I spent some time tinkering in the kitchen last night and made one of my favorite sauces to go along with a nice grilled rib eye steak.  I am a huge fan of roasted red bell peppers and this sauce will go nicely with just about anything – alongside a steak, on pasta, or with fish. 

Here's how I made it and apologies for the lack of precise measurement (I don't cook that way):

• Roast three red bell peppers under the broiler; pour a bit of olive oil on each and rotate until the skin is charred on all sides
• Place roasted red bell peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (you are doing this to make it easier to remove the skin)
  
• In a sauce pan, pour in some stock (vegetable or chicken) and add minced garlic, chopped fresh basil, a bit of hot chili oil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes along with salt and both black and white pepper.
  
• Bring this to a boil and add a squeeze of dijon mustard, a light squeeze of tomato paste, and some capers (you can also use anchovy paste as either adds depth of flavor)
• Remove the charred skin from red peppers by running water into the bowl while peeling the skin away
• Add the now peeled peppers to the sauce pan
• Add some milk (or cream if you want to make it really rich)
  
• Pour all of this into a food processor and blend away (be careful about blending hot liquid or you'll paint your kitchen red)
• Return to the sauce pan and reduce a bit (you can even strain it if you want it really smooth)
  
• Serve and enjoy
  

This makes plenty and it only gets better as it sits so put what you don't use into the fridge to use again (like I am going to do tonight along with grilled halibut).

It is always fascinating to watch which of my posts generate the most organic search traffic (meaning people are looking for stuff on their favorite search engine and find my posts).  Interestingly, near the top of that list is a post some time ago about cedar plank salmon.  Due to its popularity and my affection for eating it, I thought I'd share a picture from last night's smokey but delicious menu.

I am continuing to evolve both my technique and recipe.  As you can see from the picture, I have taken to a layering strategy for the cedar where I use previous planks on the left and right and then place a new plank over the top.  Middle burner is off and left/right ones are low enough to smoke but not catch fire, mostly.  I suggest a bit of water nearby to keep the flames down.

My recipe has evolved a bit as well.  I do not measure when I cook so you'll have to figure that out on your own.  Here's what I used last night:

• Light brown sugar
• Soy sauce
• Bourbon (splash)
• Cayenne pepper (sparingly)
• Chopped fresh thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

The result was outstanding and the smoke was plentiful.  While sitting down to eat it on a chilly June evening here in Seattle, I couldn't help but think about one of the most memorable dining experiences I ever had where smoked fish was the theme.  Many years ago, Marel & I took an extended trip to New Zealand & Australia and happened across The Smokehouse in Mapua, New Zealand after the recommendation of our kayaking guide.  The place was unbelievably cool and the food amazing.  If you find yourself around Nelson, check it out.

Food posts have proven to be very popular on this blog with my post on cedar plank salmon consistently ranking at the top of the search engine hits I get.  So I thought I would build on that and share what I whipped up a week or so ago at the request of my pregnant wife (yes, we are expecting).

During my trip to Connecticut, I had one of the best lobster rolls I have ever had at Lenny & Joe's.  After sharing this experience with Marel (who was not there), "lobster equity" had to be achieved when I got home.  While digging for recipes, I remembered a great meal many years ago of lobster sauteed in Irish whiskey and served in the shell.  I did not know this at the time, but I was having a "Dublin Lawyer."

It is very simple – lobster, butter, Irish whiskey, and a bit of cream.  Also, it is always fun to light what you are cooking on fire.