Reasons to be Thankful, Part 1

Well, many really. The fact that I'll be done in less than four months makes me one of the happiest people in the world. That's a definite biggie. But in terms of the more specific (because it IS...was...Thanksgiving), let me list in a long breathful:

Costco-sized cereal. (REALLY) good friends. Coconut. And the most important one of all: everyone being away on Thanksgiving weekend so I could BLAST The Shirelles and Neil Sedaka unashamedly. Damn Straight.


HONEY BAKED COD AND SWEET POTATO "CAKE" IN GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

Having renounced meat (not including seafood) not too long ago, I had to think of something else for Thanksgiving. Fish would definitely be involved because I had some on hand. Wanting to keep somewhat Thanksgivingsy, I opted for something that would include sweet potato. To be honest though, I think sweet potato by itself is pretty bland (it's hardly really "sweet") and that's what prompted me to go for a honey-soy marinade for the fish. Previous sweet-potato-roasting experiences have taught me that the tuber goes amazingly well with soy sauce (what doesn't) and I imagined that honey would really bring out the supposed "sweetness" of sweet potato. I had nothing to lose. And it was good. Really good. The potato "cake" also went amazingly well with the garlic cream sauce. Paired with my new favourite riesling and an old-school movie...that's a big fatty reason to be thankful already.

RECIPE (Serves 2)
2 x white fish fillets (I used cod)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 gloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 x sweet potato, peeled
Heavy cream
Olive oil
Butter

Preheat over to 375F. Using a peeler, peel the sweet potato into thin ribbons. Cook the ribbons in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and dry completely with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and toss with about 2 tsp olive oil. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place two molding rings on the tray and divide the sweet potato mixture between the rings. Press down to compress (I used a shotglass) and then carefully remove the rings so that the potato holds shape. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place each fillet of fish on a large sheet of foil. Combine honey, soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl. Mix well. Spoon over the fish and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. Fold the foil over the fish and seal to form a "packet." Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through (this depends on the size of your fillet. The general rule I follow is about 10 minutes for every inch in thickness).

While the potato and fish are baking, prepare the sauce. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add a knob of butter and heat until foamy. Add garlic and shallots and cook until aromatic. Add an adequate amount of heavy cream (this is really up to personal taste). I wanted a fairly thick sauce so I didn't add too much). Season with salt and pepper.

Time to plate. Spoon about 2 tbsp of garlic cream sauce onto plate. Top with the sweet potato "cake" and place the baked fish over the potato. Done!

It's really been awhile since I was blown away by a wine. I had wanted to indulge in a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Bubbly but they don't stock it at our local supermarket. So I opted for a riesling from Polka Dot (2007). IT'S SO GOOD. It's super delicate (I never like wines that are too strong, hence my preference for whites) and had a subtle fruity sweet taste. It was absolutely perfect with the fish - the mild sweetness really brought out the flavor of the honey marinade and the potato but it was delicate enough not to overpower anything. This is definitely my new favorite wine.

So it ends, it's all good in the world.