pieces

For date night tonight, we had a little bit of “Iron Chef”-style fun. Jack gave me the secret ingredient right before I left for the store, and I made a four course meal without a cookbook or any sort of internet searching. This is the exact opposite of the way I normally plan a menu, so it was quite a challenge. But it was a huge success - fun as well as tasty.

The secret ingredient was papaya.

Here were my dishes (with names that are way too long, but fortunately that part wasn’t judged):

Papaya-Tarragon Chicken Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Papaya Mayonnaise, served with Crescent-Wrapped Papaya-Orange Glazed Cheese:

Seared Sea Scallops with Papaya-Orange-Serrano Sauce with Fresh Papaya:

Wonton Wrapped Duck with Papaya, Honey, and Thyme, served with Duck Fat Grilled Papaya:

Banana-Papaya Crepes Drizzled with Chocolate:

The crepes were given the highest points for taste, while creativity went to the duck wontons. I personally loved the chicken salad, and would definitely make it again.

This was tons of fun, and the papaya was a great ingredient to work with.