I love food. That may sound like an overly obvious statement, because who doesn’t enjoy a good meal? While all our taste buds may differ, we all still have our favorite snacks and dishes.
I don’t just love food for the simple sake of eating something that is tasty. Of course, flavor does play a big role but a meal is so much more than that.
I truly appreciate the effort that goes into a meal that was well thought out and well prepared. Anyone in the world can cook, but not many of those people can actually cook well.
This weekend, my husband and I were fortunate enough to enjoy two meals that were both well thought out and well prepared.
Friday night, we got a real babysitter — someone we paid who wasn’t a relative — for the first time in a very long time.
After the kids were settled with pizza, popcorn and a Disney flick, my husband and I headed off to our date at Signa's.
It was a good thing we had reservations because the restaurant was packed and we saw several people who had to be turned away.
If you were one of those people who had to be turned away or if you just haven't had to chance to check out Signa’s yet, please make plans to go.
Every single thing we tried was nothing short of delicious.
We shared portabella fries and fried green tomatoes, which were both about as perfect as anyone could make them.
For our meals, my husband had the porterhouse pork chop in garlic compound butter and I had the grilled duck breast in a port wine glaze.
Both meals were spectacular.
I've had duck several times, with my previous favorite coming from a Thai restaurant in New York City. However, Signa's was, without a doubt, the tastiest duck I've ever had the pleasure to experience.
I kept cutting my pieces into even smaller pieces to stretch out the experience as long as I could.
I wish I knew their seasoning and cooking process, something I'm sure they would never tell me, but I'll be sure to return for more.
For dessert, we shared the vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh fruit compote. It wasn’t too heavy or rich, it was the perfect way to end what was already a pretty darn perfect meal.
If you think you might want to go, book your reservation by calling 662-702-3541.
The next day, I had to switch gears in anticipation of what was coming that evening.
I invited a couple friends over to eat something that would be my first attempt at making — sushi.
I love Japanese cuisine as much as I love Japanese culture. I haven't been fortunate enough to visit the country yet, but it's on my bucket list.
For several weeks leading up to this dinner, I read countless articles and watched numerous videos by Japanese Master Chefs on proper sushi prepartion.
Because Greenville is limited on its international food offerings, I had to buy several of the necessary ingredients online. I was buying so much, including sushi plates to make the meal seem that much more authentic, my irritated husband was putting the pressure on pretty heavily in anticipation of what he said better be some outstanding sushi.
Since I am a white woman in Mississippi attempting a long-respected form of cooking in a country I’ve never even visited, I was feeling fairly anxious.
I spent hours on the day of prepping everything I would need, from making sauces and cooking a rice vinegar to season the short-grained rice. I didn't want to go too overboard on my first go at this, so the only fish I used was yellow fin tuna and imitation crab.
After taking out the cream cheese and slicing cucumber, carrots, jalapeño and avocado, it was time to make the rolls.
I was a little too excited with my first roll that I filled it with entirely too much. It couldn't even seal properly because of how overstuffed it was, but boy was it tasty.
After cutting back on the filling and making a couple more rolls, I was starting to feel like a proper sushi chef. After I was really feeling confident, I then made a tempura batter and fried a few of the rolls, which I'm proud to say was also a success.
To go along with our sushi, we also had miso soup and warm sake.
Not that we needed anything else to eat, but our friends had even brought steaks and sausage to grill and a strawberry cheesecake for dessert.
We were absolutely stuffed like turkeys by the end of the night.
It was a lot of fun trying something new, and it was even better doing it in good company.
Sushi is something I never thought I'd be able to make, let alone make well, especially in a place like the Mississippi Delta.
With enough research and preparation, anything is possible.
Whether you're looking to try something new or you want to attempt cooking something you never thought possible, don't let fear stop you. I'm glad I didn't.
Catherine Kirk is managing editor of the Delta Democrat-Times. She can be reached at ckirk@ddtonline.com.
