Platinum Chef Challenge!

I decided to participate in the Platinum Chef Challenge on a cooking board I visit. This month, there were 5 ingredients that need to be incorporated into 1-2 dishes. The ingredients really sounded like something I could have fun with: corn, hot pepper, cheese, blueberries, and citrus. I made 3 dishes (mainly because I did my two main dishes as a side and entree and I really wanted to do a simple yummy dessert too!) Pics arent too great... I need to get handle on photographing food! plus, this is a case of food that looks better than it tastes ;)

Corn on the Cob with Jalapeno parmesan infused butter

The name speaks for itself... the corn is the first local corn of the summer from a fab local farm (Rosedales in Simsbury CT) which was just boiled for about 5 min.

Butter: 1/2 stick of regular butter, softened. 1.2 Jalapeno pepper, diced. approx 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Add all 3 to a mixer and beat until fluffy and combined. Put in a small dish, wrap in plastic and refridgerate until hard.

Orange Salmon with Blueberries

Doesnt look pretty but so yummy! I wanted to do something savory with the lemon and blueberry and thought that they would go really well with salmon!

Marinade:

2 large navel oranges, juiced.

1 TB Spicy brown Mustard

2 TB Balsamic vinegar

2 Cloves Garlic, smashed

Marinade salmon for about an hour.

Reserve the Marinade, place salmon on a pan at medium high, sear both sides (cook about 5 min total). drop the heat to med low and add the marinade to the pan along with about a cup of fresh blueberries. cook until Salmon is cooked through, about 10 minutes or until center flakes with a fork. Take Salmon off pan and turn the heat to high stirring frequently until the sauce has thickened considerably. Spoon on top of salmon to serve.

Fresh Berries with Lemon Whipped Cream

Add heavy whipping cream to kitchenaid. Whip on high. When starting to froth, add a splash of vanilla extract. When the whipped cream is whipped to your liking - stiff peaks - add the zest from 1/2 lemon and stir in.

Serve on top of farm fresh berried (we had raspberries, blueberries and strawberries).

So fresh and summery!