[2] Already have baked brownies? Press soaked dried cherries into the top or whip up a light film of icing to hold the cherries (photo © Alison’s Gourmet).

The legend of George Washington and the cherry tree was an invention of book agent Mason Locke Weems, in his 1800 biography, “The Life of Washington.” The cherry tree has been associated with Washington ever since.

Washington’s Birthday was declared a federal holiday by Congress in 1880,* the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen.

Cherry pie, typically made with canned tart cherries, became a popular way to celebrate the day. Over the years, many other cherry recipes followed.

Alas for those who like fresh ingredients, cherry season is in summer. But quality canned cherries (we like Chukar Cherries), frozen cherries and dried cherries enable cooks and bakers to express their patriotism—or at least, use the occasion to make something different.

For the President’s Day weekend, a batch of cherry brownies will hit the spot with your family and friends:

 
Prefer a chocolate chip cookie? Here’s our recipe for yummy cherry chocolate chip cookies.
 
 
> Check out the history of brownies.

*Initially the holiday was for government offices in the District of Columbia. In 1885 it was expanded to include all federal offices. State government offices, including schools, followed suit, followed by banks and other businesses. The holiday was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22nd, until 1971, when it was shifted to the third Monday in February and combined with the Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12th) celebration to allow federal employees a three-day weekend.

The only difficult part of roasting fish is determining when it’s done. A key reason some people don’t like fish is because they grew up with overcooked, dry, “fishy” fish.

While each recipe has time guidelines, it requires some experimentation with both the size of the fish and your oven to get it done exactly as you like it.

Here’s the best way to check if the fish is finished cooking:

Halibut Provençal with onion, tomatoes,
olives and white wine. Get the recipe.
Photo courtesy McCormick.

 
We never overcook fish because we like it on the rare side. After decades of eating sashimi and sushi, we enjoy it on the raw side, too!

For guests, we often prepare “fish three ways”; for example, a roast salmon fillet, some slices of sushi-quality raw salmon and a salmon tartare (substitute salmon in this tuna tartare recipe) or a shooter of salmon chowder.

There are many other options that don’t require raw fish. For example, top three smaller pieces of fish with very different sauces: this Provençal sauce, a mint-yogurt sauce and a mix of chopped pistachios and dried cherries.

Roast salmon atop sauteed spinach and
mushrooms in a lemon butter caper sauce.
Photo courtesy Restaurant i at the Charles
Hotel, New York City.

(Whether you use the English term fillet, pronounced FILL-it, or the French word filet, pronounced fee-LAY, both refer to a boneless cut of fish or meat.)

Here’s a tip from Alissa Dicker Schrieber, The Kitchenista.

While there are endless ways to cook any given food, it’s important to have a go-to method you can turn to time and time again: something foolproof, that turns out great every time, and that you don’t have to give much thought to.

For fish, our go-to method is definitely roasting. It is an extremely simple undertaking: just three easy steps.

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, which prevents food from sticking and makes cleanup easier.
• Oil the baking sheet by pouring a drop of olive oil onto the parchment/foil. Spread it with a brush, a paper towel or your hand. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and lay it on the parchment/foil. Sprinkle with optional herbs. Leave a bit of space between fillets; this helps them to cook evenly. If the fish has skin, place it skin-side-down. The skin will come off easily once the fish is cooked.
• Drizzle with olive oil to coat (1-2 teaspoons per small fillet, 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon per large fillet), sprinkle with salt and put the baking sheet in the oven. Very thin fish like sole can take as little as 6 to 8 minutes to cook. Medium-thick fillets like striped bass can take up to 12 minutes, while thicker filets (cod, halibut, salmon) may take 15 or 16 minutes. Cooking times are only guidelines; the actual time will vary with the size of the fillets and your particular oven.

You can serve roast fish simply, with lemon or lime wedges. The pan juices are very flavorful, so spoon them over the fish.

Or, you can make a sauce. The photo shows a lemon butter sauce with capers. For a healthier alternative, make a sauce of fat-free Greek yogurt with minced chives and mint. Season with garlic salt and fresh pepper and serve at room temperature (yogurt separates when heated, but you can warm it slightly in the microwave).

Whether or not you use a sauce, serve the fish atop the vegetables for a sophisticated presentation.

Pick a fish for tonight. Alaska cod (also called gray cod and true cod), Alaska halibut, artic char, farmed U.S. or South American tilapia, wild-caught Pacific flounder or sole, wild-caught or Canadian-farmed salmon or wild-caught or U.S.-farmed striped bass. If you’d like something else, check Seafood Watch and choose a sustainable fish.

Candler was maniacal about protecting his secret recipe. He demanded that no one ever write it down. All labels were removed from ingredient containers. Staff had to identified the ingredients by sight and smell only. All invoices from the ingredients suppliers were shredded, so that employees could not discover what they were and sell the information to rivals.

Over the years, the company has made much of its “secret recipe,” which is so cloak-and-dagger that a major “secret ingredient” is known only as Merchandise 7X. The formula is kept in a bank vault. The company claims that any given time only two people know how to mix the 7X flavoring, and they can never travel on the same plane in case it crashes. It makes for good press.

While it’s easy to determine the general ingredients in a lab analysis, the Merchandise 7X unique flavoring has been elusive.

Now, producers of the Public Radio show “This American Life” claim to have uncovered the identity of Merchandise 7X. It’s a mix of seven ingredients.

A February 18, 1979 article on the history of Coca-Cola, published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, included a photograph that claimed to be a handwritten copy of the Pemberton Coca-Cola recipe, written in a friend’s leather-bound recipe book of remedies and ointments.

A portion of an image from an early Coca-
Cola company check. The original can be
purchased at Scripophily.net.

Instead of trying to recreate the original, we recommend that you purchase some Boylan’s Cane Cola. It has a wonderful old-fashioned taste that might be quite similar to Candler’s final product. Their sugar-free cola is just as delicious—you won’t know it’s sugar free.

Like Coca-Cola, Boylan’s is certified kosher. Read our review of Boylan Bottleworks, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Call friends over for a fondue party.
Photo courtesy Emmi Roth Käse.

There are three traditional types of fondue: beef, cheese and chocolate. Beef fondue consists of cubes of meat dipped into hot oil to cook and served with sauces. Chicken, scallops, shrimp and other proteins can be substituted. Cheese fondue is a pot of seasoned melted cheese served with cubed bread and often, fruit and vegetables. Chocolate fondue is melted chocolate served with fruit, cake cubes and other dippers.

Traditionally, fondue has been served at the table in a pot or dish set atop a warming stand heated with a candle or sterno. Today’s portable induction burners don’t have the romance of a flickering candle, but do a more even job of keeping the oil/cheese/chocolate at the right temperature.

• The history of fondue and other types of melted cheese dishes
• Classic cheese fondue recipe
• The different types of Swiss cheese used in fondue (know your Appenzeller from your Emmenthaler)
• 18 Cheese Fondue Recipe Variations—from blue and goat cheese to smoky and south-of-the-border
• Cheese fondue dippers
• Cheese fondue garnishes