Seared Mahi with Grapefruit Mussel Salad
Posted on August 6, 2007
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Inspired by my recent trip to The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawberry Banke (blog post coming soon!), I’m experimenting with different plating designs. What is this lovely vision called? Well, the Monday night special is a Seared Mahi with Grapefruit Mussel Salad.
The Mahi fillet was sear-roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper and a splash of soya sauce. The Grapefruit Mussel salad also has finely chopped Red Onion, Grapefruit zest and juice, finely chopped celery, Garlic Butter paste and topped with toasted Pine Nuts.
The sauce is a simple mixture of Mayonnaise and Siracha hot sauce. Mahi stands up very well to bold flavors and it went well with the sauce. The heat with a bite of the citrusy and refreshing Grapefruit salad.
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Fire Pasta with Pancetta
Posted on July 31, 2007
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Come learn a little Italian with me! Tonight’s dish is “Pasta del Fuoco con Pancetta”. I coined this dish myself. Translated, I believe it means “Fire Pasta with Pancetta”. The idea was to have a highly seasoned, spicy and flavorful dish without adding any salt or pepper! In that respect, this dish was a resounding success!
So how did I get the “fire” into this pasta dish? I didn’t use the traditional method of using jalapeño or other chilies and peppers. Instead, the spice and flavor came from the ingredients themselves. The pasta du jour was Linguine. Pancetta (Italian Bacon) provided the saltiness, Sun Dried Tomatoes were full of flavor, garlic and parsley for fragrance, and my secret ingredient influenced by South-East Asian cuisine - Sambal Chili Sauce!
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Curry Tea Rub Lamb Chops with Mango Chutney
Posted on July 29, 2007
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This Sunday would be the last weekend in Canada for my dear friend Catherine. I couldn’t be there for her while I’m in the U.S. But she had previously requested a lamb dish, so here’s an ode to Cat! This is Curry Tea Rubbed Lamb, served with a Mango Chutney and Balsamic pan reduction. The plating is a simple spelling of “Cat”. It’s fun to spell with food!
I french-cut (exposing the bone) the lamb chops myself. The lamb’s curry tea rub mixture was inspired by chef Ming Tsai. Coincidently, Catherine’s Chinese name is Ming Tai Tsai! LOL…. I augmented the rub by adding fennel seeds for more texture. The mango chutney also contains raisins. I know the chops looked burnt because of the rub, but the lamb was actually a perfect medium-rare on the inside, pink with no blood. 
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Perfect Shrimp Pad Thai
Posted on July 28, 2007
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I wanted to redeem myself from my last attempt at cooking Pad Thai. Not satisfied with that weird vegetarian version, I had to try the dish again. This go-around, I made a Shrimp Pad Thai, hot and spicy, garnished with julienned scallions.
Learning from my last attempt, I made sure I did not forget the shrimp. I also added bean sprouts for crunch, used firm tofu instead of soft tofu, and made the Pad Thai sauce from scratch with Tamarind, lime juice and fish sauce. I also liberally added Siracha hot sauce as I like the dish spicy.The additions do make a difference! Am I ready to open a Thai restaurant yet?
Update: I’m submitting this post entry to Once Upon A Feast’s Presto Pasta Nights.
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