Sean and I have lived in our apartment for close to a year we have finally had guests over for a meal.  I was very nervous leading up to the big event and wanted everything to be perfect.  Even though I was cooking for family it still didn’t lessen the nerves.  Our guests were my mother in law Linda, her partner Pedro and my brother and sister in law Kevin and Laurie.

Other than cooking for Sean and the occasional dish for my mom and sisters I haven’t cooked for people so this was my first test.  I thought I would go for something I knew I could make that would work for everyone, as it needed to be a vegetarian dish.  I decided to make an Orange Balsamic Roasted Salmon on a shaved fennel, asparagus and orange salad; a dish I learned at the Dirty Apron Cooking School.  I was confident that I could pull off the relatively easy dish for 6 people yet still impress them.

While I cooked the meal every one enjoyed a little Rock Band on our Wii, thankfully the kitchen is open to the living room so I was able to enjoy it while I cooked.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time which helped calm my nerves.

When it came time to take the salmon out of the oven I was a bit unsure, I don’t have a thermometer that works very well and I always seem to either undercook or over cook meat.  Thankfully Linda was on hand to help me with the timing and we ended up with wonderfully cooked fish.  As we all sat down to dinner I was finally able to relax and enjoy the meal with everyone.

After dinner it was time for a quick game and some dessert as Kevin and Laurie had to catch a ferry back to Bowen Island.  The night before I made vanilla bean panna cotta with dragonfruit pieces inside in a wine glass.  It was nice to have the dessert all ready with just a strawberry garnish added before serving.

Dragonfruit is not an ingredient I have really worked with.  While traveling in Asia Sean and I had dragonfruit for the first time and we weren’t very impressed.  There are two types of dragonfruit, one that has a good taste and the other that is not so good.  When buying the dragonfruit for my panna cotta I wasn’t sure which one I was getting I just figured it would be an interesting ingredient and texture for the panna cotta.  Thankfully I got the one that tastes good and it was a great conversation piece when explaining what was inside.

As everyone was gathering their things to head home I was so happy at the end result of our first dinner party.  I am happy to say that I finally used the beautiful china I got from Linda at our wedding.  We had good food, good wine, and a wonderful time.  I look forward to holding more dinner parties in the future.

This recipe caught my eye to be featured in my Cooking Light Week, mostly for the fiery asian slaw.  I am a huge fan of any variety of cole slaw whether it is creamy or light, spicy or rich it doesn’t matter to me I am a fan.

The fiery asian slaw did not disappoint and really was the star of the meal.  The recipe called for Sriracha which is one of my favorite spicy ingrients so I was pretty confident it was going to turn out.  Upon my first taste I could feel my mouth burning and I was a happy camper.  After one serving I had to tone down the spice a little, as I am pretty sure I added more than it called for, but it was still a hit and will definitely be made again.

Properly cooking salmon is something that intimidates me and so as a challenge I tried a new method to see if I would be more sucessful, pan frying.  Eventhough my salmon was a little undercooked (practice makes perfect) I have been converted to the method of pan frying instead of baking it.  The favours of the salmon were basic with only some salt and pepper and orange juice, giving it the citrus needed when cooking with fish.

Recipe 1 is a hit and I am looking forward to mastering the art of properly cooking fish.

Crispy Skin Salmon

2 (6 oz) salmon fillets

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle salmon fillets evently with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add salmon to pan, skin side down; cook 4 minutes.  Turn salmon over; cook 3 minutes.  Add orange juice to pan; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Fiery Asian Slaw

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sriracha (hot chili sauce)

1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 (16 oz) package coleslaw

While fish is cooking, combine rice vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through honey) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cilantro and coleslaw; toss well to coat.