Well, Kara's on an Indian food kick now, the one cuisine I used to say she would never like. Here's last night's meal:
Coconut Milk Poached Spice Smoked Salmon with Sauteed Peas
Poach salmon in coconut milk with spices like coriander and star anise, then thicken the cooking liquid and mix with peas. Serve salmon on top of peas, top with toasted coconut flakes and then- this is the fun part- TORCH a bowl of aromatics- hickory, rosemary, thyme, cardamom, and rose petals, then tent the dish with a bowl and allow the smoke to infuse the food. It was a really good dish and very fun (will do it again), but I can't honestly say that by the time they were smoking that the aromatics imparted much flavor other than smoke; definitely a necessary step, but the rose would be better off in a vase.
and
Cinnamon Scones with Chai Berry Sauce
Slightly moist and fluffy scones, flavored with green cardamom and cinnamon, then the sauce is essentially like cranberry sauce, only made with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and spiced with green and black cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. Use black tea and fresh-squeezed orange juice instead of water. Kara LOVED this one.
