This morning was spent doing all those tedious things that you just have to do before you go on vacation. This afternoon I found sufficient time to carve a nice chunk off my thumb, using a ceramic-bladed mini mandoline.
What was I doing with this miniature instrument of torture? I'm very much a foodie and love to cook. Since we're going to be gone next week and things have been crazy lately I decided to fix a nice romantic dinner. The menu:
Spinach salad with raspberry honey glazed cashews and crispy fried onions served with a warm bacon dressing
Filet mignon with a horseradish and ginger crust
Jicama, radish and jalapeno cole slaw with a champagne vinegar dressing
Jasmine rice with saffron, English peas and diced carrots
Blueberry gelee with fresh blueberries, balsamic vinegar glaze, and Grand Marnier whipped cream
I even got heart-shaped foil cups for the dessert! I was using the mandoline to slice the radishes for the slaw. I couldn't find the guard, so I was slicing the radishes on the mandoline until I got nervous, then using the back edge of a kitchen knife to push the radishes against the mandoline blade to do the rest of the slicing. On the last slice of the last radish, the kitchen knife slipped off the radish and my thumb hit the mandoline blade.
That's not the worst part of all this. I was prepping the filets when my partner came into the kitchen and asked what I was doing. He had been asleep (he works nights) and missed the thumb drama. I told him, and he reminded me that we are going out to dinner with friends tonight.
It's all about the communication, people. Enjoy the silence next week. :-)
What a tease! You give us that menu and nary a recipe link in sight! boooooo.. Hope your thumbs heals quick and enjoy your time in Whistler.
ReplyDeleteJerry, I don't use recipes and the menu is my own creation. When I do finally cook this meal I'll be sure to post recipes. :-)
ReplyDeleteI definitely look at a lot of recipes, even cook a few as written (well once or twice), but far more I use them as a jumping off point, either modifying or adapting it to my own tastes and preferences, or simply as ideas and inspiration. A lot of my cooking is just off the top of my head as well.
ReplyDeleteI just wouldn't have thought of pairing ginger with the filet. I do think I will try the jicama and jalapeno in my coleslaw. I don't know that I'm quite at your cooking/foodie level, but I do have six different types of vineger (two are balsamics) and three olive oils in my cabinet right now, so I do alright. :-)
The main ingredient on the filet is the horseradish, the ginger is just to brighten the flavor a bit. I've never done it before so it may not work or it may taste horrible. I just like to experiment.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I could think of all the ingredients in my pantry off the top of my head. I have at least four kinds of salt, three kinds of peppercorns, and at least eight or so different vinegars. Probably the most unusual thing that I use frequently is Vietnamese fish sauce, and I go through a lot of Spanish smoked paprika.