Sunday, April 03, 2011

Spring Dinner Menu

Here's a great spring menu I did for dinner tonight with mother-in-law and friends.

Shashimi Spring Salad by atl10trader
Shashimi Spring Salad, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

1st Course
Shashimi salad of salmon, white tuna, and red served with several sauces: champagne soy sauce, basil aioli, grapefruit sabayon, and a dab of hot sriracha. This was further accompanied by pickled watermelon radish, zucchini, celery, and carrot.  Some blood orange and lemon slices also made it on the plate. Get the freshest ingredients possible. Sriracha was purchased at asian store. Recipes for the rest:


Zucchini Soup with Basil Croutons by atl10trader

2nd Course 
Zucchini soup with basil croutons (recipe).  A great spring soup containing no oil, no cream (just a small pat of butter for the onions to get going). Light, healthy but deceiving in its rich taste.  A keeper.  


N. Carolina Flounder by atl10trader
N. Carolina Flounder, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

3rd Course 
North Carolina flounder served with caramelized spring onions, orange infused fennel and blood oranges. I prepared the fish using my sous vide with herbs and lemon zest. After sealing the contents under a vacuum, the bags were placed at 57 degrees C for about 35 minutes.  They were then pan seared for about 30 seconds. Basil aioli streak made it on the plate as well.  Why flounder? I asked the fishmonger at Whole Foods what was the freshest item he had in the case.


Spring Wine Pairings by atl10trader
Spring Wine Pairings, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

The Pairings 
What we drank with our meal.  
We started with a thimble of St. Germain in the glass with champagne.  Tasted the shashimi with the Tokaji.  Enjoyed the bracing lemon acidity of the Albarino with the flounder.

Let me know how your version turns out!

See more photos of meals at home via my Flicker set: Food @ Home




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