In the past year, my cooking skills have advanced quite a bit. Last year, I had never heard of sriracha, bonito flakes or microgreens. Since getting into competitive cooking, my horizons have broadened considerably and I'm always looking for ways to strech myself. So, when I asked my brother and his pescatarian girlfriend over for dinner, I decided to not only serve a variety of fish I'd never dealt with but to also go with a theme: French.
Choosing a protein is the easiest way to build a meal plan. It sets the tone for the flavor profile and helps when trying to figure out the rest of the food such as the vegetable and starch. I decided on halibut because it's in season and something that would easily pick up the nuances of whatever I cooked it in. Sure, I could do the whole sear-and-bake route, but that's too easy. Watching the various cooking shows such as Top Chef, I knew that poaching was a great way to keep fish moist. But what about imparting flavor? To me, poaching seems just a little more grandiose than boiling! So, because we all know that the secret to French cooking is 'butter, butter and more butter' I decided to poach the halibut in butter, then broil to make them pretty. But every blast of butter needs an acid to showcase it, I went with a lemon gastrique (equal parts vinegar and sugar, plus the zest and juice of one lemon) to drizzle on top.
But what of the side dishes? They needed to be flavorful to be able to stand up by themselves, but without spice because I didn't want to overpower the delicate nature of the fish. For the vegetable, I went with grilled endives, stuffed with a roasted eggplant and garlic puree, topped with caramelized shallots, d'Aubergine blue cheese and fresh tomatoes. They were delicious, with a smoky flavor and supple texture.
Next, the starch...I didn't want to do something trite, like a rice or bread. I felt they would be too heavy and demand the inclusion of spice to keep them bright. Aha! Vichysoisse! To keep things interesting, I first braised fennel and red onions, then added them to the mix, topping the whole thing off with an herbed creme fraiche. The fennel lent just the right amount of warmth to the cold dish, disappearing just before one could slurp up another spoonful.
I feel really good about this meal; I stepped outside of my comfort zone and worked with ingredients (fennel, halibut, endives) that hadn't yet become part of my repertoire. I can't wait for the next dinner party!
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