Derek's Birthday Dinner - Asian Fusion feat. Salmon Sashimi and Duck Breast

After all of these fancy meals that Derek so wonderfully cooks for me while I sit around sipping on wine, I wanted to make him something a little special - a divergence from my normal go-to vegetarian cuisine. I guess trying to do Salmon Sashimi and Duck Breast was a big step out of the normal realm for me - but, for Derek, I was willing to give it a go.

I had this menu picked out probably a month ago, anticipating the perfect opportunity to make it...and when his birthday came up - well what better opportunity was there to sharpen my knives and get in the kitchen. On the menu for the evening:

Course 1: Salmon Sashimi with Ginger and Hot Sesame Oil (wine pairing: Hana Awaka Sparkling Sake)

Course 2: Duck Breasts with Roasted Pears and Cold Sesame Noodles (wine pairing: Etude Rose of Pinot Noir)

Course 3: Kara's Chocolate/Coconut Cupcake and Fortune Cookies

These choices were surprisingly, stress free, and not too difficult. Here's what I did...

Salmon Sashimi with Ginger and Hot Sesame Oil

This recipe was taken from FoodandWine.com - and not being a sushi chef, I was a little weary. I went to the wonderful large grocery store - the one that has it all - Berkeley Bowl - to get some sushi grade salmon. This is important - not just any salmon will do, the last thing I want is to get Derek sick after his birthday meal!!

INGREDIENTS
1. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2. 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3. 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
4. Twelve 1/8-inch-thick slices of salmon, cut into 2-inch squares ( 1/4 pound)
5. One 1/4-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced paper-thin and cut into thin matchsticks (about 24 pieces)
6. 1 tablespoon snipped chives
7. 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
8. 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
9. 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
10.2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce with the lime and orange juices. In a medium bowl, toss the salmon with the remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce and let stand for 1 minute, then drain. Arrange 3 slices of salmon on each plate and top with the ginger and chives.

In a small saucepan, heat the grapeseed oil with the sesame oil over moderately high heat until smoking, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the hot oil over the salmon pieces. Spoon the soy-citrus sauce on top. Sprinkle with the roasted sesame seeds and cilantro leaves and serve.

Served with a Hana Awaka Sparkling Sake - caught my eye in the store. I was looking for a small bottle of sparkling wine and the thought of sparkling sake just seemed perfect! It was a little on the sweeter side but really refreshing and interesting - I'd buy it again!

In all, I'd call this first course a success - the salmon was tender (cut against the grain in one solid swoop of a cut - aka no sawing the meat) and the ginger and oils complimented the dish very well, not overpowering the deliciousness of the fish.

Duck Breasts with Roasted Pears and Cold Sesame Noodles
recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Duck and lamb are two meats that typically attract Derek's attention, and that typically are less interesting to me. However, after this meal, I think duck may be on my go-to list a little more. I have to say, I did one heck of a job, and it was easy!!

I started by making the Cold Sesame Noodles since those were easy to do ahead of time. (I did about a half recipe of what is listed below - and still had some leftovers after two generous portions - leftovers will be yummy)

Ingredients:
• 1/2 pound dried buckwheat (soba) noodles
• 9 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife
• 1 red Thai bird chile, minced, seeds and all
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons water, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and stir to keep them from sticking together. Cook until barely tender and still firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water to cool. Drain the noodles really well, transfer to a wide serving bowl, and toss immediately with 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil so they don't stick together.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile. Cook, stirring for a minute, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Place into a blender along with the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, hot water, chili sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Puree and refrigerate until cold.

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. (Shake the pan constantly to keep the seeds from burning). Put the noodles in a serving bowl and toss with the sesame sauce. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions, and serve with the lime wedges.

I was amazed by how quickly soba noodles cook - this was probably the most involved dish given that it has the most ingredients, but in all, it was really simple - and really delicious. I did kick up the heat a little and put in one small thai bird chili in my half recipe, heat with the creamy sweetness of the peanut butter and the backbone of the sesame oil was quite nice!!

Roasted Pears
Ingredients
• 1 ripe pear, cut in half and pitted
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pears on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Place them into the oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until very tender when pierced with a knife.

Duck Breasts

Simple recipe that is oh-so-good. Make sure to scoop out the rendered fat as you go - there is quite a bit of it!!

• 1 duck breast, skin-on
• 1-2 T. sesame oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Hydroponic watercress, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Put the duck breast on a cutting board skin side up and score all over in a tiny crosshatch pattern, so the fat will render and the skin will crisp. Season all over with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil. Add the breasts to a stainless steel pan over medium heat, skin side down, and cook slowly for about 12 to 15 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin is browned and crispy. Occasionally spoon the fat out into a bowl. Turn the breasts and cook 1 to 2 more minutes for medium-rare (I did about 5-7 more minutes and it was perfect). Transfer the duck to a cutting board to rest.

To serve, cut the duck breasts crosswise, on an angle, into 8 slices each. Mound the Sesame Noodles onto the plates. Add half a sliced duck breast to each plate along with a pear half. Garnish with watercress and lime wedges.

Success! The meat was PERFECT - tasty, and not too fatty despite ALL of the fat that was rendered - the skin was crispy and everything went together quite well. And oddly enough, not one vegetable in this meal - but still it wasn't too heavy and it was perfectly satisfying!

This was served with a Rose that we had piced up from the wine club - an Etude Rose Pinot Noir 2008 - Etude makes wonderful Pinots so it was interesting to try their Rose. Coming in around $16 a bottle - this was crisp and refreshing, not sweet at all, quite good!

Kudos to the chef :)

Tomato Soup (adapted from Emeril)

Grilled Cheese + Tomato Soup = Ultimate Comfort

We are past the days where the can of Campbell's Tomato Soup satisfies our tastebuds (or at least I am) and really, it's quite simple to just whip togeher your own fresh, homemade, delicious version. Tomato soup and tomato sauce are more likely than not, going to be homemade from now on. It's easy and SO much better.

Derek took the lead on this meal (as he does on a great deal of them) and pulled together an amazing product that I will enjoy once again for lunch today! Foodnetwork.com provided the source of the recipe with added tweaks to make it uniquely Derek's creation.

Please, make this. And follow these directions.

Tomato Soup
Based on an Emeril Recipe

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
3/4 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 can tomato paste
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes with juices (28 oz.)
3 cups chicken stock
salt
pepper
2 T. sugar
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2/3 t. fresh thyme

Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and thyme and stir well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.

Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, carmelize the sugar over low heat. Add the vinegar and stir to dissolve sugar. Add to the soup a teaspoon at a time to balance the acidity.

Serve with grilled cheese :)

Our grilled cheese sandwiches consisted of fresh ciabatta bread, sliced mozzarella, tomato, basil, and salt. YUM.

This recipe for soup is a definite keeper!!!

Fish Tacos with Avocado Papaya Salsa, Tomatillo Avocado Lime Salsa, Mexican Red Rice

Last night was a momentous occasion - the first time that we had four people sitting around a table in our San Francisco apartment. Mind you, at 7 PM, we still only had two chairs, but by 10 PM when we ate dinner, there were four sturdy chairs around a brand new counter height table (thanks to Nick who put the remaining chairs together).

Our impromptu dinner party night 2 (the night before Derek cooked for over 20 people over at our friend's place - a gourmet meal of:
1) Arugula salad with shaved parmesan cheese and a lemon-mustard vinaigrette
2) Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil
3) Chicken Cacciatore with Fresh Ciabatta (my only contribution to the meal - the bread)

Paired with:
1) 2008 Beringer Alluvium Blanc, Knights Valley ($18)
2) 2008 Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir ($19)
3) 2008 Colores del Sol Malbec Reserva ($12)

It was killer - I was so impressed by his ability to pull it all off and feed so many people - even catering to a vegetarian, mushroom allergy, and cheese allergy.

Needless to say, after lots of food, wine, and good company, I only had 4 hours of sleep that night - I dragged myself through work, even made it to the gym, and all I wanted to do was come home and rest on Tuesday night - but, SURPRISE, Dinner Party #2!

Derek's friend flew in from NC and his other local friend came over, so he planned yet another menu, went out and bought the ingredients, and went to town in the kitchen. I helped out a little more this time - well only with the salsa. Oh, and I heated up the refried beans :)

A Not-So-Simple Fish Taco Fiesta Menu:
- Wet Rubbed Grilled Tilapia Tacos (grilled corn tortillas, red cabbage, sour cream)
- Papaya Avocado Salsa
- Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Lime Salsa
- Mexican Red Rice
- Refried Beans

No drinks for me tonight, however the boys enjoyed some Dos X beer with the meal.

Fish Tacos
Base Recipe Courtesy of Bobby Flay

Ingredients
Fish:
•3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (yes, we really did fresh squeeze these)
•1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
•2 tablespoons canola oil
•3 heaping tablespoons ancho chile powder
•2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets (we used tilapia - any flaky white fish would work)
•6-inch flour tortillas
•Shredded red cabbage
•Cilantro leaves
•Avocado-Papaya Relish, recipe follows
•Roasted Tomatillo, Avocado and Lime Salsa, recipe follows (our own recipe!)
•Lime wedges

Directions
Whisk together the juices, oil, ancho powder, garlic and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl and let stand 10 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat grill to medium.

Brush some of the wet rub on each side of the fillets and season them with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill, let rest 5 minutes and flake into large pieces with a fork. Serve wrapped in the tortillas with the cabbage, cilantro, Relish and Salsas. Garnish plates with lime wedges.

Avocado-Papaya Relish:

•2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
•1 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and diced
•1/2 small red onion, finely diced
•1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced (you can use more chiles if you want it spicier)
•2 limes, juiced
•2 tablespoons canola oil
•2 teaspoons honey
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine avocados, papaya, onion, chile, lime juice, oil, honey and salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium serving bowl. Fold in the cilantro until combined and serve at room temperature

Roasted Tomatillo, Avocado, Lime Salsa

There is a casual fish restaurant near us in San Francisco that has this killer green avocado/tomatillo salsa that they serve alongside their fish tacos. It's a smooth salsa that would act as a great dressing for a salad, or on fish, chicken...really several uses. Here was our attempt to recreate this delicious salsa - and might I say, Derek gave me kudos saying it was "pretty darn close!" Score.

Ingredients:
5 tomatillos, husked, roasted over the open gas flame on the stove
1.5 avocados, coarsly chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. honey
3 T. water
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and blend with an immersion hand blender or other device. Add enough water or maybe a little more lime juice if the mixture seems too thick. It should be a moderately runny consistency - so that it would drip off of a spoon if held up, but is not soupy.


Mexican Red Rice
Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2008

Ingredients
•2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
•1 small onion, finely chopped
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•2 cups long-grain white rice
•1 teaspoon achiote powder
•1 bay leaf
•2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
•2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, achiote powder, and bay leaf. Cook and stir until the rice is opaque, about 2 minutes,

Add the tomatoes and broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid evaporates to just below the level of the rice, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to the low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork

Eggplant Parmesan (with Japanese Eggplant)

Eggplant Parmesan is no stranger to the Sugermeyer/Pasquarella kitchen. It is one of those go-to staples that is simple and delicious. Tonight's version, however, was off the charts. I attribute this to two factors:

1) Japanese Eggplant
2) Homemade Tomato Sauce

An unfortunate produce pick turned into a fortuitious opportunity for us...Derek had bought a standard eggplant from the store and when we started to peel it, it was still green! And we didn't think an unripe eggplant would taste any good, so Derek ran to Safeway and picked up a Japanese Eggplant. Best choice of the evening!!

To make the Japanese Eggplant Parmesan

2 Japanese Eggplants, peeled and sliced into about 3/4 in rounds
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp Emeril's Essence
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
EVOO
1.5 cups tomato sauce (homemade)
3-4 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated

1) Salt the eggplant rounds and let them sit in a colandar for at least 15 minutes - this helps remove any bitter quality the eggplant may have. You'll see the eggplant start to "sweat". Rinse off eggplant before moving on to the next step.
2) Prepare the following individual bowls or plates:
- Flour mixed with Emeril's Essence
- Beaten Egg
- Breadcrumbs mixed with Thyme
3) Dip each eggplant round into the flour, egg, and then breadcrumb mixtures, making sure to tap off any excess ingredients between each "dip"
4) Heat oil in a pan - make sure do to a decent amount so the breadcrumbs don't stick or simply turn black.
5) Working in batches, pan fry the eggplant rounds, about 4 minutes per side - until browned.
6) In an oven proof dish, pour tomato sauce to lightly cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant rounds on the tomato sauce. Top each round with a good dollop of sauce. Place a piece of Mozzarella on top of each round. Add a second layer of eggplant, tomato sauce and mozarella.
7) Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over top.
8) Place eggplant in a preheated oven (375 degrees) and back for around 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.

Serve plain or over spaghetti.


Our wine went PERFECTLY with the meal. It was a special find from up in Russian River Valley - an 03 Zinfandel from Battiglini - signed by the Italian winemaker. It has a disctinct old vine, homemade taste that is really comforting. Around $25 per bottle. We got two - down to one now, guess we'll have to go back!!

Potato Crusted Fish with Braised Lentils and Greens

On Sunday, Derek and I took a trip to Chinatown for some dim sum and to simply walk around this crowded sector of San Francisco that we usually just dread passing through while on the bus. An amazing place, we spent a total of $5.40 on dim sum and both of us were completely full afterward - definitely the place to go if you are on a tight budget! One of the characteristic sights in Chinatown are storefronts featuring lots of raw meat and seafood. Huge fish heads, just laying there. Surprisingly, this was the time we discussed what we were going to make for dinner - fish! No surprisingly, I had no desire to buy our meal from one of the Chinatown shops. While it may have been extremely cost effective, the thought of the fish laying out there and not knowing where it came from really didn't sit well with Derek's or my stomach.

So onto the fish market in the Marina - safe, clean, reliable. I picked out a cod and Derek chose some other large whitefish that was a bit more expensive.

Given that we have an abundance of potatoes (thanks to our bi-weekly fruit/vegetable shipment) I thought of making a potato crust for the fish - I think that Mom or Dad had done this before for some sort of meat, if not, I have no idea where the thought came from.

To go with the fish, we wanted to use some of the winter greens that we had laying around - and then thought of having lentils too as something more substantial.

When we put all of the pieces together, here is what we came up with:

Potato-Crusted Fish

1 Medium Yukon Gold Potato, peeled and thinly sliced (ideally using a mandoline, we only had a peeler)

Brush/Spray potato slices with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Season fish with a bit of salt and pepper and rub with a bit of EVOO.

Layer potato slices over one side of the fish.

Heat oil and butter in a pan and place the fish potato-side down into the hot pan (make sure there is a good amount of fat at the bottom so the potatoes don't stick). Cook until the potatoes turn brown and crispy. Flip the fish over and finish cooking on the opposite side (cooking time depends on the fish).

Derek made a Mustard Burre Blanc to go on top of the fish:

Apple cider vinegar
Red onion
white pepper
Lemon, juiced
Butter, diced
Mustard

Here's the basic recipe that he based his sauce on:

In a shallow pan, add the wine, vinegar, shallots, peppercorns and lemon juice. Reduce liquid by 2/3. Slowly whisk the cubes of butter one at a time into reduced wine mixture to create an emulsion. After all the butter is incorporated into sauce, whisk in the Anna Mae’s Smoky Mustard. Strain sauce through sieve and keep warm on stove.

Additionally, we made a Braised Lentils and Greens:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1.5 slices bacon, cut in thin strips
3/4 pound collard greens and swiss chard
1 cup vegetable stock (or more, make sure lentils are covered)
3/4 cup green lentils
4 kumquats
Salt and pepper
Apple Cider vinegar

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or ovenproof pot and cook bacon until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute the onion over medium heat until it becomes translucent and begins to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Add half the greens. This will fill the pot, but as you cook, stirring frequently, the leaves will wilt and shrink. When there is enough room, add the remaining greens and the vegetable stock. Add in lentils and kumquats. Stir to mix evenly.

3. Cover the pot and cook until the greens are well stewed and deeply fragrant, about 45 minute.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Taste and add a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve immediately.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

After a long - or at least stressful- day of travel back from LA to San Francisco (driver took us about 15 miles out of the way (each way - so 30 miles total) and got us to the airport 25 minutes before the flight was set to leave - we had to jump in front of the check in line - be patient and not cut in front in the TSA line, Derek went through security with his socks on and proceeded to run to the gate while I put all of our things - including his shoes - through the scanner. We made it, but just barely. All we wanted was to go home, relax and have a bit of wine. And how about spaghetti and homemade sauce for a nice comforting meal.

We've been enjoying the addition of wine into out tomato-based pasta sauce, so tonight we cracked open one that we had received in our Wine Club wine shipment - the lowest price point bottle. Coming in at only $10 is the Black Opal Cabernet/Merlot blend from Australia. Not too complex but not a bad choice - we weren't picky that night.

To make the sauce, Derek sauteed up some leeks (we were out of onions) , garlic, and finely chopped carrot (for sweetness - use instead of sugar...really!) - and cooked until the leeks were soft and translucent. Then he added a big can of the fire roasted tomatoes - hand crushed by Derek himself. He also threw in some tomato paste and red wine at that time. And sadly, since we had no fresh herbs besides cilantro - which would not have been tasty - we had to throw in some dried thyme and then also put in some crushed red pepper flakes.

We put the lid on and let the sauce do its thing for about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, we made the pasta (whole wheat spaghetti) and salad (butter lettuce and red leaf lettuce with radishes and a homemade (of course) balsalmic vinaigrette).

Once the cooking time was up, Derek used his handy immersion blender and blended up the sauce until not perfectly smooth, but no visible chunks.

Serve it up on top of spaghetti and you're good to go!


(Check out that steam!)



I put some steamed broccoli on my spaghetti (I love the addition of "crunch" to the soft pasta/sauce combination) - and a simple meal was complete - a good end to a stressful day. Good to be home.