Restaurant Remix – Black Cod in Shiso Broth

DSC06597

It’s no secret that one of my favorite things to do is to go out to a amazing meal with my husband. We regularly forego exchanging gifts just so that we can indulge in whatever new restaurant is on our must try list. The perfect bite is just one of those things that takes me far away to such a happy warm place. As much as I enjoy each and every bite of food and sip of wine, it’s always so sad when our meal comes to an end. We’re always very satisfied but we often leave wanting just a little more, which is why one of my new favorite hobbies is to come home and try to recreate some of those delicious dishes myself. Sometimes I’m successful, and sometimes I’m definitely not. This was one of those times I think I fared on the better end of the scale.

A couple of birthdays ago, we went to Ame, which is located in the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco. Their cuisine is New American with little bits of Asian hints in there. Our absolute favorite dish of the night was their Broiled Sake Marinated Alaskan Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth. The fish was so delicate and rich and the broth balanced it out so well. I skipped the shrimp dumplings because I wanted the black cod to be the focal point of the plate. It took a few tries but I think I’ve (almost) mastered this one.

(Recipe below)

DSC06598

DSC06584

DSC06592

DSC06593

DSC06595

 

Black Cod in Shiso Broth

Serves 2, maybe 3

  • 1 pound of black cod, bones removed
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of sake
  • 2 tablespoons of mirin
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, finely chopped or grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 2 cups of  chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons mirin
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
  • 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • green onions, julienned & finely diced for garnish

Combine the first 7 ingredients. Marinate and refrigerate the black cod for a minimum of 3 hours, but preferably overnight or up to 24hours. To cook the cod, preheat your oven on to 425. Take the fillets out of the marinade and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cod will develop a deep caramel/mahogany color. Combine the second 8 ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and add the shiitake mushrooms, carrots and green onions. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes.

To serve, gently place a cod fillet in the center of each bowl and then ladle the broth in. Garnish with green onions and enjoy.

*Just a disclaimer, I don’t accurately measure all ingredients. I generally eyeball the ingredients and adjust to taste. Also, my oven runs a little hot.

Window Gardening

DSC06069

I’ve never been known to have a green thumb. I think it stems more from my Laissez-faire attitude towards plants in general.  I’d water them when I remembered, which wasn’t too often, and I never paid attention to how much sunlight they got during the day. Ever since I got into cooking a few years back, I’ve wanted my own herb garden. This proved to be a challenge because the last couple of places I lived in either lacked outdoor space or windows with good natural light. I’d pass by the lush herb plants at Whole Foods, always tempted to grab them but I resisted knowing they wouldn’t survive. Luckily, my new kitchen has a great wall of windows with tons of natural sunlight so since we moved in I’ve been determined to plant my own little herb garden.

I opted for a planter with a removable drainage stopper so that I didn’t have to deal with drilling my own holes or the mess of having a separate tray underneath. This just seemed to be the best fool-proof solution for a green thumb challenged person like myself. Herbs I planted include: basil, parsley, oregano, chili peppers, chives, cilantro and thyme. Updates on whether I’ve been able to keep them alive and what I cook with them to come!

DSC06071DSC06072

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC06092

DSC06090

DSC06138

 

Salty and Sweet

DSC06055

During our move, one of the first appliances my husband found a home for was the ice cream maker. Ever since, he’s been vaguely (or what he considers to be vaguely) hinting at me to make some. In the past, I’ve stuck to simple classic flavors like vanilla bean. Since I don’t have much of a sweet tooth myself, Bi-Rite Creamery in the Mission has my personal favorite flavor, salted caramel. The perfect mixture of salty and sweet.With all the warm weather we’ve been having, I finally gave in and decided to make some ice cream. Using this recipe here, I was able to recreate my favorite flavor and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The texture was incredibly rich and creamy. The flavor was cloyingly sweet with the perfect hint of salt. Just what both of us were looking for in our ice cream craving.

DSC05910

DSC05958

DSC06051

DSC06057