Toaster Oven Diaries

Chris and I are still without a stove (or a microwave). what are we to do!?! these two appliances were our most used appliances at our old apartment. we have amazing pots and pans (all clad coppercore), beautiful baking/serving dishes, and many more things that as professional cooks we use A LOT.

One of the appliances we do own is a toaster oven. in our old place we really didn't use it for more than toasting bread. recently however, i have put it to very good use, creating really nice dinners for chris and i. the first dinner i made was salmon en papillote. "en papillote" is a french technique of cooking "in paper", and it translates exactly to that. you basically take all your ingredients, wrap them in paper, and bake it. when its finished you have a complete meal, with very little mess to clean up. below is my recipe for one person:

toaster oven salmon "en papillote" with edamame, golden summer squash, tomato "confit", roasted shallot rings, and a lemon-white wine-butter sauce.

1 ripe heirloom tomato
1 shallot
15 pieces frozen edamame (i bought a whole bag, and put the rest in the freezer)
1 small golden squash (i used a patty pan, perfect for one person)
1 lemon
8 oz salmon, skin off (i used farmed salmon from whole foods, the butcher will clean it for you if you ask)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons white wine
salt and pepper to taste

to keep the toaster oven clean, line the baking pan with foil.

now make the tomato confit, this takes a while, so start it early in the day. pre heat your toaster oven to 250 on the bake function. confit is another french term referring to a protien (such as duck) which is cooked slowly in its own fat. this creates a very tender meat with a very rich flavor. some vegetables lend well to this technique, tomatoes will come out very flavorful and tender. to confit a tomato, cut the tomato into quarters. remove the seeds, then cut the centers out so you have a flat leaf. season the cut side with salt and a little sugar, place it skin side up on the foil lined baking pan. drizzle with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, place in toaster oven. bake for about 2 hours. when it is done, let cool and peel off the skin. the meat of the tomato will be very tender (and delicious). discard the foil liner and put a clean one on the pan.

next you will roast the shallot. raise the temperature of the oven to 375. clean the peel off the shallot and cut it into rings. toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a little salt. put the mix onto the clean foil of the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. remove from the toaster oven and cool. the shallots will be soft and slightly carmelized.

the last step before you bake the entire thing is slicing the squash. slice it about a quarter inch thick, any thicker and it wont cook through.

now you are ready to stack! change the temperature of your toaster oven to 450 on the convection setting. cut a piece of foil large enough to wrap around all the ingredients. if you have parchment, cut a smaller piece of parchment to put in the bottom (this will help protect your dinner from tasting like aluminum foil). now layer your vegetables on the paper. place the butter on top of the vegetables. season your piece of salmon on both sides, and place it on the vegetables and butter. cut three slices of lemon and put on top of your fish. squeeze the juice from the remainder of the lemon on top, then put the white wine on top as well. fold the foil around your dinner and seal it tightly. the juices inside will steam and cook all your vegetables and salmon, and the butter will melt and combine with the juice to make a sauce. place on the baking pan, and bake for between 8 and 15 minutes (this time depends on how rare or cooked you like your salmon).

when you are satisfied that your salmon is cooked the way you like remove it from the oven and open the foil, careful of the steam that will come out and the juices on the bottom. transfer it to a plate and pour the sauce on top. i paired it with some jasmine rice that i cooked in the rice cooker i borrowed from my moms boyfriend.

enjoy!!!