24 April 2016

What a beautiful Spring weekend in Canton, Georgia! Except for the high pollen count, the weather was perfect, and it was ideal for enjoying our new Etowah Park and the trail that connects to Heritage Park. I enjoyed seeing so many families and individuals taking advantage of these recreational amenities. From kids learning how to ride bikes to couples flying kites, everyone seemed happy to be outside. I am glad the City of Canton is now beginning the design phase of the trail that will eventually connect Heritage to Boling Park, but you can actually walk a combination of the existing trail and the sidewalk system to travel between all three parks. If you haven't had a chance to check out the new multi-use trail between Etowah and Heritage parks, I encourage you to do so in the near future.

In addition to walking the new trail system, we also enjoyed other outings in Canton this weekend. On Friday after work, we ventured down to Mancini's to enjoy their new tapas menu and live music. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was relaxing after a long work week. After tapas, we continued on to Chon Ngern for dinner. We tried a couple of new things, and they were amazing, just like all of the food at this Thai restaurant. It was nice to see several of our friends enjoying it as well.

On Saturday, we ventured over to Avalon to have lunch at Antico Pizza. It was divine, as usual, and we stopped by the rooftop bar at Cru to enjoy a glass of wine. That evening, we joined our friends from the Bank of North Georgia at the Service League's Ball and Dancing for the Children event. I was relieved to not be dancing this year and enjoyed all of the performances. Congratulations to Eddie Robinson for taking the mirror ball trophy and, most of all, for raising the most money to help Cherokee County's needy children. The women from the League never cease to amaze me with their relentless efforts.

After a busy weekend, I was ready to spend some quality time in the kitchen. It's been a few weeks since my last Sunday Supper post, so I wanted to get a little creative. I really like Asian cuisine, so I tried to create a light meal that featured fresh fish. I intended to prepare some seared tuna, but Whole Foods was out. On the fly, I switched to Halibut and decided to cook it on the grill with cedar planks and Asian spices. I marinated the fish with a mixture of rice wine, sesame oil, fresh ginger, honey and fresh orange juice. Afterward, I soaked the cedar planks in water to keep them from burning and placed the fish on top to be grilled. I also made a quick sweet and sour sauce from black vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil to top the fish at the end. To compliment the strong, smoky flavor of the halibut, I made a fresh carrot and ginger puree and a chilled cucumber and sunflower sprout salad. For starters, I also made some spicy edamame and pan fried dumplings while the fish was smoking on the grill.

The meal was perfect for this warm Spring day, and Sunday Supper was enjoyed by all. It was certainly nice to fire up the grill for the first time this year, and I look forward to more Sunday Suppers this Summer. Until then, I hope to see you along the trail!

The Menu:

- Spicy Asian Edamame

- Pan Fried Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

- Cedar Plank Halibut with Asian Marinade

- Sesame Rice Timbales

- Pureed Carrots with Ginger and Oranges

- Cucumber and Sunflower Sprout Salad


The Recipe – Cedar Plank Halibut with Ginger Marinade

Ingredients:

4 halibut fillets, skin-on (salmon will also work)
4 untreated cedar planks to match size of the fish (you can buy these at Whole Foods)

Asian Ginger Marinade

1/4 cup rice wine
1 orange, finely grated zest and juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Soak untreated cedar planks in a container of water for at least an hour, keeping the wood immersed.

Combine ingredients for marinade in a shallow glass casserole dish, and marinate the halibut fillets, skin-on, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat gas grill on HIGH for 10 minutes, or allow charcoal to turn grey for 15-20 minutes.

Pat the planks dry, and oil the upper side. Place planks directly on the grill and heat with lid closed until the plank begins to smoke. Place the halibut, skin side down, on the planks, and grill until just opaque at the thickest part, 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness.