|
don't sweat the simple stuff
|
July 06, 2002
|
« dinner on the 4th of july | Main | nature most foul »
Darrell's parents were in town for the Fourth of July weekend. At first it hadn't occurred to me to cook for them, but as I was preparing the lamb on the Fourth, I thought it might be fun to have them over. Unfortunately, Darrell's father can't eat red meat.
So Rebecca and I invited them to have dinner with us on Saturday. I didn't feel like working too hard today , so the meal consisted of three simple dishes. First, I served the rest of the corn chowder I made on the Fourth with goat cheese crostini as an amuse bouche of sorts. (OK, "crostini" is a bit of a stretch; it was just toast.)
The second course was a duck and spinach salad with a homemade cherry vinaigrette. It was originally to be a seared scallop and spinach salad with a mandarin orange and kumquat vinaigrette, but Rebecca decided that she didn't want scallops, and duck was the only suitable basis for the salad that we could agree upon, and then when we got to Chinatown to shop, all of the oranges looked like crap, so I bought some cherries instead, as it is cherry season.
The vinaigrette I improvised: chop half of the cherries, blend the other half. Saute garlic and ginger in olive oil. Add the chopped cherries and saute. Add balsamic vinegar and lime juice and let that simmer a little. Add cherry puree and simmer a little. Whisk in olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.
Turned out pretty well. Trouble is, my desire to make a seared scallop and spinach salad with orange and kumquat dressing must still be satisfied. Rebecca will have to face it sooner or later. I have these...urges...well, you, of all people, should understand.
The last course was grilled salmon steak with tare sauce. This, of everything that I make (which, I'll grant you, is not that large of a pool of dishes), is Rebecca's favorite dish. I find this somewhat discouraging, as it is so simple that doesn't quite qualify as "cooking". Salt and pepper the salmon and slap in on the grill. Meanwhile, saute some ginger in olive oil. Add equal parts sake and soy sauce. Add brown sugar to taste. Let reduce by a third. Pour the sauce over the salmon and serve. That's it. If you're feeling particularly fancy, you can marinate the fish in the tare sauce for a few hours, then bring it to a boil for a few minutes while the fish is grilling.
Rebecca made garlic mashed potatoes (to which we added some Romano) to serve with this, and it was a fantastic complement to the fish and the tare sauce. Whenever she wants me to make salmon in the future, I'll only do it if she makes these to serve with it.
Later, Rebecca said that this was "the best all-around meal that [I've] ever made." I'd concur, if a bit grudgingly; The salad was an improvisation and felt a bit trivial, and there really is nothing to grilled salmon. (On the other hand, the corn chowder really is good, and the salad dressing wasn't too bad and was definitely a good match for the duck.)
I think this meal was successful because it felt balanced; all of the elements worked well together. It was also successful because every dish was at least a moderate success. Often I take a lot of risks when I cook, making dishes that I've never made before, using ingredients or processes that I'm not familiar with. Not so this time, and it showed. I'd do well to remember that.
Which is not to say that I'll stop taking risks when I cook for people. Where's the fun in that?
July 6, 2002 in menus, old_site | Permalink
