Fig Rockefeller

Dining out in NYC is my number one hobby, other than cooking at home of course.  Beyond the obvious pleasure of eating great food, excellent restaurants inspire me to experiment with cooking techniques and tastes that I wouldn't experience otherwise.  (FYI, I've chosen not to write about dining out much on this blog, as restaurant reviewing is done in overwhelming proportions these days.  I may also be in the minority on this one, but I'm not a fan of taking pictures while eating out and I don't think they turn out all that great anyway).

Take a recent dish we had at Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar for example.  They are known for their deconstructed oyster rockefeller.  An oyster is poached and placed on a teaspoon of chopped creamed spinach, a slice of bacon and topped with a dollop of rich butter/cheese sauce and a few bread crumbs. There were 3 or 4 to a plate.  Yum.  Here's Jack's recipe.

On a recent night in, I had virtually all those ingredients on hand, but not the oysters.  I thought warmed figs would take the place of the oysters perfectly.  I also opted for chorizo vs bacon, just because I had it on hand.  I sauteed some spinach with a pat of butter and made a quick beaurre fondue in line with their recipe, but with a splash of white wine.  This was one of the most enjoyable dishes I've had recently at home, thanks to Jack's, of course.