romantic dinner

I'm truly disappointed in how these photos came out, but this meal was just too special for me not to talk about it just because it was kind of a hot mess for the camera. This year, with Nathan back at school, we've kind of scaled back on our big special occasion dinners, and have made fancy meals at home rather than shelling out the big bucks at a restaurant. For Valentine's Day we made this duck breast with orange gastrique, aligot mashed potatoes, braised leeks and then a lightening-fast chocolate mousse for dessert.

beet and blood orange salad

So I apologize in advance for the quality of these photos. However, if you, like me, are at a loss for what to do with your food co-op beets, this may be just what you need. Alice Water's beet and blood orange salad

citrus sriracha mayonaise over scallops and avocado salad

I am pretty sure that I have never said this before on this blog: drop what you are doing and make this right now. For reals. Your day off plans for Labor Day are now to make scallops with this awesome sauce. I promise that you'll thank me.

This sauce recipe comes from The Amateur Gourmet, but it's definitely something you can imagine emerging from a professional kitchen, and it's simultaneously really easy to prepare. This was hands down the most elegant thing I've ever made on a weeknight, and Nathan and I couldn't stop exclaiming how good it was.

Of course, it all because clear when you read further and learn that Mr. Amateur Gourmet actually jacked this recipe from none other than famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten after NYT restaurant critic Sam Sifton selected it as one of his favorite restaurant dishes of 2010. That certainly goes a long way towards explaining this recipe's brilliance-- and if that's not good enough for you, I don't know what else to say.




So I guess you want to know how to make the dish already, right? Well you better be down to make your own mayo*. Don't worry, your arm might get a little tired, but it's totally doable. I have faith in you. Whisk together a splash of sriracha, pinch of salt and egg yolk, adding your oil drop by drop until you get a nice thick mayo. Then you stir in orange and lime juice to thin it out and add some of that citrusy zing and acidity that pairs so nicely with seafood.

The original sauce was served over big, seared, sea scallops, but as much as I love them, they are a bit rich for my blood. I went for cheaper bay scallops, which had sadly been frozen. Obviously, I didn't achieve that nice golden brown carmelization that you so often see on scallops (I cooked them in butter over medium high heat), but I think that's just fine for these little guys. The sauce went SO SO well with these scallops. A little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lot of creamy deliciousness. So perfect!

To go with our scallops, we had a bright green salad, tossed with our spicy citrus mayo and topped with slices of orange and avocado. It was an excellent accompaniment. You might find that you don't need a rich mayo based dressing on avocado, but the citrus cuts the richness, and the sriracha adds some bite. It really hit the spot.

So, what are you waiting for? Go make this now!

PS. In a pinch you could probably just add sriracha and citrus to regular Hellmans mayo. Don't tell Jean-George I said so.

dover sole and bok choy with rice and a citrusy sauce

Sometimes I amaze myself by throwing together a meal based solely on what's on sale at the grocery store. Growing up, my favorite television program, (note that I said favorite television program, not favorite tv show, and you'll realize how deep seated my food fixation is) was The Frugal Gourmet. Therefore, I get a little kick out of being able to make something both delicious AND affordable. DISCLAIMER: I know that Jeff Smith turned out to be a pervert, which sucks, but that doesn't diminish what a great combination "frugal" and "gourmet" are.



This was a meal that I picked up at Whole Foods, based entirely off the sale flyer at the entrance. I have to say, I often time get great deals at the fish counter there. As long as you're not wedded to any particular type of seafood, you're likely to find some sort of bargain, especially if you're only cooking for one and need less than a full pound. On the occasion, my shopping excursion went particularly well: Dover sole for $5 a pound? Dirt cheap oranges? Bok choi? It was like the world's easiest Chopped basket.

I marinated the sole filets in a mixture of ginger, garlic, lemon and orange zest and juice, seasoning with a light hand. Ginger is a great thing to keep in the freezer. Peel it before it and store in a tightly sealed plastic bag, and you can grate a little bit off any time you want that gingery zing. Super convenient.

The bok choi I washed off and then tossed in a pan over medium heat. I didn't dry it off, and just let it sautee in the leftover water, plus a little soy sauce. As it started to wilt, I tossed in my fish and then covered the pan for just a minute or two. I served it all over rice.

It was very citrusy, so I'd warn you to use a careful hand with the zest, but otherwise it was quite tasty and easy to boot.