Anticiplate

I thought this recipe was doomed for failure after the morning I had today.  It was one of those mornings were plans change, the dog doesn’t want to pee but needs to, I am late for work because my muscles are so achy that I cannot get out of bed, and Napolean White Balsamic Vinegar spills all over my duvet cover, feather bed, and soaks into my 1000 thread count sheets and memory foam mattress because the cap is broken.

It was that kind of morning. I planned for this recipe, by going to the overwhelming Uwajimaya yesterday for the first time, and picking up some Sashimi grade Hamachi Yellowtail.  Although the filet is not in the condition I am used to, like the perfect fish we get at The Restaurant, it looks good, and so I buy about 8 ounces. Unlike many other customers, I am in and out of that store in 20 minutes, and my bill averages a dollar a minute.

Not bad for my first time. 

The balsamic spills on my bed this morning because I am in a terrible rush due to my lack of getting up on time. I am planning on making this dish for a friend for lunch and I have packed the ingredients for my recipe in a small wine bag I got, courtesy of The Herbfarm. When I go to take the dog out, I guess the bag decides to fall over, and spill all over the sheets. So, after the balsamic spills all over my bed, I look at my iPhone, and I decide I am just going to leave the astounding disarray until after I take my ballet class and work out. 

I Google “Do dogs get sick from vinegar?” on my way out of the door. 

I come home, a couple of hours later, to a sweet vinegar smelling house. Cashew is still licking the sheets. 

I start my dish by cutting my now smashed-from-travel mission figs in half, and get out my new SLR camera so I can photograph my process. The camera is not working. Oh, yes. I need to put the CF reader back in the camera. 

I go to take a picture, and it is still not working. Ugh! What is the problem here? Can this day be any more annoying? Well, the battery is low, so luckily I have an extra one charging in the dock. 

Things go semi-smoothly after that. I only trip over the cord of one of my halogen lights once, and almost break the bulb as I catch the light with my left hand on its way down. And, of course, the circuit breaker goes out in the middle of my dishwasher run, which is a blast. I have to start the cycle again. 

But, all my bad luck came to a halt when I taste this dish. It is pure bliss. It has all of the flavor profiles: sweet from the smashed black mission figs and the fresh lavender, sour from the lemon juice and the lemon thyme, salty from the prosciutto di parma, savory (umami) from the hamachi yellowtail and the olive oil.

 

I learned this dish, a couple of weeks ago at The Restaurant. Chef M created this dish, and I knew by looking at it that it was a winner. Monochromatic and balanced in flavor, this is probably my favorite crudo dish he has made at The Restaurant. That night, I had black nail polish on. You know, just for fun, before my trip. As I am plating one of the crudo dishes, Chef M says to me, “Now Stage, I hope I don’t see any of that black nail polish in my crudo.” Then he asks to see my hand. As I look down, I realize that my right hand already has some chipped places on the 2nd and 3rd nail.

I decide to show him my left hand.

That one has no chipping. 

Serves 2 for an appetizer or 1 for a meal

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

4 black mission figs

1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar

2 sprigs lemon thyme

4 or 5 flowers of lavender 

Pinch of salt

Good quality olive oil

1 lemon

1 large slice of prosciutto di parma

4-6 oz. sashimi grade Hamachi yellowtail, sliced thinly 

Cut the figs in half and put them in a small bowl. Add in the balsamic, 1/2 of a lemon’s juice, and a good splash of olive oil. Season with salt. Finely chop the 2 sprigs of lemon thyme, and a couple of lavender flowers (reserve some for garnish), and toss to coat. 

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Place the figs cut side down and grill until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn over. Grill another 3 minutes, or until softened and there are good grill marks. Toss the figs back into the marinade, and set aside. 

Meanwhile, thinly slice your Hamachi. Sprinkle each side with a generous amount of kosher salt. 

To plate, fan the hamachi in one corner, nestle the prosciutto in a little ball next to it, and then place some figs and their juice on the plate. Drizzle Hamachi with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with a little more lavender. Serve immediately.