When I first made this meal and video I called the piece ‘Colorful Meal’ but as I look at it now and begin to write this piece I’m gonna call it what I have, THE COMPLIMENTING COMPLEMENTARY MEAL.
The dish is complementary because the colors and textures are opposing and harmonizing while also being complimentary because it is flattering and gracious and when I typed the word complementary I spelled it with an I and noticed the synonyms were not the synonyms of the complementary I wanted but now I’m off on the subtle difference in the spelling of the word(s) which compliment each other – Let’s get on with it awreaD.
Clearly it’s the colors of the raw materials that got me going, the red/orange of the salmon, the green of the watercress and pea puree and the yellow of the creamed corn. There are so many ways to take this dish over the top so let’s consider this a strong foundation for always serving and whipping up complementary dishes, I say here’s to juxtaposition on a plate!
At first you would think the watercress & pea puree and creamed corn are complimentary, meaning too much alike but I think the dish works on a whole. I think steamed carrot or a thick slice of a warm, sun-ripened, farm fresh eastern LI tomato off set on the plate would certainly also add to the dish.
The first thing I made was the CREAMED CORN
Dice and sauté an onion. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil or the equivalent of butter SIDE NOTE I happen to have butter around, which I RARELY do but I was making and testing recipes for scones like a crazy person for one of my ParTEAS™ which I held and hosted at The Ivy Brown Gallery last month. to the sautéed onions then sprinkle with flour. Now you’re making a roux. Add milk and you’re making a white sauce. Add the corn and some water, mix and let cook. Now you’ve got creamed corn.
If you have cornstarch, you’d make a slurry of cornstarch and water and add this to the corn, onions and milk and again, have yourself creamed corn.
I poured the creamed corn mixture into a blender and gave it a quick blend. If one has a Cuisinart you’d give the creamed corn mixture a quick PULSE.
Next I brought well-salted water to a boil for the WATERCRESS & PEA PUREE
Add Peas to the boiling salted water. I used 1 cup of peas to one bunch of watercress. Recipes I read call for twice this, 2 Cs of Ps and 2 bunches of H2Ocress.
Once the water has come back to a boil and the Peas have floated to the top, turn of the heat and add the watercress. Let the watercress wilt for 5 minutes in the salted boiled water with the Peas.
While the Peas and H2Ocress were cooking I cleaned out the pan I made the creamed corn in and PAN SEARED AND POACHED THE SALMON
Get a nonstick pan hot. Pinch some Salt of D Earth into the hot pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, slices from a good sized garlic clove and a squeeze of 1/2 a juicy lemon. If you have some white wine, black pepper corns, a bay leaf, any of this helps, just COOK YOUR SALMON. I cooked my salmon steak for about 4 minutes on each side with a top on the pan so I was actually also poaching the salmon You may want to cook your salmon in a soy sauce?
Again, pan searing and or poaching?? COMplementary cOMplimentary.
You should be done by now and reaDy to plate.
Get on with it. Dig in. Aren’t you starving?
Much
LO
VE,
FoodD
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or
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I look forward to hearing from you.