I turned to one of my newest cookbook purchases, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis, and found my inspiration. His recipe for Wild Salmon with Vietnamese Cucumbers sounded perfect. The salmon is prepared very simply with salt and pepper and a little olive oil, and baked in the oven until just cooked through. The cucumber relish, served cold from the refrigerator, sparkles with lime, mint, ginger and basil, and gets a little kick from the addition of a fresh pepper. The Chez Panisse chef recommends serrano, jalapeno or fresh Thai chili peppers. I’d have to see what was available at the market.
Berries are in season, so I planned a simple dessert of homemade vanilla ice cream served with fruit. I got up early to make the ice cream, getting it into the freezer before breakfast. Vanilla ice cream is really quite easy to make and is always greatly appreciated by dinner guests. I should make it a lot more often. The scent of the vanilla bean alone makes it well worth the effort.
I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend a Sunday than preparing a meal and enjoying it with family and friends, so with the ice cream in the freezer I headed to the market, excited about what I might find to tempt me beyond the items on my shopping list. I wasn’t disappointed. In addition to the cucumbers and jalapenos for the relish, along with some perfectly ripe raspberries and blackberries, I found a wedge of triple crème brie and a couple small baguettes baked locally that morning.
Back in my kitchen, I got to work rinsing and peeling and chopping and in no time at all the cucumber relish was ready for the refrigerator. The rest was easy. We nibbled on bread, cheese and olives while the salmon baked. The toughest decision any of us made that day was which wine to serve with the meal. We’re not always strict with our wine and food pairings, but the cucumber relish made us think twice about our usual first choice with salmon. We were all quite pleased with our final selection – a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – and the afternoon passed by in the glow of good food and good friends.
