on the menu : 3-course hawaii themed valentine’s dinner

3-COURSE HAWAII THEMED VALENTINE’S DINNER

This year, my husband and I stayed in for Valentine’s.  If you know me, I take advantage of any ‘special’ occasion to spend extra time in the kitchen and this night was no exception.

I had a lot of fun with this one!  All of this snow, icy rain, wind, and cold temps has me yearning for some SUN; namely that of Hawaii.  Given how much my husband and I are drawn to Hawaii, visiting each year on our anniversary, I thought it would be fitting to build a Valentine’s dinner around it.  Hence the theme.  The 3-course represents the # of years we’ve been married (I just made that up… not the years we’ve been married… the # of courses is a total coincidence).  Hope you all had a great night as well!

SEAFOOD CEVICHE W/ AVOCADO + MANGO

Appetizers are always best kept fresh, simple, clean, and refreshing.  Just enough ‘kick’ to get the taste buds going and plenty of room left for more.  So naturally, I went with a ceviche.  Aside from the seafood, I added some chopped scallions, mango, and avocado.  For this starter, I drew inspiration from the abundance of beautiful seafood, avocado & mango trees in Hawaii.

SOFT BOILED EGG OVER CRISPY BROWN RICE COCONUT CAKE ATOP POI

For our second course, I paid homage to Hawaii’s roots by creating a dish around Poi.  Poi is a traditional Hawaiian staple made by laboriously pounding down taro and mixing with water until you reach a velvety smooth texture.  I cheated and used a food processor .  Taro is a root vegetable with all kinds of health benefits – easily digestable, low Glycemic Index, excellent source of Potassium, and filled with other minerals and nutrients (calcium, vitamins C/E/B, magnesium, manganese, copper).

Atop the Poi I have a crispy brown rice cake.  The brown rice is mixed with some coconut milk, shredded coconut, black sesame seeds, and a little soy sauce.  And finally, the entire dish comes together with a soft-boiled egg and finished with a dash of sprinkled Hawaiian salt.

MACADAMIA + COCONUT CRUSTED SALMON OVER WASABI PEA PUREE

To round out our dinner, I brought in an abundance of bright, popping island flavors.  The macadamia and coconut crust crisped up nicely while the fish remained moist.  I went with a wild-caught salmon but you could go even more Hawaii-authentic and opt for Mahi Mahi.  I garnished with edible flowers which you can find scattered around Hawaii (what don’t they have??).

The real star though is the sauce.  I puréed some sweet peas with wasabi, mint, honey, and brown rice vinegar.  The heat from the wasabi balances out the sweetness in the sauce and coconut on the fish.  Bursting tones and textures all around and plates licked clean = delightful delectable delicious success.

on the menu : insalata di finocchio con pere e fichi

INSALATA DI FINOCCHIO CON PERE E FICHI

I have a confession.  Up until I made this dish, I had never self-prepared raw fennel.  I know!  Why did I wait so long!  I think I was scared that it would be extra potent un-cooked, but I was surprised by the delicacy.  Shaved thin and soaked in a cold water bath, it almost resembles cabbage but… much more interesting and flavorful .

The combination of the bright fennel pairs well with the sweetness of the figs and pear and saltiness of the capers.  The simplicity of the lemon vinaigrette breaks down the fennel just enough to soften its edge.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fennel Bulb (1)
• Figs (4-6)
• Anjou Pear (1-2)
• Capers (2 tbsp)
• Fresh Herbs – Parsley/Mint/Basil (1-2 tbsp)
• Lemon (1/2)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim the fennel bulb and carefully (using a mandoline slicer) shave vertically into thin strips.  Place the shaved slices into a bowl of water and allow them to sit while you prep the rest of the dish.
2. Drizzle some oil into a pan.  Cut the stems off of the figs, slice in half, and place them flesh down into the oil.  Raise the heat to medium and let the figs caramelize in the pan for about 6 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt + pepper in a salad bowl.
4. Quarter, core and thinly slice up the pear into bite-size pieces (peel on or off) and place into the salad bowl.  Toss with the lemon vinaigrette.
5. Add the capers and chopped fresh herbs into the bowl.  Toss well with the pears.
6. Drain and pat dry the shaved fennel.  Add to the salad bowl and toss.
7. Serve the salad topped with the caramelized figs.

on the menu : cantaloupe + jicama salad

CANTALOUPE + JICAMA SALAD

Mmm raw salads are perfect for hot, humid summer nights pushing 90+F temps.  I posted another savory cantaloupe salad the other day but yearned to do something more with the abundance of this succulent, sweet fruit.  So this time around I paired the cantaloupe with some jicama and a yummy pistachio vinaigrette.

One of my biggest goals, aside from sticking to the whole foods credo, is composing dishes that I have never tasted before.  This is an example of that and I was so pleasantly surprised by the outcome!  This is one of those #lickthedishclean meals.

Here’s a play-by-play.  Cantaloupe is juicy and incredibly sweet.  Jicama is starchy with sweet undertones, but needs the juice from the cantaloupe to bring out its flavor.  The two therefore go hand in hand.  The pistachio vinaigrette adds a pop of citrus, texture, and acts as a great bind for the jicama.  The capers tie the dish together with hints of salt.

INGREDIENTS:

• Cantaloupe (1/2)
• Jicama (1)
• Capers (1 tbsp)
• Raw Pistachios (Handful)
• Honey (2 tbsp)
• Lime (3/4)
• White Balsamic Vinegar (2 tsp)
• Water (2 tbsp)
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove the skin off of the jicama, cut in half or quarters (up to you!), and use a mandoline slicer to create thin slices.
2. Place the jicama slices in a bowl.
3. Place in a blender the raw pistachios, honey, lime, white balsamic, water, salt + pepper and purée until smooth.  The pistachios won’t and don’t need to grind down smoothly; I like the crunch that results from the bits being left.
4. Pour the pistachio vinaigrette over the jicama and gently toss to coat the slices.
5. Add the capers to the jicama, do another toss, and allow to sit for a good 20 minutes.  This will allow the starches in the jicama to break down and soak in the flavors of the vinaigrette.
6. Meanwhile, slice up the cantaloupe.
7. Plating – get creative!  I started out by creating a gallette out of the jicama slices and topped with cantaloupe.