Parmesean Crusted Cod with Whipped Cauliflower & Chive Parmesean Buttermilk Biscuits

On Tuesday night I wanted to surprise Brandon with a romantic candle-lit dinner at home. He's been working late since they're allowing employees to work 4, 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days. He mentioned he would be leaving around 7:00 so I knew I had a couple of hours to plan a nice romantic meal. I decided to make Parmesan-herb crusted salmon whipped cauliflower, a salad with home-made dressing and chive, green onion, and Parmesan buttermilk biscuits. I set out the nice china and and glassware and put out a bottle of Prosecco. I lit the candles and turned off all the lights and played classical music in the background. He was very surprised when he got home and found this nice meal waiting for him. Unfortunately, I was too tired to take pictures that evening and we ended up eating all of the salmon, so I made the same thing (since I had the crust mixture left over) but I made it with Cod since it was all I had on hand. We had such a nice meal together with no distractions- no TV or phone or computer- NOTHING. It was a lovely evening.

Herb Crusted Cod:
1 lb cod fillets
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. dried chives
2 tbsp. dried parsley
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (not the grated Kraft kind, the kind that comes in a bag in the refrigerated section)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs plus more for topping the fish
1/2 stick butter
Pepper to taste. I didn't add salt because the Parmesan cheese is salty.

Pat dry the cod fillets. Take a foil-lined cookie sheet and lightly butter the pan to avoid sticking. Place the cod on the pan. In a bowl or Tupperware, mix the mayo, herbs, cheese, bread crumbs and lemon juice until you have a nice paste. Spoon this mix over each piece of fish and spread evenly. Coat the top of the fish with Panko breadcrumbs. Cut small slivers of butter and put several pieces on top of the fish to allow the topping to brown evenly. Bake on a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Broil on low heat for 2 minutes watching closely to avoid burning, to allow the top to brown.


For the Cauliflower:
3 heads of cauliflower
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup fat-free half and half
1 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower and drain when fork tender. In a food processor, throw all of the ingredients in and blend until the mixture is nice and creamy. Put in a casserole dish and top with Mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is hot and bubbling.

For the biscuits:
1& 1/4 cup chilled buttermilk
1 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
2 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. dried chives

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Combine buttermilk and chives in a bowl. Add all of the dry ingredients to the buttermilk. Next add the cheese and combine well. Add the butter to form a sticky paste. Using an ice cream scoop, add the mixture to the muffin pan. Brush the tops with butter and sprinkle a little coarse salt to the top. Bake until nice and golden brown-about 20 minutes. Make sure to test the center with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.