you've just gotta go...

there are only a few moments in one’s life when food becomes the medium for a personal transformation. i had one of those moments last saturday night. my husband and i went with two other couples to miya's sushi in new haven.

we had been there two years ago. little did we realize, our “waiter” that night turned out to be the executive chef and owner, bun lai. he asked us what we liked and if we were game for a little adventure. he ordered for us off-menu and we had a fantastic meal—one of the best i’ve ever eaten.

this time, i wanted to recreate our adventure. i contacted the restaurant to see if bun would be there. he e-mailed and said to let him know when we made a reservation. he did not disappoint. the fish was supremely fresh. the preparation was innovative and imaginative. each dish blurred sublimely and seductively into the next.

we started with raw, warmed scallops in oyster sauce. tilapia with just a kick of heat accompanied by sliced cucumber so thin they were practically invisible. the tuna, so fresh and pink it was probably illegal in seven states, was encrusted with herbs and sauvignon blanc. the tuna was quickly followed by ivory obelisks of marlin. and then a dish he prepared based on nothing more than a musing: what if sushi had been invented in africa? an unleavened wheat crepe filled with crunch and spice and a touch of goat cheese to remind you sushi doesn’t necessarily have to be fish.

the pièce de résistance was a potato wrap with crabmeat. it was topped by what looked like a deep-fried japanese shore crab as its jaunty chapeau. paired with a lemon dill sauce drizzled on top, the little crab crunched like a potato chip as the whole ensemble was plated on lava rock in an itty-bitty tower.

all these wonderful morsels, a sort of pan-asian amuse bouche, were chased down with fruited beer cocktails, fermented sumac (no, not the poisonous kind) and a liquor made from pine needles.

these are the moments in life you remember most: a table full of friends and a belly full of great food.

life doesn’t get much better than that…

looking good...

i just bought some new sushi plates. (i ordered them online from crate & barrel and had them delivered only to remember that there’s a crate & barrel down the street. so much for decreasing my carbon footprint.)

you would think that i’d opened the door to balloons, tv cameras, and ed mcmahon holding an oversized check. nope. just sushi plates. but to me, they were the sweetest little thing in the mail. sleek white ceramic with a slight upturned edge, a small bas relief of swimming fish and ocean waves. beautiful.

it made me think: cooking is not just about the food. it’s all the fun that goes with it. it’s the presentation—all the pomp and circumstance . you can make the greatest pasta in the world. but if you don’t have a nice plate for it to sit atop, all you’ve got is a mound of glutenous wheat by-product on your table.

and think about the number of times you’ve looked at a cookbook, magazine or television show where the finished product is placed in front of you with a culinary flourish, et voilà. makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? who knows, maybe that dish of pad thai, grilled fish, or steak tartare tastes like crap. but if it looks good, you want to tear into it. maybe, if you like cooking as much as i do, it makes you want to shop for ingredients and prepare that same dish immediately.

either way, the point is still valid: food is nothing without the presentation. it’s not only got to smell good and taste good. it’s got to look good. it’s one of the things that makes cooking great: you use all your senses to experience it.

so pull out those good dishes. who cares if it’s a wednesday? use the good china.
don’t save them for a special occasion when every night can be a special occasion!

the greeks have it

i discovered the joys of greek yogurt less than a year ago. it’s creamy. it’s smooth. it’s thick and oh, so good with honey. in fact, i love it with honey. some people can take it plain. those must be the same people that enjoy their coffee black.

plain is simply joyless. there is no fun in plain yogurt. yogurt is meant to have stuff in it. why else would dannon put the fruit on the bottom? of course, commercial yogurts in the U.S. just don’t stand up to the greeks. it’s like comparing homemade pasta with kraft macaroni and cheese.

there are some who enjoy making their own yogurt. perhaps one day, i will take the challenge. in the meantime, i’m happy to skip over to trader joe’s and pick up a little tub of FAGE and call it a day. but for those who would like to give it a go, here’s a recipe for the homemade stuff from the New York Times:

4 cups whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk

2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live active cultures, greek or regular.

1. in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a boil. remove from the heat and let the milk cool to 110 to 115 degrees on an instant read thermometer. transfer the milk to a ceramic container or pyrex pan.

2. place the yogurt in a cup. add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the warmed milk and stir to mix. pour the yogurt mixture into the milk and stir to mix. cover the container with a towel or a dinner plate. do not use an airtight cover, as the bacteria need to breath. set in a warm place (70 to 100 degrees), until the yogurt has set and the texture resembles flan or cheesecake, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours, or more, depending on the temperature and the quality of the starter. (an oven turned off with a pilot light is a good place or in a cabinet over a warm oven.) transfer to the refrigerator, cover tightly and use within 4 days. makes 1 quart.

3. don’t forget to put your yogurt through a cheese cloth or similar strainer to slough off the excess liquid. yogurt can get pretty sloppy.

enjoy!