Amuse bouche – Page 11 – Myfrenchkitchen

Back from Hawai’i, I’m inspired to do some “island painting” and eat more seafood, especially fish. I’m alittle disappointed in the availability of fish and seafood there as well as exotic fruits. I expected a wealth of seafood and a whole range of interesting and different fish meals. We could find loads of pasta meals and New York steaks and hamburgers and chips, even French resturants, with Mahi Mahi quite frequently, but for the rest, exciting fish meals were scarce. We also had to drive quite deep into Kona island to find guavas , which we picked from a tree and they were absolutely delicious! But maybe the season wasn’t producing what I was looking for. At least it got me back into the “fish and fruit” zone again and the first thing I did when arriving back home – apart from loading a first bundle of washing – was to take off to the fish market and buy fish for our dinner! For now, a little appetizer – ocean inspired, to get going…

…baguette slices with seaweed salsa…

With a glass of cold, dry white wine, it is a good and easy little appetizer to tantalize the tastebuds while waiting for your fish to appear on the table. You can also be sure of many health benefits in seaweeds. In french we call it salade de mer, which literally means sea salad, composed of different sea weeds, found at health and Asian stores. It is healthy cocktail of vitamins and proteins and minerals.

The quantities are relative. Start with a little and add more as you proceed. Here is what I did:

2 TBSP of salade de la mer(a mixture of dried seaweeds)
1 heaped teaspoon of chopped , rinsed capers
a pinch of fennel fleur de sel
TBSP of rice vinegar
TBSP of mirrin
TBSP olive oil
Toasted slices of seeded baguette

Mix all the ingredients together and leave for about 10 minutes for the seaweed to absorb the oils and vinegars. Taste again and adjust seasoning. Serve in a little bowl along with toasted baguette slices.

* Suggestions:

The seaweed can be replaced by finely shredded white meat fish, or fish can be added along with the seaweed.
A drop or two of white balsamic vinegar can be added with lime/lemon juice and shallot wine vinegar, instead of the rice vinegar and mirrin, for a different interpretation.
The salsa can be eaten with fish, like tuna or a cod or any other “gentle flavoured” white fish”.
A cold dry white wine, like a chenin blanc is a good companion.
Don’t leave the seaweed salsa standing for too long, since it becomes “rubbery” after a while.
The seaweed mixture can be found at health stores or at Asian stores.

…ingredients…

Since Hartman was at the convention and meetings most of the time, I had ample time to sketch…

…flamingos and koi…

…reflections and flora…

A short tour through our trip to Hawai’i:

…sunsets from our room, different every evening!…

…Kona coffee to wake up and start the day with…

…bananas and guavas on the tree…

…a shea shore and a coast of volcano rock…

…shades of blue…

…for the energetics!…

More Hawai’i photos can be seen here at Myfrenchkitchen: Travel

I’ve never been a big fan of cucumber. I find them rather tasteless and watery. But it is those exact reasons that make them a perfect base for a cold summer soup. I use cucumber with different herbs, or combined with other fruits or vegetables to make a light soup, especially on a warm summers afternoon or dinner. In this case I used kiwi, an excellent source of vitamin C.

…cold cucumber and kiwi soup…

It may seem very “light” for a meal on its own, but we are eating way too much and our portions are way too big. This is an ample meal, if seved with some grilled seafood, like shrimps or langoustine tails, then followed by a cheese platter and a crusty grain bread and finished off with a seasonal dessert, or even only fruit.

It is custom in our house to eat “3 courses”. Now doesn’t that sound pretentious! But in fact, it is actually only “one course” that we serve seperately in 3 stages, or even more! A salad would serve as a starter, in it’s own bowl or plate, then followed up with maybe a fish/meat and a small vegetable, like a cherry tomato or two, or a bundle of french string beans tied with some tasty ham, and afterwards maybe a slice of 2 cheeses with baguette and finish off lastly with some dessert like a fruit, or joghurt. A small espresso. Maybe a chocolate. That’s it.

Another rule of thumb is: When you start light, you can go heavier OR start heavy and go lighter. And try to keep the portions small, served on small plates! That way, each serving gets centre stage, each flavour is appreciated on its own – no fighting flavours and colours all on one plate. With all the money you save on buying smaller quantities of food, you can invest in some interesting plates, making meals attractive and appealing. The stomach(and brain) is also cheated into thinking he has been given a five course meal, so the feeling of satiety and satisfaction is still rich! Serve the food on plates each individually as well, so you don’t get seduced into second helpings when the bowls stare longingly at you on the table, right in front of you! Men are usually resistant to get up to serve themselves and women are embaressed to have everybody see them get up for MORE FOOD!

So. Let’s eat less. Smaller portions. Around a table. Attractive table ware. Colourful. Light. Lets’ talk about our food. About its colours. The tastes and smells and flavours, textures. Let’s enjoy it and rise from the table, still having room and energy left for a brisk walk.

…the sunflower; Micheln 3 star restaurant…