Spinach with Melted Leeks and Cardamom

I can't figure out what it was about this recipe that made me want to cook it.  I have never been a huge fan of creamed spinach - if it is there I will certainly eat it, but I have never ordered (or made) creamed spinach in my life.  I do like sauteed spinach, either by itself or folded into pastas or omelets.  The Spinach Catalan Style is one of my favorite sauteed spinach recipes.  But spinach is everywhere right now (both in the farmers' market and the grocery store) and it seemed due time to try a new spinach recipe.  I know I mentioned that I was planning on making this dish along with a few others when we made the Warm Mushroom Salad with Shallots and Sherry Vinegar.  And I am determined to use the Andrea Reusing cookbook now with the remaining bounty at the farmers' market.  So this seemed like a match made in heaven.  The only problem was that Alex and I both found the dish to be a little muddy tasting.  When we tasted it in the pan it was tasty - perfumed nicely with the cardamom and with the creamy tang of the creme fraiche.  But by the time we plated the spinach and got it to the table (which took no more than a minute), the flavors got muddled and the spinach itself developed a somewhat slimy texture.  Perhaps we should have skipped that last minute of cooking everything together with the creme fraiche and leeks and pulled the spinach from the pan a minute earlier to prevent any overcooking.  Or perhaps we should just recognize the fact that we don't really like creamed spinach and call it a day. 

Recipe after the jump!

Soy Cured Salmon, Asian Pear, and Cilantro Creme Fraiche

Every once in awhile I get sick of the dishes we always make and want to find something completely new and different.  That is how I found this salmon recipe.  Generally when we have a really nice piece of salmon we follow Tyler Florence's recipe for Salt and Pepper Salmon (or a variation of that recipe like Crispy-Skin Salmon with Buttermilk Mint Sauce).  We have also tried a few Asian-inspired salmon recipes, like this Miso-Marinated Salmon with Cucumber Daikon Relish.  So we have roasted salmon (either in a pan or in the oven) about a thousand times, but we have never tried curing salmon before.  That alone seemed like reason enough to try this recipe.  Plus the recipe was one of the easier Jean-Georges recipes from his Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges cookbook, and I am always talking about trying more recipes from that cookbook, so why not?

When I first tasted the dish, the first adjective that came to mind was elegant.  It is a very elegant dish - which I think comes from the cilantro creme fraiche.  The flavors are very subtle and delicate, which also contributes to the elegance of the overall dish.  The texture of the fish reminds me of gravlax or lox, but the taste is very different.  Don't leave out the diced Asian pear because it gives the dish some much needed textural contrast and sweetness.  We also threw some chopped scallion greens on top of the salmon for some color, but I'm not sure that they were necessary.

Recipe after the jump!