Previously, on tastingmenu.wordpress.com
* https://tastingmenu.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/reproducing-nobu-intercontinental-hong-kongs-sweet-corn-and-scallop-salad/
* https://tastingmenu.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/the-reproduction-is-left-as-an-exercise-for-the-reader-trying-to-make-nobus-soy-salt/
* https://tastingmenu.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/brussel-sprouts-arctic-char-nobu-style-revisited/
So my wife asked if I could do a cod dinner for the first day of autumn. Thinking about the dinner, I came across a picture at Nobu Tokyo via Tripadvisor that showed a dish of cod, brussel sprouts and soy salt. And that made me think, “I can make that!” So I got 10 brussel sprouts, cleaned and peeled them for sautee’ing. But I knew that sautee’ing cod properly could be very tricky. Fortunately, I found a video from Eric Ripert that taught a manner to cook the cod:
So, I seasoned and coated the cod with flour and cooked it in the same manner of Chef Ripert and used the same skewer technique of testing the fish’s interior to test for doneness. In a separate pan, while the cod was sautee’ing, I started the peeled brussel sprout leaves in a separate wok with some grapeseed with a 3 3-fingered pinches of 4:1 salt/pepper mix on medium heat for about 4 minutes until just heated through and still slightly crunchy. Onto the dinner plates, I put a portion of sprouts, a portion of cod and then a teaspoon of soy salt. To start the meal, I blanched a little corn, pan fried 4 scallops (which then got quartered), combined them in a mixing bowl with 5 T of yuzu dressing and then got them onto two appetizer plates. My wife wanted help out and made a miso soup with baby spinach.
(clockwise from top left): miso soup, scallop/corn salad with yuzu dressing, rice, sauteed cod/brussel sprouts/soy salt
We finished the meal with a simple fruit salad that had a scoop of store bought raspberry sorbet.
‘fruit salad’: kiwi, mango, blueberries, raspberry sorbet
It was satisfying meal to start the fall season. Reflecting on this dinner, I was thinking how I could construct a whole tasting menu around this meal; and this is what I thought might be possible:
Ikura Dashijiru
Wasabi
Maguro Sashimi
Baked Renkon Chips, Toro Rossa Sauce
Scallop Corn Salad
Yuzu Dressing
Sauteed Madara
Brussel Sprouts, Soy Salt
Steak
Rosemary Miso, Baby Carrots
Miso Soup
Baby Spinach
Mini Chirashi
‘Fruit Salad’
Mango, kiwi, blueberries, raspberry sorbet
A little food for thought….
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