memoirs of a palate

I'M NOT BITTER




Yesterday was ... I don't even know. It was some sort of global warming fueled miracle. It was 70 degrees and sunny in New York City on the sixth of January. Insanity.

So before the Colts game and while Meena was having some brunch with friends, I made a trip down to Chinatown for some random ingredients. The salmon looked pretty fresh, so I picked up a few fillets. In the midst of giant piles of previously frozen shrimp, I found a mountain of fresh ones, so I picked up a half pound of them. All the locals (that's a misnomer because technically, I'm local, but in this case, I simply mean all the Chinese folks) were going bonkers over the cherries, so I decided I would too. It was crazy. They were selling two pounds for two dollars. I knew I didn't want that much, so I just went with a single pound.

So after the Indy victory, we got started with some shrimp/salmon cakes with a little chili pepper remoulade:
- remoulade (chili pepper paste, mayo, vinegar, olive oil)
- panko
- shrimp
- salmon
- egg
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- green onion
- sesame seeds

And then the main course was a baked salmon dish that had:
- cherries
- toasted pine nuts
- green onions
- salmon fillets
- garlic
- guinness reduction (guinness pint, balsamic vinegar, honey)

So I thought both dishes were really good, but they had their strengths and weaknesses. The little seafood cakes were super delicious, but the remoulade might have been a touch spicy. Which I personally love, but I know Meena might have been on fire. I just have this superhuman tolerance for heat and spice.

The salmon was wonderful. The bitter reduction with the sweet cherries, creamy salmon and fragrant pine nuts? Fantastic. The only thing I would have changed would have been using about half as many pine nuts. I went over the top. Too many. Meena wasn't a fan of reduction (too bitter) so I think if I make this again, I'll use a lighter beer. I like that hint of bitter, but she's probably right. The guinness, when cooked to its essence, might be a little too dark. Anyway, it was a really nice Saturday evening meal.