The first beer (Coopers pale ale) didn’t touch the sides. The second was savoured out on the deck in the fading light. One of the nicest bits about living in the “bush” is that the wildlife make a big song and dance about settling down for the night. Black cockatoos fly back up the valley from their dalliance in town, frogs start croaking (in a good way) and the parrots and other birds slowly quieten as the sun dips behind the ridge into the sea beyond.

On the menu tonight:- fresh salmon, and cauliflower with cheese sauce. A crisp white wine.

Take a couple of slices of fresh salmon. Pinbone them. Gently rub them all over with a little extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Set them on one side while you deal with the other stuff. Test the wine.

Cut up the cauliflower and add to a pan with water and a pinch of salt and cook until done.

In another pan, saute off a dollop of butter and some plain flour (equal quantities of each) to make a roux. Cook it for a couple of minutes and then add milk, stirring constantly until the desired thickness is reached. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and  plenty of grated mature fresh parmesan so it tastes good and cheesy. Taste it! Then adjust the seasoning. Taste, taste and taste until you are happy. Spilling a wee bit of white wine into the pot at this point is a good idea. Leave the sauce to gently simmer on the stove while you cook the salmon.

Get a wide pan good and hot and place the salmon skin side down and enjoy the sizzle. Make sure the wine hasn’t gone off in the time you have been doing all this. You need to get the skin crisp (it’s the best bit!) and the salmon can be cooked almost all the way on this one side. When it’s close to being done (it still needs to be “pink” in the middle ie: medium rare) flip it over and sear it lightly on the top.

Plate up the salmon and cauliflower and pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower. A little chopped parsley over the top of the cauli looks pretty if you like green stuff. Serve with the crisp white wine you have been testing.

Enjoy.

Kind regards,

J

PS: in the morning serve a little of the leftover cheese sauce on your BLT… yum.