As Gordon says, the star of the dish is a perfectly medium-rare piece of filet mignon, and I wanted to celebrate that! My friend Anwar, who runs International Grocery and Halal Meat, Inc. offered to find me a filet mignon for my dish. What an adventure that was! I came to the shop and he cut open a cow to find the tenderloin for me. I got to watch him butcher the meat and point at the cut I wanted. I ended up with about 3 pounds in two pieces. Thank you Anwar!
Category: Main Course
Chanterelle Mushroom Soufflé
Today, I decided to merge my passion for Chanterelles with my parallel passion for “difficult recipes.” You know, sometimes, I become obsessed with foods because of their famed difficulty to make. First it was the Macaron, then it was Cannelés Bordelais… finally, I worked my way up to the Soufflé. I love desserts, so my first attempts were in the sweet category. I have been revisiting savory soufflés of late with plans to serve a trio of soufflés for my 30th birthday, and I must say that they are much easier to conquer, so start your soufflé journey with something salty. These dishes are really light and delicious. Perfect for brunch or a light dinner. They are one of those perfect foods that fill you up without weighing you down. This recipe is for a mushroom soufflé, but feel free to change up the flavors. How about prosciutto and Gruyère, or spinach and Gruyère, or leek and bacon?
Chanterelle and Lentil Stew
Red wine is delicious with lentils, and I knew these flavors would pair really well with the earthiness of my Chanterelle mushrooms. I was not wrong! This is a delicious dish, and really easy to make. Just combine the ingredients and simmer for a half an hour and you are ready for dinner!
Pork Gyoza
These are a beautiful Japanese style dumpling filled with ground pork and Napa cabbage which are quickly fried and steamed to create a crispy outside and a deliciously juicy and tender filling. The closest to soup dumplings that I have come to so far!
I first encountered gyoza at a friend’s family dinner where everyone gathered around the table to build these little guys in an assembly line fashion, I loved this format and will be making them for family and small gatherings in this fashion. Our friends served them to us steamed or boiled, and I remembered thinking, the only way this could possibly be more delicious is if it had a bit of a sear on the bottom.
Yose Nabe (Seafood Hot Pot)
This dish seemed like a perfect representation of our Communal Dinners. The Yose Nabe (Seafood Hot Pot) is a mixture of all of the fish you can think of, like a gathering of friends. Some even add chicken thighs and tofu to the mix. To make it even more communal, the dish is generally served in separate parts on the dining table with the broth simmering directly on a butane stove in the center of the table. Everyone adds whatever they would like to eat, cooking together and bringing more and more complexity to the delicious broth!
Zaru Udon with Homemade Udon
I have always loved udon soup, but I have never considered making my own udon noddles until I waited for one hour in line outside of the most famous noodle shop in Honolulu, Morukame Udon. The weather was perfect, and the family ahead of us very funny, but it was the view through the windows that caught my attention for the bulk of that hour. A cook was gingerly tossing around a sheet of silky dough and thinning it slowly before another next to him cut it down into beautiful fresh udon noodles. It was this experience that made me really want to have the Japanese-Hawaiian fusion dinner. I had to make my own noodles.
Red Snapper and Clam Hot Pot (Sugata Nabe)
Next weekend, we are throwing a huge Japanese-Hawaiian fusion dinner, so I wanted to get a head start on trying out some of the flavors. Red snapper is beautiful, it is one of my favorite fishes for dishes in which I want to present the whole fish.
For the dinner party, I will serve this dish alongside a second hot pot called Yose Nabe, generally referred to as the Anything Goes Hot Pot where I will have a plethora of flavors, so I will keep the broth simple for the Snapper Hot pot.
Tonight, I wanted to add a bit of nuance to the flavor by adding some clam meats to the broth. The pairing is delicious, but if you want to go for a more traditional flavor, omit the clams.
This can be cooked on a hot plate right at the table or cooked beforehand in the kitchen. If you are cooking it table-side, it might take a bit longer to cook through.
Roast Eggplant and Tomato Pizza
Eggplant is so tempting this time of year! I think I will try to grow some next summer! In the mean time, however, I keep buying it every weekend, so we have to keep cooking it. This week, I also wanted to make a bit of mozzarella and some pesto since my basil plant is getting pretty hefty.
Want to make your own pesto? I like a combination of arugula and basil for mine. I take about 4 cups of basil leaves and arugula leaves each, a half a cup of pine nuts, a cup of grated Parmesan, 4-6 garlic cloves, and enough olive oil to get to the consistency you like. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and adjust to your tastes.
Chez Nous 