The Thousands of Miles Menu

No, it's not deja vu, I posted this photo yesterday on Wordless Wednesday.  I wanted to give you a closer look at the ingredients I gathered for the vanilla mahi mahi I made for dinner Saturday night.  I found the provenance of the ingredients to be very multi-cultural so in essence, Canadian!  I fear that those of you who are proponents of the 100 mile diet will be appalled by the distances driven, sailed across and flown over to allow me to make this tasty recipe, but if you're a regular you know what a fan I am of shopping for local products so I hope you'll allow me an occasional  indulgence.

First of all, the recipe is based on a delicious  meal we had at Norbert and Thildi's pension Tevahine Dream in Rangiroa,  French Polynesia.  (If you check out the link, fyi a "mosquito nest" is not one of their amenities, however they do have "mosquito nets".  I think the mosquito nests were on Huahine, but that's another story...) 

Unfortunately I have no vanilla beans left from the trip so the vanilla comes from Mexico.  My hubby picked it up for me when he was near Manzanillo earlier this month, helping to build an orphanage so I think we can call that one carbon neutral.  The creme fraiche has it's origins in French cuisine, the coconut milk appears to be from Vietnam and the Cruzan dark rum hails from the Virgin Islands.  I could have used some of the rum we brought back from Venezuela, but I like the Cruzan because at a certain angle it looks like my name is on the label.  

As for the mahi mahi I purchased it at Cod Fathers here in Kelowna. When I asked the clerk where it came I was surprised by the look of confusion that crossed her face.  She said she had no idea.  Further investigation on the Cod Fathers website shows me it came from Costa Rica.  Hmmm...how fresh could it be?  I have to say it was delicious.

The bad news is I can't find the online recipe I based it on.  The best I can do is to tell you to poach any mild fish (that's about a pound in the photo) in sauce that combines a small jar of creme fraiche, 1/2 can of coconut milk, a teaspoon of vanilla, two tablespoons of rum and dash of a sweetening agent like sweet n' low, agave or honey. Remove the fish when it's almost done, keep warm and cook the sauce down. I cheated and added a roux made from the sauce and a little flour to speed things up.  Pour sauce over  the fish when serving.

I hope you aren't offended by the high carbon footprint elicited by our Saturday night dinner.  I promise I'll make up for it with a with a delicious cuisine de terroir  evening I have planned for my Tuscanogan buddies some warm August evening this summer.  Not only will the main dish be prepared with local ingredients, the entire meal will be locally harvested, butchered and distilled well within 100 miles of my house, including locations like Okanagan Artisan Grocers, Tree Brewing, Carmelli's Goat Farm, Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm, My Country Garden, and Blueberry Haven.  I plan to visit a number of orchards, farms, apiaries and wineries yet to be determined.  There may even be cherry tomatoes and baby beets from my own garden.  Stay tuned!