my version -- served with frite and english peas with herbs... "Au Poivre -- This rich French sauce made of pepper, Cognac, and cream is traditionally served on steak, but it's equally good on chicken or salmon. Peppercorn sauceis a culinary cream sauce prepared with peppercorn, which is prepared as areductionof the cream in the cooking process. Various types of peppercorn can be used in its preparation, such as black, green, and pink, among others.” -- Wikipedia

my version -- with sautéed eggplant/string beans, thai basil, edamame, micro green, and jasmine rice... "Curry is one of Thailand's favorite dishes, but in the Thai language kari (curry) refers, however, to only one of many combinations of spices. It contains turmeric or saffron among other things and can be recognized by its yellow color. The Thai housewife blends in a mortar and pestle many other combinations of spices, each with its own name. In its many forms, curry is common to India and all of Southeast Asia, including Malaya, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. Until modern times many of the best known, for example nutmeg and cloves, came only from Southeast Asia. Men sailed uncharted seas swarming with Malay and Chinese pirates, dared die lands of savage headhunters, ripped their vessels on hidden reefs; and died in the lonely seas in quest of these spices." -- Street Directory

my version -- with asian greens (drizzled with thai basil/mint/sake/mirin dressing), yellow pepper sauce, pickled ginger, beets purée, and red radish... "A lot of sushi chefs have a blowtorch. They generally use it to give the surface of a piece of fish a fast, scorched-and-liquefied sheen of extra flavor." - New York Times "Aburi means flame seared. Aburi is the innovation of flame searing the seafood in order to create new textures while enhancing its natural flavours. When flame is applied to tuna, the heat changes the tuna's flavour to create something new and exciting."

my French, German, Italain, Japanse Fusion all for one lunch plate... - dungeness crab risotto (seasoned with peperoncino, pecorino romano) - spinach kale purée (infused with wasabi, mirin) - sauteed carrots and zucchini - red cabage apple purée (cooked first in classic german style) - pan roasted seabass (classic french) "Risotto, Italian: [riˈzɔtto], from riso meaning "rice" is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Saffron was originally used for flavour and its signature yellow colour. Risotto in Italy is normally a first course served before the main course, but risotto alla milanese is often served with ossobuco alla milanese as a main course." -- Wikipedia "German Red Cabbage (Rotkohl) is a popular German side dish that is very easy to make from scratch! It tastes so aromatic with a distinctive sweet and slightly sour flavor and makes a perfect side for a roast dinner together with spaetzle or potato dumplings." -- Plated Cravings

my version -- yogurt and spice (cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic, coriander, cayenne pepper, etc.) crusted baked tilapia with moog dal (yellow lentil), and white rice. inspired by typical bengali meals... "Rice -dal and maach bhaja (fish fry) is the ultimate soul satisfying meal for us, the kind of comfort food that we grew upon at home. Fish is not just a culinary delicacy or pleasure for us, it is our very lifeline."-- Saffronstreak tarka dal -- "a classic vegetarian recipe that is so easy to make. tarka simply refers to the few ingredients fried up and stirred in at the end; most Indian lentil dishes are made this way." -- Red

my version -- inspired by chef Thomas Keller, its served with beurre rouge, a red wine butter sauce -- and french sytle, herb infused roasted potatoes, carrots, and zucchini on the side... "Monkfish is known for its huge head and mouth, and its tight, meaty white flesh that is often compared to lobster meat. It's commonly used in French cuisine, but it has only recently become popular in America. They are sometimes called 'the poor man's lobster.' Fishermen tend to remove monkfish tail meat and livers to sell, discarding the rest.” -- Food Netwok "This elegant recipe by Chef Keller marries monkfish with beurre rouge, a red wine butter sauce. If that sounds unusual, that’s because it is: White wine sauces or a squeeze of lemon juice with extra virgin olive oil and black pepper are more common with seafood, but beurre rouge is a beautiful match for the cooking technique used for the monkfish." -- MasterClass

my version -- pan roasted after marinating in soy, lemongrass, ginger, sambal chili, palm sugar, citrus, etc. dashi made from dried black mushroom, kombu, etc. served with chinese red rice and pan roasted bok choy and turnip... "Mahi mahi is a firm, lean whitefish. The mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and sub-tropical waters worldwide. When done right, mahi mahi is tender, flaky, and deliciously flavorful." -- Wikipedia "Black garlic is a type of aged garlic whose browning is attributable to Maillard reaction rather than caramelization, first used as a food ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves."-- Wikipedia

my version — shrimp seasoned with za'atar, pink salt, harissa; and sautéed in garlic and rosemary, served with chickpea stew over mint infused couscous. "Israeli couscous—also called ptitim, giant couscous, and pearl couscous—is often thought of as a whole grain, but it's actually a type of pasta made of semolina flour and water, developed in the 1950s by prime minister David Ben-Gurion as a way to feed the influx of immigrants to Israel.” -- MasterClass The word za'atar (pronounced “zah-tahr”) literally translates to “wild thyme” in Arabic. Za'atar Spice is a blend of savory dried herbs like oregano, marjoram or thyme, and earthy spices like cumin and coriander, with sesame seeds.

my version -- finished with avocado, mandarin, cucumber, scallion, cilantro and kefir chili dressing... shrimp is marinated with Kefir (sort of butter milk) and pesto. roasted brussels sprouts dressed with korean chili paste, soy, sesame oil. here is my ‘street tacos’... beef marinated with North African spices finished with red onion, cucumber, cilantro sour cream, and tamarind date chutney; chicken marinated with Sallion kimchi, soy, ginger finished with avocado, fresh scallion, and roasted garlic chili oil…

my version -- with beyond sausage instead of bacon... "The black truffle or black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum), the second-most commercially valuable species, is named after the Périgord region in France. Black truffles associate with oaks, hazelnut, cherry, and other deciduous trees and are harvested in late autumn and winter." -- Truffle - Wikipedia "Carbonara is one of the most famous sauces in Italian cuisine, and it also happens to be one of the quickest to cook! It's a creamy combination of eggs and cured pork that coats the pasta with its perfectly silken texture." -- Taste of Home

my version -- red miso and black sesame glazed chilean sea bass over thai jasmine rice and blanched cabbage snow peas salad with chili roasted garlic sesame oil dressing... "Chilean sea bass isn't actually bass at all, and it's not strictly limited to the waters off the coast of Chile. Mind-blowing, right? This rather ugly-looking fish was relatively unknown to seafood merchants prior to the 1970s and is a member of the cod fish family (via The Daily Meal). It lives primarily in the deep waters off the western South American coast and its range can stretch all the way down to Antarctic waters. The actual name of this fish is Patagonian toothfish, and let's be honest — that name is rather unappetizing. At least that's what a fish wholesaler thought who eventually renamed it "Chilean sea bass" because of its white flaky meat." -- Mashed

my version -- tako sashimi dressed with soy, chili, and chives; roasted potatoes and beets served over wasabi mayo quinoa, finished with thai basil and jalapeño... "Tako is another typical item in Japanese cuisine; the tentacles are often thinly sliced and served as sashimi. Tako may be eaten raw, but is also commonly poached first which gives the flesh a sweeter flavor and firmer texture." -- Japan Guide Tako accompanied with quail egg over soba... "Quail eggs are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. In Japanese cuisine, they are sometimes used raw or cooked as tamago in sushi and often found in bento lunches. In some other countries, quail eggs are considered less exotic." -- Wikipedia