Sunday Suppers: Gwyneth Paltrow's "Crazy Good Fish Tacos"

So my friend Kelly and I started a weekly dinner together which I've not so creatively named "Sunday Suppers."  Since she moved to SF, we figured it would be fun to hang out after Sunday service with a run/hike/rock climbing/yoga and then end the day with a delicious dinner so we can catch up on our week. 

I've been pulling recipes from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, It's All Good - Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great.  The recipes in this book are actually pretty good.  Last week I made her Teriyaki Chicken recipe and this weekend I made her "Crazy Good Fish Tacos" recipes.  The fish tacos were pretty darn good.  I'm not sure if I'd call them "crazy" good, but they were good.  Kelly and I were much satisfied after we completed our meal.

What inspired me to make these fish tacos were -

1)  the weather - it's been a warm winter and this past weekend I felt it was like summer!

2)  work - so at work we've been highlighting a new South American fish called Paiche (pronounced "pie-chay") that we sell exclusively in our stores and we sponsored 2 bloggers JoyFoodly and ChezUs to create recipes with this fish.  Chef Hollie Greene from JoyFoodly created these delicious looking fish tacos so I thought I would try

3)  and just a craving for some guac and queso fresco.

And lastly, I believe there were 2 factors that made these fish tacos pretty good -

(one) the fish, I purchased a new South American fish called Paiche (pronounced "pie-chay!" from the Whole Foods Market in Oakland and it's the perfect fish for fish tacos.  It has a mild taste and buttery texture and it's hard to overcook!  Hence, making it a great fish to use for fish tacos.  I'm not saying this because I work for Whole Foods Market.  I usually would use tilapia, but tilapia is super easy to overcook or dry out.  Paiche on the other hand is a solid fish that holds its texture and flavor when cooked and is super delicious wrapped in a warm tortilla!

(two) the roasted poblano pepper in the sauce that Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe calls for.  It makes a well-rounded sauce to go with the fish taco and enhances the freshness of the entire meal.

Anyways, long story short - these fish tacos were delish!  Check out the recipe below.

CRAZY GOOD FISH TACOS
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from It's All Good - Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great

The Roasted Pepper Sauce
1 small poblano pepper
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1/4 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed

The Fish Part
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of Paiche (or other mild white fish), skin removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
sea salt
black pepper
warm tortillas

Extras (this is what makes it all delicious and completes the meal!):
guacamole
red cabbage
'Have'A Corn Chip' Tortilla Chips
Queso Del Valle Queso Fresco
Roberto's of Santa Cruz Salsa
extra limes for that extra zest

Set an open gas flame to medium-high heat and roast the poblano pepper.  Using tongs, rotate the pepper every now and then until all of it is roasted black.  If you don't have an open gas burner, broil the poblano pepper in the oven and move the oven rack to the middle of the oven.  Roasting the pepper should take about 15 minutes.  Don't rush this process - you will want to make sure the pepper is cooked and charred on the outside.  Once this is done, put the pepper in a paper bag and close the bag so it can naturally steam and it will be easy to take the skin off.  After it's cooled, slip off and remove the burnt skin, stem, and the seeds.  Rinse the pepper with a little bit of water to remove any charred remains.  Then puree the pepper in a blender along with the onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno and set the sauce aside. 

Take a large skillet and the put the olive oil in it and set your stove to high heat.  Then add the Paiche to the pan and add some salt and pepper to your fish.  Saute the fish until cooked - this takes about 6-7 minutes.  Turn off the heat and serve the fish!

I served the sauce on the side.  The original recipe called to mix the sauce with the fish.  Do as you prefer. 

Then I placed the fish, sauce, tortillas, and extras on the table so we could build our own fish tacos!  It's fun and delicious!  Hope you enjoy it too!

Day Trip: Linda Del Mar Beach - Pacifica, CA

I finally caught my first full wave today at Linda Del Mar Beach in Pacifica!  I was so happy once I popped up on my board and felt the wave.  :)

I've been taking advantage of our warm winter and spent the day at the beach with my friends Jenn and Mary.  I went surfing and surprised Jenn with a surf lesson from the University of Surfing LLC as an early birthday present.  And our wonderful friend Mary stayed on shore to watch our bags and capture the shots of us surfing in the water.

Pacifica has become one of my favorite places up in the Bay.  The water is beautiful, the people are nice and it's only a 30 minutes drive from the East Bay! 

We spent the morning surfing and in the afternoon we enjoyed the sun and relaxed on the beach.  I was even able to squeeze one game of Bananagrams with my friends.  Then to end the day we walked up Morri Point and caught the sunset. 

It was a perfect weekend day trip.  I'm hoping to practice catching some waves at least once a month!

Here are my are my tips for a day trip in Pacifica:

• Surfboard Rentals:  Rent surfboards from Sonlight Surfshop.  They have everything you need to go out to surf - board, wetsuit, booties.
• Surf Lessons:  I would recommend University of Surfing LLC.  Super easy and great.  My friend Jenn had a great time learning with them. 
• Parking:  There is free parking on Crespi Drive.  It's the same street of Sonlight Surfshop.  There are several paid parking lots off Highway 1 and Crespi Drive, but hey, why not go free when it's available?
• Beach:  If you want to avoid the crowds, head out to the beach that is directly to the left of Crespi Drive, away from the Taco Bell.
• Morri Point:  For a nice sunrise or sunset view, walk up to Morri Point.  It only takes about 5-10 minutes from the beach. 
• Food:  There's a Taco Bell on the shore of the beach and a Safeway in a mini shopping plaza across the street.  I would recommend to bring your own food and enjoy it on the beach.

Be Hungry, Be Humble

Romans 12:2

RECIPE: Meyer Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust

Cheesecake is another one of my favorite desserts to make and eat.  I was invited to dinner at a friend's new home and was in charge of bringing dessert so I tried this recipe I found on Food52.com.  I usually search for recipes on Tastespotting.com, but lately I've been trying recipes from Food52 and they've been great!  I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake that all my friends loved from Food52 so I thought I'd find another cheesecake recipe from that site.  I love the lemon used in this recipe, it makes the cheesecake taste "lighter".  As "light" as a cheesecake can be, the is a great dessert to complete any meal or eat on its own.  Plus, the Biscoff cookie crust adds a unique twist to the generic graham cracker crust found in typical cheesecake recipes.  

Note:  The original recipe called for 2 Meyer Lemons, but I bumped mine up using 4 Meyer Lemons to secure that lemon flavor.

MEYER LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH BISCOFF CRUST
Serves 10
Recipe from Food52

Biscoff crust
5oz. Biscoff cookies, crumbled
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Heat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan.

In a food processor, blitz Biscoff cookies until finely ground. Add sugar and salt and continue to process. Slowly pour in melted butter and process again.  (I had a Vita-Mixer and processed it all in it)

Press mixture into bottom and up sides of springform pan. Bake in 350 F oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let crust cool to room temperature.

Meyer lemon cheesecake filling
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (low-fat is ok, no-fat is not)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract  (if you don't have this, just use an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
4 Meyer lemons, zest removed and juice reserved  
1 (16 oz.) carton sour cream (low-fat is ok, no-fat is not)
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a mixing bowl, place cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sugar and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add 1/2 of the zest to the cheesecake batter, reserving the remainder. Add all of the juice and the extracts to the batter, and continue to mix. Pour batter into prepared crumb crust. Place pan on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until cake is just set in center. Remove cake from oven but do not turn off oven.

Whisk together sour cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining lemon zest. Spoon mixture onto the cheesecake and spread with an offset spatula or knife. Return the cake to the oven and bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool to room temperature. Store cheesecake, well-wrapped in refrigerator.

Reconnections

A new year and a new day reconnecting with a good friend I met almost 2 years ago when I first moved to the Bay.  Her name is Lia!  And today also happened to be her birthday.  We celebrated the new year and her day by going to Mt. Tam and enjoying the view of the Bay and watching the sunset.  It was a perfect day to enjoy the sun and enjoy what God has created for us - mother earth!  Thank you Jesus for a new year and reconnections with friends.  May this year bring more joy, blessings and adventures!  Cheers!