Miso-Honey Black Cod

June 23rd, 2014

aka Nobu’s Miso Black Cod.
aka candy fish.
aka the best thing to serve to guests (so easy/feels fancy).

Of course I should mention that I’ve never had the black cod at Nobu, don’t have the Nobu Cookbook, and don’t use any sugar in most of my food…

…so, this is my own take on a classic Japanese recipe, and humble as I am, I don’t mind saying that it’s fucking delicious. Yep, it merits the f-bomb. It’s that good.

I can only ~~imagine~~ fantasize how amazing the Miso Black Cod at Nobu must be…

But back to my (humble) kitchen. The miso-honey marinade is magic- it soaks into the fish AND caramelizes on the surface, making every buttery bite a sweet/salty treat for your oh-so-refined tongue.

This fish makes you feel fancy folks. Just go with it.

The only thing I would change next time is MORE fish. Because as you can see from the pictures, I had quite the petite filet of black cod. Trust me when I tell you, that forkful of fish is not for effect- I’m just pleased I could steady my hand and pause for a moment on the way to my mouth.

Oops. I just ate my model.
And that concludes our photo shoot.

Miso-Honey Black Cod

This simple recipe is equally perfect for week night dinners and fancy dinner parties. Just remember that the fish needs a few days to marinate!

Ingredients

¼ cup sake
¼ mirin
3 tablespoons miso
1.5 tablespoons honey
2-4 black cod filets

Instructions

Bring the sake and mirin to a boil on the stovetop for 30 seconds.
Reduce heat and add miso and honey, stirring until combined.
Remove mixture from heat, pour into a baking dish, and let come to room temperature.
Place fish skin-side up in marinade, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 days.
Broil Fish on each side for 3-4 minutes, then finish in oven for 7-10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce

June 20th, 2014

I had to eat so much ice cream to get that one picture, you guys.
I know, a real tragedy.

And it’s still not quite what I was after. Photographing ice cream is a difficult, melty mess. Jeez. Dreams of the perfect scoop sitting pretty in a champagne coupe aside, I persevered because pickled strawberry ice cream sauce is amazing.

And if you don’t believe me, it’s insanely easy to make, so just go ahead and try it.

And while we’re on the subject of insanely easy, do you guys know about coring strawberries with a straw? You just shove the straw through the bottom of the strawberry, and off pops the top! Amazing right?

Or maybe I’m just easily entertained…

But if I can pull off this recipe in a cloud of post-Japan pickle withdrawal jet lag, then you can definitely whip up a batch tonight, and be eating pickled strawberry ice cream sundaes this very weekend.

Yep, this weekend. Those beautiful berries need to sit overnight in a red wine/honey marinade to become pretty piquant pickles. So what are you waiting for? To the kitchen!

Jet lag, I salute you for this recipe.

Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce

This sweet-tart strawberry sauce has just a little bite at the end, making it the perfect partner for ice cream, whipped cream, and creamy cheeses.

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries, cored
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ honey + 1 tablespoon
6 peppercorns
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Heat vinegar, ¼ cup honey, peppercorns, and vanilla on stove, stirring until honey is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
Slice larger berries in halves or quarters and leave smaller berries whole.
Pour vinegar mixture over berries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Strain strawberries and reserve vinegar mixture.
Heat strawberries, ¼ cup vinegar mixture*, and 1 tablespoon honey in small pot over low heat for 10-20 minutes or until you are happy with the consistency.

Notes

*If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you may want to substitute ¼ water for the vinegar mixture when heating the sauce.

Homemade Pantry: Almond Milk

April 30th, 2014

Good Morning from Tokyo!
Or more accurately, from Hikari 509, a shinkansen (awesome fast train)
somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto.

I must admit I had grand plans to write so many blog posts on the 13 hour flight here, but no sooner did I hit the airport (or the airport bar) OR spend 2+ hours sitting on the tarmac being gently lulled to sleep by jet fumes did all those grandiose plans go right out the window.

So we’re going to keep it short and sweet (well as sweet as you like your almond milk) this morning, and get right to a simple and delicious way to make your own nut milks at home. It’s cheaper and tastier than the store bought stuff, takes only a few minutes to make, and requires only two ingredients! Although I usually toss in a few dates, a little vanilla and a pinch of salt as well.

Almond Milk

Author: Tabitha

Creamy & delicious, you can make this almond milk with as few as two ingredients!

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
3-4 cups filtered water
additional water for soaking
3 dates optional
1” vanilla bean scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
pinch of salt

Instructions

Soak almonds in a bowl just covered with filtered water for 12-24 hours.
Rinse almonds then toss in blender with 3-4 cups water and dates if desired.
Blend 1 minute on low, then 2 minutes on high speed.
Pour mixture into a nut milk bag and strain out almond pulp OR pour through strainer/cheese cloth until no solids remain.
Rinse out blender then pour newly strained milk back into blender, add salt, and if desired, vanilla, and blend.

Notes

For extra thick/creamy almond milk, soak the almonds for closer to 24 hours and use only 3 cups water when blending. In a "hurry" though, almonds that have soaked overnight will do just fine!
Store your almond milk in a mason jar or other sealed container in your refrigerator for about 5 days.

ps. Check out the view from my window:

pps. Come follow my adventures in Japan on instagram!
ppps. Do you frequently fly for work? How do you get anything done on the plane?
I only seem to be good at reading books and drinking beer!