Over the past 5 years or so my younger brother and I have gone from mortal enemies bent on destroying each other to extremely close friends (ironically around the same time I turned 21, I wonder….). A lot of the bonding may have come from things not worth mentioning in public places but most of it stemmed from our love of cooking and music. Whenever we are home together or on vacation you better believe that we are either hard at work in the kitchen or jamming out with our guitars strapped round our shoulders. My favorite part about cooking with my brother is that although we both share similar passions for food, we are completely different people and so our cooking creations are always rather varied. We have shared a lot of recipes, tips, and techniques with one another so there is some definite overlap but our styles are unique to our personalities and it shows through the cooking. My brother has a very steady hand, probably stemming from his studies as an architectural major, he likes working with nice pieces of meats and fish to create really flavorful, clean and refined dishes, and I can honestly say that everything he has ever made for me has been perfectly cooked and completely delicious. I find that he will make an elegant and somewhat familiar dish and then at the last second throw on something you could have never imagined that takes it to a whole new level. If I’d have to guess I’d say that I am a bit more of a wild card when it comes to cooking, I like combining lots of different, and perhaps unexpected ingredients and though I try to make things clean crisp, sometimes they are all over the place. I think that the contrast of our cooking philosophies generally makes for a great meal combination as the flavors are both unexpected and cover a wide range of tastes on your pallet.
Deep fried tortilla, lemon sole fish tacos with a chipotle mayo and mango guacamole. Orzo pasta salad with a fresh strawberry reduction
Alaskan salmon with a basil butter encrusted with a homemade garlic herb breadcrumbs. Roasted asparagus and a balsamic tomato reduction
Did whoever made the strawberry reduction (you or Mike) strain out the seeds?
No, I used around 6 fresh strawberries and kept the seeds in. I enjoy the texture of the seeds.