Recipe for Love
A good recipe can help you cook your way to one’s heart. Someone also once told me that the key to a happy life, is a happy wife. So, for this Valentine’s Day, I decided to put the two together and share this idea for your special holiday planning this week. h/t to Mark Bittman of the NYT for this inspired meal.
Black miso cod, miso soup, salad, rice, and chocolate ganache covered strawberries for the ever-coveted dessert.
This is a great recipe for someone who is not an experienced hand in the kitchen. It’s amazing, and tastes like the most complicated and delicate dish ever prepared. But, as it turns out, is really easy!
Miso Cod
- Combine 1 cup of miso paste with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of sake and simmer in a small sauce pain. You can bring it to a boil but then let it cool.
- Lay out your Chilean Sea Bass or Black Cod (they are very similar) in 6-8oz pieces.
- Fire up your broiler. Place the rack 4-6 inches from the top.
- Generously coat the fish in the miso sauce.
- Broil until done, typically about 5 minutes per 1/2″ of thickness.
- Remove from the oven, plate and enjoy!
Pair it with some miso soup (also easy to make):
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon of dashi.
- Add 1/3 cup of red or white miso paste and stir.
- Add 6-8 oz of shiitake mushrooms and you’ve got a simple and flavorful miso soup in about 10 minutes.
I’d consider a simple tossed salad with Japanese style ginger dressing.
Lastly no Japanese meal is complete without a bowl of steamed rice! Any Japanese short grain will do, I usually choose Calrose.
Finish it off with chocolate covered strawberries, with fresh ganache:
- Destem and wash large, fresh strawberries
- Melt 8 oz of dark chocolate chips in a small pan inside of a larger one filled with water
- Slowly and steadily stir in ½ cup of heavy cream until fully mixed.
- Dip the strawberries and leave them to cool on some wax paper in the refrigerator.
*If you don’t mind a little corn syrup you could add a splash to the chocolate mixture (just a splash) and it will give the ganache a nice shine. But this is optional. Make as many as you’ll think you’ll eat.
Voila – simple to make, decadent and romantic Valentine’s dinner!
– Sam Spillman, DC
