Q: What did the salmon say when he swam into a wall?

A: Dam!

When faced with creamy White Cheddar Mac & Cheese And Tomato-Fennel Beurre Blanc, any salmon would say “Damn, that’s good!”.

How do I love this meal? Do you have an hour for me to tell you?

The salmon is good, but it is the White Cheddar Mac & Cheese And Tomato-Fennel Beurre Blanc that are the stars.

This might be one of the best versions of Mac Cheese I have ever tried. It is so rich and full of flavor. (The only complaint I have is that it does not reheat well to have for breakfast the next day…the oil from the cheese separates a bit).

I almost did not try the recipe because I am kind of on the fence about fennel. No worries here, though. Cooked in this way, the fennel is rendered to a mild, delectable flavor, not the typical strong licorice overtones.

If you are looking for a romantic dinner to cook for your Valentine, this one would shine, especially with a glass of champagne.

Seared Salmon With White Cheddar Mac & Cheese And Tomato-Fennel Beurre Blanc

Ingredients:

White Cheddar Mac &amp (recipe follows)
Seared Salmon (recipe follows)
Tomato-Fennel Beurre Blanc (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Place a mound of macaroni and cheese in the center of each plate. Place the seared salmon on top and ladle the sauce around.

2. Garnish with the reserved leaves from the fennel and serve.

Serves 4

White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni, cooked
2 pints heavy cream
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
6 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Reduce cream by half in a shallow pot.

2. Add cooked macaroni and bring to a boil.

3. Add cheeses and stir vigorously until melted (Do not boil the cheese). Remove from heat.

5. Season with salt and pepper. Let set 3 minutes before serving.

Tomato Fennel Beurre Blanc

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 head of fennel, chopped (Save some of the Green Leaves for Garnish)
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbs vinegar
1 lb butter, chopped into small pieces, cold (I used only ¼ pound and the flavor and texture were fine. I cannot even imagine using the whole pound for this particular recipe)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a small pot add the tomato, fennel, wine and vinegar and reduce to almost dry and very thick.

2. Add the butter, a bit at a time, on low heat whisking gently to emulsify.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

Seared Salmon

Ingredients:

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
4 oz vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

1. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

2. In a deep-sided pan, add the oil and bring it to the smoking point. The amount of oil may seem like a lot, but it is necessary to get a good crust on the fish.

3. Add the salmon to the pan and sear about 3 minutes per side or longer for more cooked fish.

(Alternately, you can roast the salmon in a very hot oven until cooked through.)

I absolutely adore this song by London based band Flowers. Their spanking new album comes out on February 15th.

Check out Flowers on Facebook. You can buy the music over at Cloudberry Records.

Cheers!