This Prince Edward Island summer it has been a pleasure to both watch the preparation (and finally to eat) some of the variety of dishes in the repertoire of Exquisite Maiko. The food is Japanese but not ultra traditional: western influences pop up here and there and EM’s inventiveness adds unique layers to all of her dishes. Suffice it to say, there are many surprises. One night, HG presented EM with a thick filet of salmon. Usually, HG prepares this in the French bistro style–unilateral. That is, sauteing it skin side down without turning. Not EM. First, she cut the salmon into a dozen bite size pieces. (EM is not beguiled by the American practice of serving great haunches of roasted or broiled meat or overly large pieces of fish). The salmon pieces got a quick sizzle in corn oil and were then gently poached (in sake and a tiny bit of soy sauce) on a bed of slivered red peppers, carrots and onions. Accompanying this was a salad of cherry tomatoes and cucumber. What made this salad extraordinary was the play of textures. The cucumber was cut two ways: Into the thinnest spears imaginable and into thicker batons. The cherry tomatoes got a quick plunge into boiling water and were then peeled. It all made a marvelous meal but not easy to duplicate unless you have EM’s knife skills (which resemble those of a surgeon). On another evening, a neighbor presented us with some mackerel pulled from the sea earlier that day. HG had hopes of EM’s incomparable mackerel sashimi and sushi. Didn’t happen. EM examined the fish closely and determined they had been kept in water for too long after the catch. Still very edible but not quite right texturally for raw eating. So, EM fileted the fish, rinsed the filets in cold water and then dried them very carefully in layers of paper towels. They were then grilled for a few moments and served under a cloud of freshly grated daikon radish. Soy sauce and Japanese pepper were added. This was served with a salad which, once more, highlighted EM’s knife skills. First, EM made some super thin crepes made entirely of eggs. These were cut into uniform, matchstick sized pieces. A cucumber and slices of black forest ham also received the matchstick treatment. Transparent noodles were cooked, quickly chilled and rinsed unitl room temperature. (A light dressing of rice vinegar and soy sauce was added). EM placed equal sized mounds of cucumber, ham and egg on the bed of noodles. It made a pretty sight. Among the elements of EM’s approach appreciated by HG is EM’s lack of fear of high cholesterol animal fat. EM recognizes that fat is flavor. And, since animal fat is not found very much in the Japanese diet, EM pulls out all the stops when preparing a dish dependent on a fair amount of fat. This was the case of the oxtail broth/stew EM prepared on a recent stormy, unseasonably cold evening. The broth, long simmered, was clear and punched through with the flavor of black pepper; the surface glimmered with slicks of unctuous fat — just enough to make the broth savory yet not greasy. Of course, the perfectly beefy oxtails were rimmed with a juicy layer of fat. As HG writes this, HG eyes EM across the room: What other wonders does EM have up her kimono sleeve?
All things considered, HG, I do believe you are a “fortunate man”.
Yes, Dave, I am fortunate…and one of my pieces of good fortune is having new friends like you and Mary Jane.