My Homecooked Birthday Dinner
Birthday dinner cooked by Ashley, and this one came with a theme: corn.
She built the entire three course menu around it, starting with cold soba noodles in a corn tofu miso soup, served with apple cider pickled tomato, pan seared zucchini, red radish and chive oil. Light, refreshing and full of gentle sweetness from the corn.
The main was beautifully cooked dry aged duck breast with aburi corn and watercress salad, finished with a quenelle of mustard seeds. Rich duck, smoky corn and that little sharpness from the mustard made a very satisfying combination.
Dessert brought corn back in a completely different form with a corn genmaicha panna cotta, topped with Korean melon and sobacha. Creamy, nutty and not overly sweet, which is exactly how I like my desserts.
I have eaten at many restaurants over the years, but meals like this are always the ones that mean the most. Watching your daughter spend the day planning, prepping and cooking a birthday dinner specially for you is something no restaurant reservation can quite replace.
Thank you, Ashley. The food was delicious, but the thought and effort behind it tasted even better.
