If you have never tried cooking in a simple foil pouch, you are missing one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare delicious dishes. We like to use the technique for basic week night cooking, but it is also ideal for the backyard grill or camping trips. The best part? Cleanup is a breeze!
Fish works well because you end up cooking it in its own juices, making it hard to create a dry product. Other ideas for pouch cooking? Veggies (especially squash or corn), chicken, potatoes and sausage.
ingredients
- 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small sweet white onion, very thinly sliced (Vidalia or Maui)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (1T per filet)
- 6 tablespoons Pastamore Passion Fruit White Balsamic Vinegar (1.5T per filet)
directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse individual salmon fillets under cold running water and pat dry. Cut four pieces of foil long and wide enough to encase the filets when folded and folded up on the ends. Place a salmon filet in the center of a piece foil, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and pepper. Pile the onion slices in a mound over the fish fillet. Drizzle the fillet evenly with the olive oil and the Passion Fruit White Balsamic and fold the edges of the foil up over the salmon and crimp to seal. Fold the edges together on both ends to create an airtight package. Repeat with the remaining filets and place on a baking sheet.
Bake the salmon for 15 minutes, or until just cooked through but still moist. Serve immediately, removing the filet from the foil using a large spatula. Serve with some of the accumulated juices spooned over the fish.
Serves 4.
This recipe is the second of Esther the Zester’s adventures with our Raspberry Balsamic. If you don’t know the story of Esther, you can read about how we met her here – but even better, you should visit her amazing food blog here.
Used with permission – Esther the Zester
Below is one of two chicken wing recipes Esther featured for Father’s Day, 2016. The full recipe and a recipe for Wings with Whiskey Buffalo Sauce can be found here.
In regard to baking the wings, Esther writes:
For my wings recipe, I decided to go with the baking process — mainly, because it’s healthier than fried wings (and just as yummy), and I wanted to keep the kitchen semi-clean for once (you can imagine how a kitchen looks when someone is working on a cookbook).
I love barbecue, so I created baked chicken wings with a sweet and tangy barbeque sauce, using an infused balsamic vinegar (raspberry was my choice, but you get to pick your flavor).
We love Esther’s choice of Raspberry; the sweet tangy pop of fresh raspberry is quite apparent in the savory sauce. We did experiment with some alternatives, our Traditional Barrel-Aged and our Dark Sweet Cherry also performed well.
Wings
- 1 dozen chicken wings, halved, with the tips removed and discarded (unless you’re saving them for a future chicken stock)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lay out all the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet and pat dry (this will help keep the wings crispy). Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on both sides (not too much), and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
Stick the wings in the oven for 35-40 minutes (depending on if you like them extra crispy like I do), flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Pastamore Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients (except for the balsamic vinegar) and heat on medium-low heat until it begins to boil. Turn off heat and stir in the balsamic.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with wings. Serve and enjoy.
