Tilapia

An early birthday gift had my name written all over it with dragonflies etched into the Tiffany glass globe. Somehow dragonflies have evolved into my signature design over the years. 

A century ago, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1843-1933) created a colorful shade for the new light source invented earlier by his friend Thomas Edison. Tiffany developed and patented an "opalescent glass" for his shades which beautifully turned the reflected rays into a work of art.  

If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. Susan Vreeland's books are always well researched and documented. She also wrote Girl in Hyacinth Blue (Vermeer) and Luncheon of the Boating Party (Renoir). Both of these books are based on famous works of art. She is a master at crafting a story based on a specific painting. 

In Clara and Mr. Tiffany we learn about Clara Driscoll who headed the women's division in Tiffany's New York studio. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of designs for nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered. Clara struggles for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman.

So I was excited to see this new book out that has actual pictures of Clara Driscoll, her girls as well as photos of Tiffany's workroom, boarding house and other photos near the turn of the twentieth century. 

Lemon Dill Tilapia

Tilapia is a white fish which is easy to cook and is exceptionally nutritious. It is full of protein, vitamins and minerals. According to the Food and Drug Administration it has one of the lowest levels of mercury in fish. It is a lean fish and a good choice for those on a low-fat diet. Since it is low in fat it's a healthy choice for a person with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease. The type of fat in tilapia is also unsaturated meaning it is heart healthy and will not clog your arteries like saturated fats do.

Papillote is the name of a dish in France which means "in parchment paper". In this photo I cooked two pieces of fish together in one large bundle. 

In May 2012 I posted two blogs on how to cook fish in parchment paper. 

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of tilapia
• 1 large sliced lemon
• butter
• 1 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dill weed
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• optional 1/4 cup finely ground almonds or pecans

Directions:

• For each piece of fish cut a 13 x 10 in piece of parchment paper
• On each parchment sheet place one lemon slice  
• Rinse fish and pat dry with a paper towel
• In a large zip loc bag add salt, paprika, dill, parsley, Parmesan cheese,nuts and bread crumbs (Panko)

• Shake crumb mixture and dredge each piece fish
• Place fish on top of lemon slice-add 1/2 TB butter to each fish slice    

• Fold parchment paper around fish like a bundle and use egg wash to moisten edges

• Grill parchment bundles on foil so paper will not burn for about 20 minutes or 
• Bake parchment bundles on a cookie sheet @ 375 for 20  minutes

Tilapia served with risotto