Cooking for the Fussy
 

This weekend is the Lunar New Year (better known as the Chinese New Year) and I have invited a friend over for dinner. I love to cook but, due to various circumstances, have not had the opportunity to do much cooking since I arrived here.

My friend is a fussy eater. She is a vegetarian, she can't eat dairy, and there a ton of odd things she can't eat. She isn't picky because she wants to be, it's her stomach. Regardless of her reasons, I am struggling.

My original menu:

This has been scrapped due to the fact that she doesn't like scallops, can't eat walnuts or blue cheese and my oven does not work (hence no baking either). Finally, no alcohol, so no good wine to accompany the food (so much for drunkenness masking bad food gambit).

I need some fast suggestions as I have to get all my shopping done on Friday night (Saturday if I am desperate). The reason being that the stores are apparently picked clean by Saturday morning by all the Aunties stocking up for the New Year dinners.

OK, here is what I have decided so far:

Appetizer: some sort of salad - want some thing a tasty

Main: a) Seared sesame crusted Tuna
b) The black pasta dish above but with chucks of some other white fish

Dessert: a) chocolate mousse
b) good quality gelato with either cookies or some sort of kueh (local cookie treat)


Issues:

If I can source some sushi grade Tuna I would like to do the seared tuna... what to serve with it?

If I go with the black pasta and white fish (it will also have some some yellow and red grilled peppers for colour) what sort of white fish? And should I chunk it (so it resembles the original dish) or serve a whole fish, or a slice of fish with the pasta on the side?

I figure I will pick up some Gelato as a fall back if my mousse fails miserably.

I am so looking forward to cooking. It's been so long.

Since your time is limited and I'm not sure what you have access to in Singapore (I am in Japan) I would look into something like:

Salad: Nice greens, maybe some red-leaf and green leaf, a little bibb, grapefruit chunks, orange chunks, a bit of shredded coconut and a Japanese-style sesame dressing

Have you tried the sesame crust searing yet? If you can do it and not char the sesame (I usually sear tuna at a fairly high temp to crust the outside, but keep the inside about MR), that sounds good. Otherwise just do a seasoned flour for a light crustiness. I would also lightly sautee some spinach with a bit of garlic and fresh grated ginger in olive oil for the side dish. You could also do some very thin sliced potatoes sauteed just to crispy, but not crunchy, seasoned with just a bit of salt and pepper.

As she's a vegetarian, I would stick to the best seasonal fruit you can find for desert. Pear, orange, whatever. Cut it nicely, and arrange it to look like a nice pattern with some variance in colers and flavors (or better yet peel an orange and feed it to her slice by slice).

I would really avoid trying too much if you haven't cooked much there, and if this is a special occasion. Even if you are an accomplished cook, the differences in ingredients, temperatures and whatnot, could be potentially disasterous. I would keep it really simple, but good, and the best quality of ingredients to let the food showcase itself. I would take no chances that anything could upset her stomach, as that could cut the evening short (I'm guessing you want to cut the evening long).

Just my 2 yen. The best of luck! Happy New Year!

Thanks Ratman... yes, I am a bit worried about the potential for disaster based on the environment. I have been going through the utensils and pots and pans in the apartment and there are a few things missing (not to mention the fact I have no oven, dammit!). I think I am going to have to go out and buy a good set of knives and a good grilling pan.

The fresh fruit is always a good suggestion. I think I am going to try the mousse but also serve it with some fruit. I will make the mousse earlier in the day (it has to chill after all) and if it fails, I will fall back on just the fruit.

As for it being a "special" occasion... it's just a couple of ex-pats making the best of being in a new place while everyone else is either out of town or celebrating with their families. The only thing special about it is that I am cooking, something I have been itching to do for some time.

This is my first Singapore dinner party (even if it's only for two) and I want it to go smoothly (I am expecting disaster but at least I can learn what my kitchen can do so when I have to do this for a larger group I will be more prepared).

Where in Japan are you?

Ah, I have cooked many a meal for my ex-pat brethren stranded for the holidays! This year I did two smallish (3.5kg) turkeys on the bar-b-q. I am fortunate to have a Costco here in Fukuoka, so I can get some of those basics of North American cuisine. It took me a couple of years to really build up a good kitchen filled with nice tools and stuff. I wrecked my share of food when I first came though! Cup measure is different, rice is different, converting from F to C, pounds to kilos, finding similar ingredients, and so on. One thing I love is that it is illegal to use CO2 here for veggies, fruit and meat, so everything is really fresh and seasonal. Best strawberries I've had in years! I live in Kurume, just south of Fukuoka, on Kyushu. This town is the Salinas of Kyushu, so the food is really good and cheap. If you have any questions about some of the stuff you see here in asia, or ingredients for subsituting, I'll try to help. Good Cooking!

ahahaha Please do this and then tell your wife and tell me what she says hehehe

I have no advice, other than to ask....isnt chocolate mousse dairy?

Yeah, I don't think I will be feeding her the orange slices... no.

Chocolate mousse has very little dairy. Just a small amount of sour cream. The rest is all eggs and chocolate.

Thanks Ratman for the help.

I'm not sure who this was directed at, but the suggestion was made assuming that there is no Mrs. Charlatan, and I can assure you there is no Mrs. Ratman. I have no idea about Charlatan's marital status, but I think he made it clear that this was simply an ex-pat get together, with no romantic intentions. This is not uncommon for those who are strangers in a strange land, when the locals are busy amongst themselves, the restaurants are closed, and a little home cooking with a countryman is a welcome relief.

On another note, the oranges here are pretty amazing, and a hell of a lot easier to peel than grapes...

does she eat tofu?there's lots of desserts that can be made from the silky version of tofu... (i'd assume that's available in singapore)

For a side dish - a slaw is always nice with fish... especially seared tuna.

Ingredients
1/2 small pink or red grapefruit
1 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 cups pea pods, cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 cups sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 cup sliced daikon radish
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (optional

Preparation
Peel and coarsely chop grapefruit, saving juices.

Meanwhile, add pea pods, cabbage, radishes, chopped grapefruit and to bowl with hoisin sauce mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

I usually make this with salmon - and make extra dressing and marinate te salmon fillet in it before grilling..

Well...not to degenerate the thread, but to expalin...Charlatan talks about his wife all the time and the suggestion of feeding the oranges to his dinner guest was made before he explained to you it was just an ex-pat get together (his first post just said "a friend". Those of us that know his wife has not yet joined him in Singapore would find it amusing

Damn, Maleficent, that sounds good! It's on my list now. I agree with you as well on the tofu- if N. Americans had the tofu we have here, they would think differently about it (speaking for Japan, don't know about Singapore).

Edit-Thanks for the explaination. I'm a bit red-faced at the suggestion, but it was made with the best intentions... Charlatan, try it with your wife, they really are easier to peel than grapes!

Mal... I was counting on your input and you came through! Thank you! That would be an excellent paired with the tuna as an appetizer.

No worries on the oranges Rat... very funny actually. I agree about the produce here, very fresh and seasonal. And the oranges, just in time for Lunar New Year are amazing right now.

As for tofu, it's very tasty here. I was going to do something with tofu but she eats tofu all the time... besides, I'm eating this meal too and I really want mousse (if I can actually make it without messing it up).

i can't find the recipe for it - but i know it exists - i have seen a recipe for vegan chocolate mousse that I'm pretty sure had tofu in it... the only substitution i would make is using good chocolate not the vegan stuff i've seen.

The little bit of sour cream isn't going to be bad for her... and I wouldn't want to inflict vegan chocolate anything on any one. It's just wrong.

Why? Vegan chocolate is great, and tastes exactly like Hershey's or something.

Perhaps I was thinking of carob... Carob, no matter what anyone says, doesn't taste like chocolate.


Just to give you all an update on the dinner, the final menu was:

Appetizer: A salad of boston lettuce, baby spinach, sliced baby tomatoes and peppers with a balsamic vinegar dressing

Main: Pan seared cod on a bed of black linguine with a sauce of whiskey, orange juice and butter.

Dessert: Chocolate mousse with a selection of fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries).

Non alcoholic drink: lime cordial and soda water spritzers with calamansi limes for garnish

Alcoholic drink: Wolf Blass cabernet shiraz blend


The preparation of dinner came of without a hitch. Having never made Chocolate Mousse before I was worried and so had a stand by of chocolate gelato. The mousse could have been a little more airy but on the whole wasn't bad for a hand whipped, home made mousse.

The other dishes turned out well.

I also managed to get out and pick up some fresh flowers, some candle holders and using a little of this and that from around the house managed to put together a table that looked quite nice.

I am fairly certain that if I was in seduction mode, I would have got some for my efforts. Sadly, all this dinner did was underscore for me that my wife is a long way away.

One final note, apparently my dinning companion's issues with dairy were quite real. The very little amount of butter in the pasta sauce (a tablespoon and a bit) made her sick. There is nothing quite like having someone barf up your meal to make you feel appreciated.

awwww - :( im sure it was delicious though....

It was tasty, she even said so, just before she was sick.

I will definitely make it again, just for someone else.

i'll be by saturday night? 'round 7ish - i'll even bring the wine.. seduction mode not necessary :)

Try Mal's slaw recipe above. I made it tonight, and it rocks. I'm looking forward to tomorrow after it sets for a night. Thanks Mal!

It sounds like you had a good time, Charlatan. I'll look forward to hearing about your dinners with the Mrs. Too bad about the barf!

Anytime you make here Mal... you are more than welcome.

And ratman, I don't know when I will have a chance to entertain again for a while but I will try to post here... Actually, it would be cool if we all started posting out menus and experiences when we entertain.

I will be trying Mal's slaw. I just decided that a simple salad would go better with the simple pasta.

If anyone ever does a black and white themed meal, I highly recommend the pasta dish. Black pasta on a white dish, with white scallops (I substituted with cod but kept it a white fish). It looked as good as it tasted (and would have tasted even better with the full amount of butter that the recipe called for).