The singular delights of one-person dishes
Sometimes, it is good to have something all to yourself. An individual dish of something delicious that is all your own. I broke the habit of a lifetime this week, bringing dinner to the table in small pots or dishes, one per person, rather than putting a large pot on the table for everyone to tuck in. It felt strangely special, as if it was everyone’s birthday.
An individual dish of smoked fish and cream threaded with emerald green spinach, its surface bronzed and bubbling, was a recipe so simple it was barely called cooking and yet delighted everyone. I put hot brown toast on the table, too, with which to mop up the sauce, and a crisp salad to balance the creamy notes of the fish. Rather than making a classic cream sauce, the smoked fish was mixed with cream, parsley and a little smooth, mild mustard then spooned into the individual dishes. I used hot-smoked salmon for their thick fillets and deep, smoky notes, but could have just as easily used smoked haddock or even kipper fillets.
