Day 37: Spa Day

This lesson was geared to teach us about super healthy cooking. Our chef told us a story about a woman coming to eat at Le Cirque and ordering poached fish. Although this was not on the menu, they were instructed to make it per her request. He was still in his early years working the grill, but volunteered to make the poached fish, earning himself a promotion. Dietary restraints, on top of particular people, lead to this spa style cooking being offered on many modern menus. Although they may limit some delicious things, these methods will be really helpful especially with the evolution of food and diet in today's food culture.

 Most of these dishes were very flavorful for being so light in fat content. We began by making Paupiettes of Sole. This is sole rolled up with a leek fondue tucked into the center. It is then shallow poached, and finished in the oven. A pan sauce is added to accompany the fish, giving it a lot of flavor, yet still very healthy (just revisited the recipe and saw there is cream and butter, oops) !

Next we poached a whole fish in what is called a court bouillon. This is a flavorful liquid that the fish is submerged and cooked in. We then paired the fish with an emulsion sauce-saffron aioli- to contrast the flavors. I am not a huge aioli fan but this was really delicious. So delicious that our chef ripped off a piece of the baguette on the counter and started dipping away.

His name is David, after David Trahan 

Poached Salmon with a side of cauliflower 

For the vegetable portion, we steamed whole artichokes and paired it with a vinaigrette. I added minced rosemary to the vinaigrette since I am a huge rosemary fan, giving it an extra hint of flavor.