“In the Wee Small Hours” from Perez’s CD, “Perez, It’s Happenin”
As my Brooklyn Duo House concert series 3 comes to an end – yes 2 more concerts left in season 3- first on Sunday September 13 a rare visit from Austria the amazing piano playing jazz singing – super educator Dena Derose doing a House concert and then NEA jazz master Sheila Jordan I can’t say enough about her *xo* on Sunday September 20th – I remembered this press that I got on my friend’s Kat Parra blog and she is a Latin and World Jazz Vocalist. And her blog is Musical Chefs. – please check it out. I just love the sense of community and how we artist all support each other – so this is what she wrote about me ; – )
Pérez – Vocal Artist, Producer, Photographer, Art Director, Educator
Born in Harlem, Peréz sang from early childhood. Drawn to music and art from an early age, it was said, that by age four, she would hear a song once and be able to recite the lyrics and melody. She attended High School of Art and Design at the age of 12 and majored in photography. Though photography was her first impulse towards self expression, she later focused her energy on vocals as a form of communication. She was in foster care from 9 months old for the first few years of her life. At the age of 17 she moved to Los Angeles. Inspired by the styles of Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Shirley Horn, Abbey Lincoln, Carmen McRae and Nina Simone, she first sang publicly in Los Angeles, before relocating to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There she polished her vocal and performance skills, playing club dates in Europe and leading a weekly session at Amsterdam’s Bimhus for a spell. Perez currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Click over to her bio!
Pérez’ Comments
This recipe has saved my life. When I first came up with the idea to produce a monthly duet house concert series in my home, I was thinking guests will show up at different times. HOLY COW WHAT WILL I SERVE?! When visiting my sculptor friend’s home in the Hamptons, he and his wife served Salmon Nicoise and it was served room temperature. “Brilliant,” I thought! So with a few tries I perfected this delightful dish. It’s healthy and fresh and it looks great with all the colors on the platter. All the guests have loved it. I serve a green salad on the side with a homemade olive oil and black pesto dressing.
Salmon Niçoise
Total Time:1 hr 5 min
Prep: 20 min
Inactive: 30 min
Cook: 15 min
12 -15 servings
Ingredients
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
5 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 pounds skin-on fresh salmon – I get one piece
3 pounds small Yukon potatoes white and Red – love to place colors on each corner of the platter
1 1/2 pounds haricots verts, stems removed
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (6 small tomatoes)
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in 1/2
1 bunch watercress
1/2 pound large green and Black olives, pitted
And a dash of horseradish sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
The marinade (this goes on the top of the raw salmon):
Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been covered in aluminum foil, and drizzle the marinade over the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit for 15 minutes let those flavors mingle – yummy yummy.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but firm. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in thick slices – drip some Dijon mustard and horseradish on them. Salt and pepper and set aside.
Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and break into large pieces.
Blanch the haricots verts in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water. Drain again and set aside to cool off – you don’t want to overcook them.
For the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.
Arrange the salmon, potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, eggs, watercress, olives and anchovies, if used, on a large flat platter. Drizzle some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest in a pitcher on the side.
A yummy room temperature dish!
You can find Pérez’ music here:
It’s Happenin’ on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/its-happenin/id281417190
Zoho Music: http://www.zohomusic.com/cds_detail.php?cds_id=63