Older Bolder Life

Stronger | Leaner | Sharper | Longer - From Older Bolder Fitness

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Seared Mushrooms with Butter, Garlic, and Herbs

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Talking with a client this week by phone and reviewing menu plan options for this fairly innovative home cook (a chef in training actually), we somehow wandered to the topic of searing or sautéing mushrooms.

She agreed with me that searing over higher heat produces very tasty and interesting crusty edges, and finishing in butter with garlic and fresh herbs produces layers of flavor that far exceed the effort involved for this dish. We most often reach for thyme in preparing this one, though my client suggested throwing a rosemary sprig in as well if you happen to have one on hand.

Given supply chain stresses these days, when shopping for a bundle of mushrooms for this cook there weren’t the usual assortment of “fancy mushrooms” available a few days ago at our favorite grocer. Frankly, that doesn’t matter one damn bit, as this recipe works with any fresh mushrooms you can get your hands on, and using a nice grass-fed butter takes it over the top.

And by the way, this is a perfect recipe for that new carbon-steel skillet you’ve recently picked up (or have been eyeing to grab).

1 pound assorted mushrooms, cut into medium to large pieces
2 and 1/2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
2-4 sprigs fresh herbs – thyme and a sprig of rosemary work very well
3 garlic cloves, crushed
5 tbsp grass-fed butter, cut into pieces
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in your trusty carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, layer the prepped mushrooms in the skillet in a single layer and then don’t touch them for 3-4 minutes until they’re golden brown and beginning to caramelize.

Season lightly with salt and pepper, then toss and turn the mushrooms until golden brown on all sides; I often turn the heat down a bit here to keep them from catching or scorching. This should take only another 3-4 minutes.

Now turn the heat down to medium-low, add the thyme (or other herbs), garlic, and butter pieces to the skillet, and spoon the melted butter over the mushrooms for another 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for the butter to begin to brown a bit, watch carefully and note the butter should almost smell nutty when it’s ready.

Adjust for salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Thyme Butter Basted Red Snapper

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For today’s Friday Feast I’m pleased to share a little trick that I learned this year during my brief stint working in a commercial restaurant kitchen during my “take a peek behind the curtain” look at the food industry.

As it turns out, the executive chef of the team I was working with had spent years running an upscale eatery in the Dallas metro that primarily focused on fresh seafood. The volume of fish and shellfish they prepared and served back in the day was absolutely staggering (Dallas/DFW is a metro that loves eating out), and this gentleman handled fish, shrimp, and oysters with a deft efficiency that was a marvel to watch.

Every time I had a chance I pestered him for tips and tricks that were readily translatable to the home kitchen, and the most useful one he shared was this very preparation that works for almost any fish, though we talked most often about using it for a firm fleshed white fish like red snapper and redfish here in Texas, though flounder, cod, halibut, and several other of course work as well. Leaving skin on one side (on the half shell, at least down here in the South) helps maintain the integrity of the fillet, though of course that’s up to you.

Having been taught over the years to pan sauté fish fillets over higher heat, I was a bit surprised at Chad’s insistence that the best way to prepare this dish was as follows.

Having prepped your fish (trimmed, washed, removed any remaining scales), the fillets need to be patted dry thoroughly while pre-heating a (preferably non-stick or a well-seasoned carbon steel) pan over medium-low heat.

Splash a tablespoon or two of avocado or olive oil in the pan (you’re cooking over lower heat, so olive oil works here), then season the fillets generously with good salt and perhaps a grind of fresh pepper (we also use a fresh cajun spice mix occasionally) and place skin side down in the heated pan.

You need to pay attention here, if the oil smokes, you’re running too hot; removed the pan, turn down the heat, put the pan back over the heat and be patient. Pending how thick your fillets are, you’ll most likely cook for 4-6 minutes before turning, and only after the fish has released from the pan. Don’t try to turn or “scrape it off” if the initial side hasn’t released – it will eventually.

Carefully turn the fillets using a fish spatula if you have one, and then drop in several generous pats of your favorite grass fed butter and a handful of fresh herbs – we’re partial to the magic that thyme brings to the dish, though experiment and try your favorites.

As the butter melts (and it might take a bit of time as you’re cooking over lower heat), tip the pan to one side, pooling the butter, and then spoon it over the fillets as they cook. Continue basting intermittently until the fish is cooked through to your preference.

After removing the fish to warmed plates and topping each with a few sprigs of thyme, squeeze half a lemon’s juice (or more if you wish) into the butter remaining in the pan, stir it in, and spoon over the fillets.

Enjoy this one, you’ll be coming back to it again and again.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 10 August 2019

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Fitness At Any Age: Thoughts From the Week

Much has been written of late covering quarterback Tom Brady’s 19th NFL season which officially started last week; while I’m not necessarily a fan of his TB12 methodology and program being a fit for most mere mortals over 40, Men’s Health recently published a nicely done interview piece on his pre-season training program.

4 laws of muscle; great reminder about the importance of protein (and protein signaling).

Nice piece from Sisson on microworkouts.

91-year old woman breaks age world record in 400 meters.

89-year old deadlifts 405 – twice!

An Eclectic Collection of Other Older Bolder Topics of Interest

5 ways to conquer an impossible task.

Elevated fasting glucose levels raise pancreatic cancer risk. (I lost a good friend years ago to pancreatic cancer – improvements in diagnosis and care have transpired since then, but dammit, what a bad actor that disease can be…)

People with T2DM lowered hepatic fat and improved glucose tolerance on a LCHP food plan in only 6 weeks.

Speaking of protein above, higher protein in seniors may help combat osteoporosis too.

Food, Glorious Food

From vegetarian to butcher.

Should you be thinking about sesame seeds as an allergen? The study…

Countries eating more butter are happier? (Beware the correlation v. causation issue)

Scapegoating red meat? (A chef friend who sent this over had some interesting commentary, more to come in a post…)

Our Recipes from the Week
Sweet Potato Hashbrown Cheeseburger Pie
Libby’s Verde Cashew Wonder Sauce
Easy Romesco Sauce

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Sunday: Two Quick Hollandaise Sauce Techniques

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Several friends and clients have been asking lately what method we use to make hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is not something most of us would eat everyday, though in the Primal, Paleo, and keto worlds, it’s an indulgence that’s packed not only with great flavor but a load of good fats (never forget that good fat are your friend) as well.

For years we’ve been using Kenji L’s method he posted on Serious Eats years ago, and find it just about foolproof. Here’s his video, with his recipe posted here…

Our compadre Chef Libby in Austin shared the following video with me a couple of months ago, and I have to admit, the NO-blender 5 Minute Hollandaise technique has worked wonders for us as well…

There is of course the classic whisk in the butter by hand technique, demonstrated in the first video above, though I can’t imagine ever going back given the consistent and much more simply attained results from these two techniques.

Of note, there’s a fairly wide variance of recommendations as to how many egg yolks one should use per unit of butter (classically one per 2 ounces from most resources that I’ve read lately), though 2 yolks per stick of butter (or even one large) seem to work wonders.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Sunday 23 December: Brown Butter Cranberry Sauce

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Last week at a small gathering with friends our hostess served a very tasty brined, roasted turkey with this Brown Butter Cranberry Sauce.

She’s a paleo foodie, and served an array of roasted vegetables too (beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts) that were simply awesome with this sauce as well.

Her palate aligns fairly well with ours in that she said she has reduced the amount of maple sugar in this recipe, enjoying the tart burst of flavor from the cranberries, along with the ginger, orange, a hint of shallots, and thyme.

She also suggested cooking it down for just a few minutes after stirring in the brown butter (note the two links below for tips on making the best brown butter) so that a nice jammy consistency is achieved.

Give this one a spin; our reaction was “wow”, and I quickly began to mentally list all the proteins and vegetables this would complement well.

1 small bag fresh cranberries, picked and rinsed
1-3 tbsp good maple syrup (start with one and adjust to taste)
2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated (or more)
2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 small shallot, trimmed and finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Combine the cranberries, maple syrup, ginger, and orange zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat; stir frequently until the cranberries begin to release their juices and open. Remove from the heat.

While heating the cranberry mixture, prepare the brown butter using this technique or this one.

When the butter is just about “there”; stir in the shallot and thyme, stir for another minute or two until the shallots just begin to soften.

Now stir the butter mixture into the cranberries, place over low heat for another 1-3 minutes, stirring to combine well, and cook it down just a bit.

Serve warm, and use your imagination with this one.

Enjoy.