To be honest, I haven't been feeling very inspired in the kitchen lately. I've been busy with lots of things including travel, and when I'm home I've been trying to eat the food in the freezer since it is on the verge of overflowing. But yesterday I was at the store and I found local king salmon on sale and some beautiful white corn. I thought about the mango I had and just like that, a plan came together.

Sometimes ingredients speak to you and the lightbulb goes off. I diced the mango to serve with dessert a few nights before but it was firm and a little too sour. That's not good for dessert but it's excellent for salsa. The salsa can be used with chips, with roast chicken or scallops. It's actually pretty good without the tomatoes too. I was a little undecided as to which way I preferred it, so try it both ways and you tell me which you like better!

This recipe has a lot of parts, but you can make the salsa and the sauce for drizzling ahead of time. You can even use already cooked salmon if that's what you have on hand. Even though it's cooked on the stove and not on the grill, it really tastes like summer--the fresh corn, tomatoes and salmon look like summer too. Here's to a little summery inspiration!



Salmon Tacos with Mango Corn Salsa
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons mild flavored oil ( I use rice bran oil)
1 ear of corn, white or yellow
1/2 cup diced firm mango
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 - 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

3-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise (I used wasabi mayo)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon plain non-fat Greek yogurt

12 ounces wild salmon
Chili powder

8 Tortillas
1 1/2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
Sprigs of cilantro, to taste, optional

Instructions

Make the salsa first. Slice the corn off the cob, you should have about 1/2 cup of corn kernels. Heat a skillet and add a couple teaspoons of oil. Add the corn and stir, cooking a couple of minutes until fragrant and sweet. Remove the pan from the stove and allow the corn to come to room temperature. In a bowl combine the mango, tomato, scallions and sliced serrano pepper. Add the cooled corn and lime juice and taste for seasoning.

Make the drizzle by whisking together the mayonnaise, lime juice and yogurt. Taste and adjust to your liking.

To cook the salmon, remove any bones and cut some slits in the skin. Heat a non-stick skillet and when it's hot, add the salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with chili powder and cover with a lid. Cook until barely medium, about 120 degrees internal temperature. Break the salmon into chunks or large flakes. Do not overcook.

To prepare the tacos, heat a dry skillet and warm the tortillas over medium heat. When pliable and hot, top each tortilla with salmon, shredded cabbage, salsa and drizzle with the mayo sauce. Add cilantro if desired and serve.

Enjoy!

The lid on the ProCook actually is a bit better in my opinion, because it has those braising ridges that help baste.

Robaire showing off one his wine picks at Grocery Outlet in Berkeley

I've been buying wine at Grocery Outlet for a long time and I've always been curious about Robaire, the manager in the store who picks the wine. At Grocery Outlet you won't find a lot of "shelf talkers" or ratings and descriptions of the wines, but sometimes you will see "Robaire recommends" at the Berkeley store or a sheet with details on the wine that Robaire has printed out.

When Robaire took over the wine department at the store he was a cognac and scotch drinker. He told me he thought a lot wine was "just hideous." But he started reading about it and tasting and over the course of about six months, he became something of a wine lover. Today he recommends wines he thinks his customers will enjoy and not just the ones he prefers. Likewise Andy, the wine buyer at Grocery Outlet says he never buys for his palate.

The wines at Grocery Outlet all have stories. Not just the story of how they came to be, but also, how they came to end up at Grocery Outlet. Grocery Outlet choses wine based on value. According to the Andy, up to 40% are purchased below cost. How can they do that? I'd say it's because the wine business is very complicated and risky. The slightest little changes can mean a producer ends up with wine they cannot sell. Here are just some of the reasons why:

Uh oh...

Please, don't let your children design your wine label

The label was really awful. The bottle changed.  Stores or restaurants want to carry only a newer vintage. It's a brand created for a restaurant. Ownership of the winery changed. A newer vintage got high ratings or reviews. There is no space to store it.

The thrill is finding something really special, that is just too good for the price.

Right now Grocery Outlet has a sale on wine, and everything is additional 20% off through May 12, 2013.  So I talked to both Andy and Robaire to get some of their top picks:



Pope Valley Merlot
2008 Napa Valley
$11.99
This wine has the scent of red fruit with spice and violets, it's earthy and has velvety tannins. It generally sells for over twice the price.






Wild Oak by St Francis Winery Syrah
Sonoma 2007
$10.99
The Syrah is a Rhone style, with blueberry and black fruit and a hint of violet, it typically sells for $30 or more.




Swanson Instant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Rutherford
$24.99
Swanson is very well respected for their Merlot, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Napa Cab of this quality, this reasonably priced. It's a blend of Cab, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and it includes fruit from Rutherford, near the Mayacamas range in Yountville, Oakville and Oak Knoll.  


Three Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Washington
$9.99
From Walla Walla Washington, this sells for over twice the price, and got 89 points from Wine Spectator it's a big "chewy" Cab with cherry, vanilla, blackberry and earthier notes of tobacco.



Wilson Daniels Chardonnay
2010 California
$4.99
Known mostly as a negociant, they also bottle some wines under their own label. It sells for about $14
and is from Paso Robles, it's lemony, with melon and tangerine.





Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva magnum
2008 Italy
$22.95
A favorite among chianti lovers and (Wine Spectator), this needs decanting but would be great for a party. Check out this review.




Michel Schlumberger Merlot 
California 2011
$6.99
I haven't tried this wine yet, and plan on holding on to it for a bit. This winery is known for particularly elegant wines and
Schlumberger Merlot generally sells for $35 a bottle.





Disclaimer: My thanks to Grocery Outlet for providing me with a gift card so I could buy some wines, they did not pay for me to write this or any other post. I've been a fan of Grocery Outlet for a long, long time and was paid to create some recipes for them in the Fall of 2012. 

Recently I was at a dinner hosted by Maille, an award-winning brand of Dijon style mustard that's been around for 265 years. Mustard was used in everything from cocktails to dessert. Mustard adds complexity and brightness and can be used in the background or front and center, it all depends on the dish. It also seems to balance out sweetness, adding pungency and acidity.

As luck would have it, the National Mango Board sent me a box of luscious mangoes and I was instantly inspired. Mangos and mustard! I'm happy to say this recipe for Mango Mustard Chicken was a smashing success from the very first try. The sauce of mango, saut�ed onion, mustard and honey is tangy, sweet, spicy and so good you won't be able to stop eating it! The pungency of the mustard is tempered by the sweetness of the mango and honey. I bet it would be good on a roast pork loin as well.

A few years ago I learned not all Dijon style mustards are the same, some are sharper and some emulsify better than others. I highly recommend you use an imported French variety, such as Maille, because they work best in recipes. Read about my friend Sarah's trip to the Maille shop in Paris then try my recipe.

Note: Different mangos are available throughout the year. To learn about the different varieties, visit www.mango.org.


Mango Mustard Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon oil
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces (do not use the wings)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Dijon style mustard, preferably Maille or imported French
1 mango, diced, a firm mango works well such as a Haden or Tommy Atkins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet, add oil to coat the pan and brown the chicken on all sides.  Transfer the chicken to an oven safe baking dish.

Add onion and garlic to the skillet and saut� until transparent. Turn off the heat, then add honey, mustard and mango and stir until combined.

Pour the mango mustard sauce over the chicken pieces. Bake for about 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Transfer pan drippings to a skillet and simmer until reduced, or serve as is.

Enjoy!

Bermuda is pretty pink beaches, dazzling turquoise water, lush vegetation, touches of British style, pastel painted homes and truly friendly people. It�s posh yet casual and while not a bona fide culinary destination, it offers some delicious things to eat and drink that you won�t find elsewhere.
Here are my top picks:

Fish chowder
This scrumptious soup, considered the national dish, was originally poor people�s food, made from fish bones. It�s a rich broth, with vegetables including onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots and a variety of spices and herbs. It's a little bit like Manhattan style chowder but with bits of fish instead of clams, but what makes it most special is the black rum and sherry pepper sauce that�s added to it, often at the table.

Where to find it: I loved it everywhere I had it, and it�s on just about every menu, but I�m told, the best version is sold at the Rubis gas station near the airport (get your taxi driver to take you!). I tried it at Bonefish, Henry VII and Wahoo�s Bistro.


Fresh fish
Grouper has a tender texture and a sweet flavor, similar to sea bass. It�s often served in Bermuda with saut�ed bananas. The combination of sweet and savory is very popular on the island. Wahoo is another local fish, but if even slightly overcooked, it can be terribly dry.

Where to find it: I enjoyed tastes of grouper at both Muse and Swizzle Inn, where it was expertly prepared.

Rum cake
Rich buttery cakes doused in rum are popular in Bermuda, as they are in the Caribbean. The best are airy, light, boozy and just a touch moist in the center.

Where to find it: While I had samples at many shops, the best I had was at the luxurious Fairmont Southampton.

Pepper jelly
I never understood the appeal of pepper jelly until I had it in Bermuda. Wow! This spicy sweet jam with chunks of pepper was the perfect foil for a fresh scone slathered with clotted cream. But it�s also great on toast with butter. There are lots of different varieties and brands, some hotter and others sweeter.

Where to find it: The best price I found for it was at the supermarket in Hamilton but you�ll find it at gift shops and in the duty free stores at the airport.

Bailey�s Ice Cream
DJ Donovan, one of the charming taxi drivers and guides on Bermuda told me the best ice cream on the island is at Bailey�s, and I believe it. The rum raisin is made with the Gosling's Black Seal Rum of course.

Where to find it: Bailey's is across the street from the Swizzle Inn, At Wilkinson Ave and Blue Hole Hill (in Bailey's Bay), Hamilton Parish

Gosling's
Gosling�s is the oldest business in Bermuda and makes Bermuda�s only rum. The sugar cane is not grown on Bermuda, and it�s not distilled there either. But the proprietary blend of distillates from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad is blended there and it�s distinctive spicy flavor is the key ingredient in the Dark and Stormy and the Rum Swizzle, both of which you should try while on the island.

The Dark �N Stormy, Gosling's trademarked cocktail, is made from Gosling's Black Seal Rum and ginger beer over ice. The recipe for the Rum Swizzle varies, but it often consists of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and a combination of lime, and orange and pineapple juice and a sweetener such as falernum or grenadine. If you want to try their most premium rum, look for the family reserve.

While you can find Gosling's Black Seal Rum off the island, what you can�t find is Bermuda Gold, a brand owned by Gosling's. It�s a sweet loquat liquor made on the island. It�s fruity and slightly reminiscent of amaretto. It�s great over ice, with orange juice of sparkling wine. It's also perfect over vanilla ice cream.

Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum is in limited supply and very expensive off the island. A must for rum connoisseurs, this award-winning rum is rich and mellow with spice and fruit.