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from Gourmet Dinners Past:
Asian Dinner
First Course
Seared Tuna - Sashimi grade tuna marinated in lemongrass, kaffir
lime leaves and Asian spices then quickly seared, sliced and
stacked with vegetables and served with a wasabi aioli.
Second Course
Mixed Greens - Greens tossed with Napa cabbage, spicy bean threads,
oranges and a citrus-soy dressing.
Main Course
Duck - Half a roast duck boned and baked with a ginger-plum glaze.
Served with scallion wild rice and sesame stir- fried julienne
of vegetables.
Dessert
Ginger Crème Brulee
Key Lime Cheesecake
Recipes for Asian Duck Dinner
Serves Six
Seared Tuna Stacks
Two 8 oz. filets of raw sashimi grade tuna
Marinade
1 clove garlic- roughly chopped
1 red chili- roughly chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves- roughly chopped
½ small bunch of fresh Thai basil roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass-roughly chopped
1 inch of fresh ginger-peeled and roughly chopped
Juice of one lime
3 Tb. Soy sauce
A few drops of fish sauce (available at Asian markets)
1 Tb. Sesame oil & 1Tb. Veg oil
Mix all marinade ingredients together and put into a plastic
container deep enough to hold the marinade and fish. Add the
fish. Let sit together over night in refrigerator. Alternatively,
marinate the fish a room temperature for two hours.
Pour ½ cup sesame seeds into a shallow bowl. Drain tuna
filets and place, one at a time, in the bowl. Flip tuna steaks
over to coat both sides liberally with the seeds. Press the tuna
into the seeds a little.
Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. You can either spray it
with nonstick spray or heat ¼ inch vegetable oil (preferably
peanut) in the pan until almost smoking hot. Add the tuna and
cook on each side for about 2 minutes. This is to just sear the
outside of the tuna. The inside should be raw still.
Remove the tuna from heat and drain on a paper towel if cooked
in oil.
Slice each piece of tuna on a bias cut across the grain into
very thin slices.
Wasabi Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise-preferably homemade
1 clove garlic- minced
1 Tb. Sesame oil
A few drops of soy sauce to taste
1 Tb. Wasabi
Whisk all ingredients together. This can be done a day or two
ahead.
Assembling the Tuna Stack
Get the following ready:
Thinly slice an English cucumber on an angle to produce oblong
circles
Thinly cut a scallion lengthwise into 2 inch long pieces
Peel and cut a carrot into matchstick size pieces
Peel and cut ¼ cup Diakon radish into matchstick size
pieces
A few sprouts
Put a cucumber slice down followed by each of the julienned vegetables
in the order given. Top this with a spoonful of wasabi Aioli
then a slice of tuna and repeat the whole process.
To serve, drizzle a little soy sauce on the plate, center a stack
on it and sprinkle a garnish of sesame seeds on top.
Asian Mixed Greens
2 bags of mixed greens from the grocery store - the Asian blend
is lovely if you can find it.
2 oranges zested - save the oranges -one for juicing and one
for the salad
One cup of shredded Napa cabbage
Fried bean threads- directions to follow
The dressing
Whisk together:
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
¼ cup honey
Juice of one orange
Zest of two oranges
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Tb. Sesame oil
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tb. Soy sauce
To assemble the Salad, put the greens, Napa cabbage and orange
segments in a bowl. Pour half the dressing over and toss well.
Adjust dressing to taste. Put salad on plate and garnish with
spicy bean threads. Recipe to follow.
Spicy Bean Threads
Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When oil is hot add a small handful of bean threads. They will
immediately expand. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.
Sprinkle with a Thai spice blend available in the spice section
of a grocery store.
Asian Duck
6 duck halves- roasted and boned- directions follow.
Ginger Plum Glaze
1 lb. Plums - pitted and chopped roughly
1-cup honey
2 Tb. Peeled chopped fresh ginger
1 tea. Powdered ginger
1 tea. Chinese five spice
Salt to taste
Put all the glaze ingredients into a heavy saucepan and cook
over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't
burn. The glaze can be made up to one week ahead. Preheat oven
to 400 degrees and put a rack in the center.
Put cooked and boned duck halves skin side upon a sheet pan lined
with foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Brush each duck liberally
with ginger-plum glaze.
Bake glazed duck about twenty minutes or until hot and a little
crispy on top.
Stir Fried Vegetables
2 carrots- peeled and sliced on an angle into ovals
½ head Bok Choy- sliced thin
½ head Napa cabbage- sliced thin
1 bunch green onions- cut into one inch lengths
½ lb. Shitake mushrooms- stems removed and sliced thin
1 red pepper- stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
1 Tb. Peeled chopped fresh ginger
1 Tb. Chopped garlic
Sesame oil
Vegetable oil
A splash of soy sauce
A splash of Sake or sherry
Salt and lots of black pepper
Heat wok to high heat. Add enough veg. Oil to coat bottom of
wok. Add a few drops of sesame oil. Add ginger and garlic and
move it around with wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms
stir for 30 seconds, add carrots, stir for thirty seconds, add
peppers, stir for thirty seconds then add remaining vegetables.
Season with a pinch of salt and a gracious sprinkle of pepper.
Stir well then add a splash of soy and sake. Put a lid on the
wok and turn heat down to medium heat. Allow vegetables to steam
for a few minutes or until just tender.
Scallion Wild Rice
Cook a package of your favorite wild rice blend according to
package directions, substituting chicken stock for water. When
it is all done, stir ¼ cup thin sliced scallions into
rice just before serving.
Key Lime Cheesecake
1 9 inch graham cracker crumb pie crust
12 oz. cream cheese- at room temperature
1-cup sugar
2 Eggs at room temperature
¼ cup key limejuice
1 Tb. Key lime zest
Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the center.
Mix the cream cheese in a bowl until soft and smooth. Add sugar
and mix until smooth again. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix
well after each addition. Add eggs one at a time. Add key lime
zest and juice. Mix well at low speed until smooth then pour
into the crust and bake at 325 degrees about 45 minutes or until
set in the center. Cool and serve with whipped cream and a key
lime wheel garnish.
Spanish Dinner
First Course
Seafood Paella~ Valencia style rice with chicken sausage, shrimp
and mussels.
Second Course
Mixed Greens ~ Baby greens tossed with roasted red peppers, croutons
and Manchego cheese with a sherry vinaigrette.
Main Entrée
Bistecca ~ Thin sliced steak breaded and lightly fried, served
with a moularde of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and basil.
Vegetable of choice such as braised spinach, green beans pepperonata,
vegetable bundles.
Dessert
Choice of:
Cinnamon Chocolate Mousse Torte
Pastel de Pecan or Cheesecake
For
more information or reservations, contact Keith or Susan Charak
at 800-838-1246.
Bon
Appetit!
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