Adventures in the Spice Market Pt. 1: The Menu

First things first, I needed to decide which dishes I was going to make for the evening. There were certain must that had to be included the Char Grilled Chicken with Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing, the "best chicken I've ever tasted" according to my wife. And I really wanted to make a simple but thoroughly pleasing Ginger Fried Rice, it had a sunnyside egg on top that when cuinto the rice made for an unbelievable yolky rich flavourful side dish.

I would have loved to make the beef skewers for appetizers, but without a vegetarian substitute, felt some of my guests would feel left out so I opted for spring rolls, chicken for the meaties and mushroom for the veggies. As for a vegetarian main, Originally I was going to try to substitute Seitan or Marinated Tofu for one of the fish dishes but then thought why not make my life easier and just do the chicken dish with the Tofu. And for dessert, we had the Ovaltine Kulfi which I found a bit too rich, but we also had a very pleasing dish called Thai Jewels and Fruit w/ Coconut Crushed Ice, which was subtle in sweetness and refreshing at the end of the meal. but I'm sure it wouldn't have been a show stopper for anyone else, so I opted for a tart, but to lighten it up I thought I'd add a scoop of Coconut Sorbet. So here's the final menu.

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Appetizers

Mushroom Spring Rolls & Chicken Somosas (ended up as Spring Rolls)
with 4 dipping sauces: Nam Prik, Galangal Emulsion, Peanut Sauce and Cilantro-Yogurt Dip
Main
Char-Grilled Chicken Breast w/ Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing
Sides
Ginger Fried Rice
Mango, Cherry Tomatoes & Long Bean Salad
Lime Noodles w/ Vegetables, Basil and Sesame Seeds
Dessert
Chocolate & Vietnamese Coffee Tart
Coconut Sorbet

With the recipes selected, my next task would be the most difficult. Finding the ingredients. Ingredients I've never used and some I have never seen.

Adventures in the Spice Market

In the fall of 2010. My wife and a couple of our friends planned a trip to New York City.

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Each of us had a chance to pick one activity they would like to do while there so naturally my choice was a culinary experience in NYC. After a bit of research I decided that the Jean-Georges' Spice Market in the meat packing district was a good choice. Originally I considered his namesake restaurant, but heard that it could be a little cramped at times, plus it would be nice to try his Asian fusion menu.

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I think it's safe to say that everyone was pleased with my selection. The decor was warm and inviting, the waitstaff courteous and professional, and the food...exquisite. We agreed on the Tasting menu. Among the dishes were:

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• Shaved Tuna with Chile Tapioca, Asian Pear and Lime
• Chili Rubbed Beef Skewers with Thai Basil Dipping Sauce
• Char Grilled Chicken with Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing
• Cod with Malaysian Chili Sauce
• Ginger Fried Rice
• Thai Jewels on Crushed Coconut Ice
• Chocolate and Vietnamese Coffee Tart with Condensed Milk Ice Cream.

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I'm sure I'm forgetting something but never the less, an unforgettable dining experience. Not to mention the delicious and (literally) intoxicating pitchers of Ginger Margarita's we were drinking, made it a perfect afternoon's feast and a memorable New York experience.

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As we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed a cookbook in the lobby called Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges . Could all of the miraculous dishes that we tasted be in this beautiful book? If not all, then most seem to be in there. My wife insisted we buy this book, but after dropping so much money on lunch on the first day of our NYC adventure. I thought I'd hold off until we got home to check out the price online.

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Now, I own a lot of cookbooks; more than my little condo can hold. I've even made my own out of recipes I've gathered out of magazines and websites so the thought of buying another wasn't so appealing to me. So I decided to see if our trusty Toronto Public Library had the book in it's system. It did. I reserved it. And in a matter of days I had the book in my eager little hands free of cost for 3 weeks, no shelf space required. A good way to try out some recipes without committing.

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Initially I thought I'd just jot down the recipes that we had in NY and see if I could re-recreate them. But with the turning of each page, I found more and more recipes that looked too good to resist. So, bottom line, I ended up typing out 2/3 of the book, with my wife's persistent

urging to "Just buy the dang book!".

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So with the wealth of recipes, full of ingredients I've never used. How could I justify all that time wasted typing out all these wonderful recipes? Have a dinner party of course. An elaborate Thai fusion dinner party to re-produce the wonderful experience of the Spice Market. I sent out an invite to 8 of my more adventurous friends. And then it dawned on me. I'll be cooking for 10 people. 3 of which are vegetarian, 1 of which has a gluten sensitivity, and at least one that cannot handle excessive heat. What have I gotten myself into?!?!

The odyssey begins.