Halibut Caddy Ganty

Soak halibut filets in white wine.

Puree the cream sauce.

Coat in bread crumbs.

Smother in cream sauce.

Bake and enjoy.

Caddy Ganty lived in Pelican in the 1920's (or so the story goes), the wife of a fish packer in the small Southeast fishing village. It remains one of our region's most popular dishes. It's a tradition that won JoAnn and David Lesh of the Gustavus Inn an "America's Classics" award by the prestigious James Beard Foundation last year. Soak the filets in white wine. Pat them dry and coat fish in bread crumbs. Add cream sauce and bake on high heat. It's a delicious combination, blending the wine flavor with the rich mayo and sour cream-based topping.

This Fiddlehead Caddy Ganty recipe is similar to a recipe my mom has called "drunken halibut." There are a few subtle differences between "Drunken Halibut" and "Caddy Ganty." The latter adds vinegar, tomato and green onion, where the first heaps a greater ratio of mayo atop the fish. Between the two, I'd say the winner is drunken halibut. It's much easier without having to puree the veggies into the sauce, and I prefer the richness of the cream uninterrupted by bits of vegetable.

However you like your Caddy Ganty, it's a delicious choice for fresh (or frozen) halibut.

Roast Beef Pizzaiola

He himself--the Grinch!--carved the roast beast. When the grinch stole Christmas, he also stole my heart--I still watch the original cartoon each Christmas and usually call it "roast beast." Coincidentally, the same week I tried the Fiddlehead's Roast Beast Pizzaiola, I watched a Dr. Seuss movie: Horton Hears a Who, the 2008 version. It's a remake of the 1970 film based on the 1954 Seuss book. Jim Carrey is the voice of Horton the Elephant and Steve Carrell the voice of Whoville's Mayor. With his big ears, Horton hears life on this little dust speck in the jungle. It's Whoville! He talks to the Mayor of Whoville, but other animals think he's crazy and try to boil the dust speck. Finally little Jojo the Who makes a "yopp" so the other jungle animals can hear all the Whos yelling, "We are here!" and Whoville is not boiled. It's so good. But, it gets better. The creators add a super weird character to Dr. Seuss' already weird world of Jungle Nool. Seriously, you have to meet Katie.

Anyway, back to the roast beast...

This might be my new fave. Why? Because it's so dang quick and easy! 4 ingredients (all available at Costco), 10 minutes of prep, 5 minutes under the broiler. That's it! All you have to do is stack the beast, marinara sauce and mozzarella atop a croissant bottom, broiler, and cap it with the top. You've got a gourmet sandwich!

Fantasy Cookies

First things first. You need a special rosette press to shape these cookies. I'm not actually clear on what the press is for. Something to do with pancakes, maybe? I would've made this recipe a long time ago was it not for the characteristic shape required. They're just not fantasy cookies without the rosette shape. Martha Hopson, who is credited in the book as Originator of Fantasy Cookie Shape Idea, suggested I scour garage sales for one. Google Images helped me understand what I was looking for. Eventually, it was when I least expected it that I ran across a press. Making sushi at my friend's house, I found not one, but two while rummaging through a drawer looking for wasabi or chopsticks (or some such sushi-related item). Anyway, they're hard to come by, so good luck on your hunt.

Now when using the press, you don't want the star side, just the rosette. Easier said than done. Some of our cookies wound up with the star points pressed into them. It also takes experience to achieve any kind of consistency. We aimed for pressing the form to about half the depth of the cookie, leaving a base around the bottom. It helped to spray the iron with cooking oil. They all turned out differently, regardless. It's all worth it. The rosette gives the cookies convenient sections so you can break them off in perfect bite-sizes.

The cookie itself is a honey-sweetened shortbread with chocolate chips. It melts in your mouth. Probably has enough calories to call one breakfast. Enjoy your trip to fantasy-land.

Boonville Chops

This simple pork recipe is easy to prepare and cooks in just 15-20 minutes. The Asian flavor is excellent.

Simply mix ginger, cilantro, and soy sauce in a baking dish and let the pork marinate for a few hours.

Then broil on both sides and you're set! Though the recipe calls for chops, I used pork medallions cut from a loin, and liked the smaller bites.