Cod, Improvised.
August 19, 2008
Here’s an easy dish that I whipped up after finding myself home alone and lunch-less. I guess you can call it panfried cod with lemon zest spinach on a bed of mashed potatoes, but really its just fish spinach and potatoes.
Throw some kosher salt and white pepper on the cod. In a hot pan and olive oil, place fish skin down, pressing down firmly to ensure good contact with the pan. Hold for 2 to 3 minutes until skin is crisp. Another 2 to 3 minutes per side to cook the rest of the fish.
For spinach, prepare olive oil and generous amount of lemon/orange peel in a hot pan. When peel starts to curl, add the spinach and fry for 3 minutes. Salt to taste. Shape into a ball.
Nothing special about the mashed potatoes–a little butter, milk, salt & pepper to taste. I added some raw shallots, too.
Garnish with some paprika, lemon zest. Simple & healthy. Good luck!
Parmesan Crisps with Goat Cheese Mousse
August 2, 2008
I recently picked up a copy of The French Laundry Cookbook, a magnificent tease into the magical world of Thomas Keller’s gastronomic temple. Hungry, but not quite looking for a meal, I decided to give the parmesan crisps with goat cheese mousse recipe a try. I believe these bite-size snacks are served at the restaurant’s courtyard while patrons sip on champagne and enjoy the beautiful Napa countryside.
The process was surprisingly straight forward: Finely grate a cup of parmesan reggiano, and on a silpat, use your fingers to evenly spread the cheese into circles approximately two and a half inches in diameter. Bake the cheese for around 8 minutes until they reach a nice golden brown.
Getting the crisps to conform into the right shape is the trickiest part. To do this, while the crisps are still warm, gently mold them into an empty egg carton and leave to cool. The goat cheese mousse is simply a blend of goat cheese, heavy cream, parsley and chives to garnish. Throw it all in a blender, and refrigerate.
The results were nice, though the hot and humid weather caused the goat cheese mousse to melt very quickly. Next time, I intend on adding a little honey to the mousse to balance the saltiness of the parmesan crisps. Alternatively, pair with a sweet wine for a killer combination that will surely build an appetite!
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