Symphony of Flavours

Symphony of Flavours

I don't normally post "meals", but this one came together so beautifully both in flavours and visual impact. I confess I have been watching a lot of Masterchef lately, and it is inspiring me!
The meal above is pan-seared chicken with parsley-chimmichurri jasmine rice, cauliflower and corn puree, and a peach/red onion and cilantro salsa.

Cauliflower-Corn Puree: The puree was the starting point for me and I built the meal around it. In the blender: one whole cauliflower, broken into florets and steamed until tender. One can of corn (yes, fresh would be even better!) sautéed first in a pan with a few nobs of butter, one clove of garlic and a pinch of salt. About a cup and a half of cream/milk mixture, scalded. Add about half the cream/milk at first, then adding just enough to make a puree (you don't want to turn it into soup!).
Pulse in blender until smooth, adjust seasoning.  Silky and so flavourful!!

Chicken:  Breasts seasoned simply with garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, sautéed over medium high heat to get nice colour.

Rice: I was concerned that the plate would look too monotone so I whipped up a parsley chimmichurri and stirred that in to the Jasmine rice, along with some chopped fresh parsley.

Chimichurri: Chopped parsley, toasted walnuts, a touch of cilantro, a touch of chilli sauce, olive oil,  touch of lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Place all in blender and blend until smooth.

Salsa: Diced peach, red onion, and fresh coarsely chopped cilantro,  tied together with a touch of olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt.

I LOVE fruit salsas to go along with chicken and fish, and will use whatever fruit I have on hand: mango, peach, nectarine, apple, etc  I will also sometimes use parsley in place of the cilantro, and sometimes add corn...It becomes a beautiful bright note on the plate, and adds some wonderful texture as well.