Two Dudes, Three Courses, One Slim Budget

FOOD FACTS

Mizuna: Hailing from Japan, this feathery, delicate salad green can be found in farmers' markets and specialty produce markets from spring through summer. It's often found in mesclun, a special salad-green mix. Choose mizuna by its crisp, green leaves, avoiding any wilted or browning specimens.

Tarragon: Tarragon blends well with other spices. It's used in sauces, especially Bearnaise sauce and tarragon vinegar. In French cuisine, it's an integral part of fine herbs and Dijon mustard. Tarragon has an aromatic, licorice-like flavor and aroma. It's characteristically minty, earthy, and green.

Tilapia: Tilapia is a white fish, though it's skin is red. Tilapia has a reddish-colored meat. This fish is very low in fat, free of saturated fat, and high in protein. Tilapia, which is a farm-raised fish, can make even the non-fish lover take notice. Tilapia has a mild flavor and lends itself easily to any kind of seasoning you want to add.

RECIPES

Watermelon and Arugula Salad with Feta

Dotolo: Make this for your friends and they'll think you're on your game. Even though feta and watermelon make up a classic combo, the sweet-salty pairing is just unusual enough to really impress people. That said, if you're not into the sweet and salty thing, you could do this with chopped ripe tomatoes instead of the watermelon and it would still be great.

Shook: For a more substantial salad, poach some peeled and de-veined shrimp (four or five medium shrimp per person) in a saucepan with water, some lemon juice, a bay leaf, a few black peppercorns, a sprig of thyme, and a little sea salt until the shrimp are just opaque, for about 2-1/2 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups seedless watermelon cubes
3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
8 fresh mint leaves, stacked and roughly chopped
6 fresh basil leaves, stacked and roughly chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups arugula or mizuna

METHOD:

Place the watermelon, all but 2 tablespoons of the feta, the mint, basil, lemon juice, oils, and salt in a large bowl and gently toss together.

Let the mixture stand for 1 minute, then add the arugula and toss to coat.
Transfer to a serving bowl or to individual plates, sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons of feta and serve.

TIP

How to cut a watermelon:

For a small round watermelon, slice off the ends so it stands upright, then slice lengthwise down the melon to trim off the rind (as you would an orange). You'll be left with a cube that you can then chop or dice as you like. For a big zeppelin-shaped melon, cut it in half widthwise, trim off the rounded ends, stand it upright and trim off the rind lengthwise. Then cut up the cube however you like. If the small or large watermelon has seeds, slice the trimmed cube lengthwise into four quarters and slice away the seedbed, then cut up as you like.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.

Tilapia with Tarragon Vinaigrette and Grape Salad

INGREDIENTS: For the vinaigrette
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1-1/2 teaspoons grainy mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

INGREDIENTS: For the salad
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives, plus a few sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup halved black or red seedless grapes
1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
4 6-ounce fluke fillets
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

METHOD:

Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the salad, whisk the chives, lemon juice, and olive oil together in a medium bowl.

Add the grapes and gently toss to coat. Divide among four plates and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle the fluke fillets with the salt.

Add 2 fluke fillets and sear until golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes (less for thinner fillets, longer for thicker ones).

Use a fish spatula to turn over and sear other side until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate and repeat with the remaining fillets, adding more oil as needed.

Drizzle each fillet with some vinaigrette and serve.

Whatever Upside Down Cake

Dotolo: We made the classic pineapple version of upside-down cake when we catered the VIP tent for Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam, a tour that features top skateboarders, BMXers, and freestyle Moto-X bikers. In the summer, this is gorgeous with fuchsia-colored plums. In the fall, we make it with fresh figs.

Shook: We always try to use fruit that's in-season. It makes sense for us from a business perspective, because out-of-season produce usually costs an arm and a leg. I love it when Vin makes this cake - the sweet burnt-sugar smell of the caramel cooking is insane!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1-3/4 pounds fruit, thinly sliced (about 5-1/2 cups of peeled apples, fresh figs, mangoes, peeled pears, or plums)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups plus 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the 1 tablespoon of softened butter and set aside.

Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave.

Add the brown sugar and cook in 30-second increments until dissolved, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour the hot mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Add the sliced fruit, arranging them in vertical rows, and set aside.

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or on a sheet of wax paper and set aside.

Combine the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beaters, or a whisk, whip the egg whites on high speed in a large bowl until foamy.

Slowly sprinkle in the 1-1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, whipping until the egg whites hold medium peaks.

When you dip into the egg whites with a spoon and pull it out, a peak with a curved tip should form.

(If you're using a stand mixer and don't have a second bowl, gently transfer the whites to another bowl and wipe out the mixer bowl.)

With the mixer, cream the remaining 10 tablespoons of butter with the remaining 1-1/2 cups of sugar on medium speed until pale yellow and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer running on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture, beginning with one third of the flour, following with half of the milk, adding half of the remaining flour, the rest of the milk, and ending with the remaining flour, scraping down the mixer bowl as necessary.

Gently fold in half of the egg whites using a rubber spatula until nearly incorporated.

Add the remaining whipped egg whites, folding in until just incorporated.

Gently transfer the batter to the baking dish, spreading it evenly over the fruit.

Bake until the cake is golden and springs back from light pressure, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edges of the cake. Place a serving platter on top of the cake and flip the baking dish over, gently shaking the pan to release the cake onto the platter.

Slice the cake into 9 equal squares and serve with whipped cream.

So, how did Dotolo and Shook do with our $40 budget?

1st COURSE
Watermelon $2.36
Feta Cheese $2.49
Mint $1.49
Basil $2.69
Lemons $1.26
Arugula .99

2ND COURSE
Tilapia $10.48
Shallot .24
Tarragon $1.49
Thyme $1.49
Grainy Mustard $2.89
Lemon .63
Chives .89
Grapes $1.49

3RD COURSE
Plums $2.61
Cornmeal $1.39
Butter $2.29
Heavy Cream $1.19

Total Cost = $38.37