staircase to many of the towers, I’m content to stay on the ground and stare out into the vastness of the sea. For it is at this edge of the world I find a strange peace.

To celebrate National Lighthouse Day and to pay tribute to the Oregon Coast, I’ve created a menu featuring my favorites from Crab Cake appetizers to Blueberry Sauced desserts. Oh how I love the Pacific Northwest.

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Lighthouse Supper
Appetizer –
Crab Cake Bites with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

Soup –
Vodka Cream of Mushroom Soup

Main Course –
Smokey Balsamic Herb Glazed Salmon
Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf

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Salad –
Arugula Blackberry Salad

Dessert –
Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

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Crab Cake Bites with Lemon Sauce
Crab Cakes
16 oz refrigerated pasteurized Lump Crabmeat,
2 tablespoons fresh Chives
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
2/3 cup plain Panko Breadcrumbs

Carefully pick over the crabmeat and set aside. Snip chives, set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the egg, chives, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, seafood seasoning and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Fold in crabmeat and bread crumbs until well blended (mixture will be moist). Using measuring tablespoon, shape mixture into 36 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and hot in center. Cool 5 minutes, then arrange on a serving platter.

Lemon-Garlic Sauce
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 Garlic Clove
1 large Lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 or 2 Green Onions

n a small serving bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and mustard until well blended. Set aside.

Peel and finely mince garlic, add to the mayonnaise mixture. Slice lemon in half, squeeze juice of half the lemon over the mayonnaise mixture. Season with salt and stir.

Snip green tops from the green onions, sprinkle over the sauce. Arrange sauce on the platter with the crab bites.

Cut remaining lemon half into wedges, arrange on the serving platter with the crab and dipping sauce.

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Vodka Cream of Mushroom Soup
16 oz Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup Shiitake Mushrooms
1 Shallot, minced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
6 tablespoons Butter, divided
1 teaspoon fresh Thyme Leaves
3 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup Vodka
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Ground black pepper
Fresh Thyme as desired for garnish

Clean and slice all the mushrooms, set aside. Peel and finely mince the shallow, set aside. Peel and finely mince the garlic, set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms and saute until golden, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove 1 cup of the mushrooms, reserving them to the side.

Add shallot and garlic to the pot and saute until fragrant, 1 minute. Add thyme and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a regular blender, puree soup until smooth.

In a small skillet, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once butter is foamy, sprinkle with flour. Cook over low heat until golden, about 3 minutes.

Return soup to pot and add the roux and most of the reserved mushrooms. Stir well, add cream, milk and vodka. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with a few mushrooms and fresh thyme. Serve and enjoy.

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Smokey Balsamic Herb Glazed Salmon
Balsamic Glaze
1/2 cup Hickory Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup White Wine
2 tablespoon Sage Honey
1 tablespoon Stone Ground Dijon Mustard
1 Rosemary Sprig (about 7-inches)
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Tarragon

In a medium saucepan combine balsamic vinegar, white wine, honey, and Dijon mustard.

Finely chop fresh Rosemary and add to the pan. Peel and press the garlic directly into the mixture. Sprinkle tarragon over the mixture, stir to blend.

Heat balsamic herb mixture over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until sauce has thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer into a heat proof dish. Set aside.

Salmon Fillets
4 (6 oz) Salmon Fillets, skinless or skin on
Himalayan Pink Salt, freshly ground to taste
Black Pepper, freshly ground to taste
Meyers Lemon Olive Oil, as needed
Parsley, minced for garnish

Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper. Allow salmon to rest at room temperature while the glaze is simmering.

Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Give it a good swirl to distribute the oil.

Add salmon fillets and cook, without moving until salmon has nicely browned on bottom, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip salmon over and continue to cook 2 or 3 minutes longer until salmon has cooked through.

While the salmon is cooking, finely mince the parsley for a garnish. Set aside until ready to use.

Plate salmon fillets, drizzle with glaze and garnish with minced parsley.

Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf
1 small White Onion
2 small Garlic Cloves
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Sea Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 cup jasmine Rice
1 cup frozen Peas and Carrots mix, thawed
1 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

Peel and finely mince the onion and garlic. Set aside.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, add onions salt and pepper, cook 4 minutes, until tender, add garlic and cook another minute.

Add rice, stirring often, cook 3 minutes. Stir in peas and carrot mix. Add chicken stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, cook 15 minutes, until liquid has adsorbed.

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Arugula Blackberry Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
The Salad
4 cups Baby Arugula Leaves
2 cups fresh Blackberries
Crumbled Feta Cheese or Gorgonzola to taste

Rinse and spin dry the arugula. Place in a large salad bowl. Rinse and pat dry the berries. Sprinkle berries over the arugula. Set aside to make vinaigrette.

Blackberry Vinaigrette
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt to taste
White Pepper to taste

Vigorously whisk together the olive oil and vinegar until fully emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle vinaigrette over the arugula salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle cheese as desired over the salad and serve.

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Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce
Cheesecake
2 lbs Ricotta Cheese
2/3 cup White Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
6 Eggs
1 Lemon, zested
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with baking spray, set apart.

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Beat in the sugar and flour until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beat well between additions. Zest lemon into cheese mixture. Fold lemon juice in with the zest.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center is just about set, about an hour and 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

While cheesecake bakes and cools, make the blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce
3 cups fresh Blueberries
1 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Place the berries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring often.

Set the sauce aside until cool. Refrigerate to chill before serving.

Slice cheesecake and place on individual dessert plates. Spoon blueberry sauce over the cheesecake, serve and enjoy.