Sour Cream and Dill Halibut

I originally got this recipe from my parents and have added a few flourishes of my own, although perhaps I am kidding myself as they probably added all these ingredients at one time or another.  This used to be (and still is) my favorite way to eat halibut.  We ate fish a lot growing up and usually fairly plain.  Not that that is (much of) a complaint, it was still nice to have fish that was flavored up with a bit more than a few spices or nothing at all.
The story!
My friend who I will dub "Joy" was just here and we had to give her the full Native Alaskan Food treatment.  This mostly means a three course meal of manually gathered native foods with lots of bubbly water and dessert with a hot drink.  I told her that I would post this recipe for her as she is almost fully Alaskan and needs more halibut recipes.  Because her friends give her "so much halibut." What crappy friends.

Sour Cream and Dill Halibut Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb or 2 steaks of halibut-defrosted
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
2 sprigs of Dill or 1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 of a yellow or mild onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Place cleaned halibut in a pan--I usually take off the skin of all fish I cook/bake especially if it has ever been frozen.  It cuts down on the overly "fishy" flavor that people tend to complain about.
2. I start with equal ratios of sour cream and mayo mix them together.  And, I know this is scientific and may upset some people, but then I add more of whatever I think it needs until it tastes good to me.  If this is too much for you, just keep adding equal amounts of sour cream and mayo until it covers the fish.
3. Layer the onions over the fish.  Cut the onions however you would like.  I like them in circles because it seems fun.
4. Sprinkle some dill over the fish and onions.
5. Pour the sour cream and mayo over the fish and onions.
6. Sprinkle more dried dill over the top.  I am pretty liberal with the dried dill.  If you use fresh dill, you only need to lay down 2 or 3 sprigs over the fish and under the sour cream and mayo mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 min.  I start checking after 30 minutes.  If you don't know when halibut is done, well, you are screwed.  Ok, I will give you a few hints.  Fish will cook for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, so the trick is to take it out when it gives easily and is "flaky" but doesn't completely flake away.  It takes a few times of cooking fish to get the hang of it, but it is so delicious when you get it right.  On a side note, that is why this recipe is so great!  Halibut is notoriously "dry" and "plain" to those who are not true fish lovers, but this creamy topping can help distract one from the dryness if you don't take out the fish in time. 

Blueberry Gateau

The blueberries of Juneau Alaska have decided to ripen after a cold, wet summer.  Finally, the temp has raised above 60 and the berries have decided to chub out.  There are blueberries for any and all who go and look for them. Especially at The Glacier Gardens.  If you like plants and riding in golf carts, (and spending $25 american) and not being able to pick their blueberries, one should definitely take this tour when in Juneau, AK.
The requisite story:
Every year, my dad requests that I bake something with the gallons upon gallons of berries that we (mostly he) picks.  It is usually a blueberry crunch which I adapted from the Joy of Cooking "cranberry crunch" recipe.  This time, he just said make sure it has lots of blueberries.  So, I googled some recipes and this is what I came up with.  And, we discovered this evening, that, according to dad, "we can keep this recipe" and that it "tastes like toast".  I think that was because I might have cooked it a bit too long and it got a bit toasty.  My mom said it was not too sweet, not too sour, not to mushy among a few other things it wasn't.  And, I can't be a good food blogger without including that "even my husband liked it".  And "he doesn't even like x,y,z".  Which, in this case, was true.  He liked it and doesn't even like desserts all that much.  I think he might have liked it more as he was a part of the blueberry gathering the past few days.

Blueberry Gateau:

You will need:
3 large-ish bowls
1 greased and floured 10 inch springform pan
2 eggs

Bowl #1:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp salt (I used just a pinch because my butter was salted)

• mix/sift/whisk together

Bowl #2:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar

• cream these ingredients until fluffy.
• add 1 egg at time, fully incorporating the egg before incorporating the other ingredients

Bowl #3:
3   c. blueberries
1 tbs. or so of lemon juice
1 tbs. flour
1 tbs. sugar

• mix these ingredients together 

Instructions:
1. After creaming the butter, sugar and eggs together, add the bowl of dry ingredients into the creamed ingredients and mix together.
2.  Spread the batter evenly onto the bottom of the 10 inch pan
3. Pour the blueberry mixture on top of the batter evenly.
4. Press the blueberries lightly into the mixture so the blueberries are not rolling around on top of the batter
5.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes.  I would start checking at around 45 minutes as I did "toast" mine a bit much the first time I made it.  It is done when it looks a bit gooey and the gateau is pulling  away from the sides a bit.

Tasted really yummy cooled and with a hot drink.  Feel free to eat plain, with ice cream, or with whipped cream.