For todays special I made Pan Seared Salmon with Beet Infused Couscous, Sautéed Spinach and Whole Grain Mustard Cream Sauce.  This dish is absolutely beautiful—the photo doesn’t do it justice.  The colors are so vivid.  The couscous is a bright fuchsia/ruby red and against the dark green spinach and white plate—the contrasts are just stunning.  The flavors work really well together also.  Since salmon has a robust flavor it holds up nicely against the earthiness of the beet couscous and the sharpness from the whole grain mustard cream sauce.

To start, wash the beets really well and cover with water in a medium size pot.  Add, whole garlic cloves, thyme springs, bay leaf, lemon zest, a whole lemon halved, peppercorns and olive oil.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover pan tightly and cook until beets are soft (approximately 2 hours depending on the size of the beets).  Remove beets from juice and set aside to cool.  Strain beet juice and set aside.  Once beets have cooled remove the skin and dice into large chunks and place in a blender.  Add beet juice and blend until you have a smooth consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Strain beet puree through a chinois or fine strainer a couple of times to remove most of the fibers.

For the couscous, I like using pearl couscous, which is sometimes referred to as Israeli or Mediterranean couscous.  The ratio of couscous to liquid for cooking is approximately one cup of couscous to two cups of liquid.  In a large pan bring equal parts beet puree and chicken stock and/or water to a boil.  Slowly stir in couscous and reduce to a simmer.  Cover pan tightly and let simmer for about 15 minutes until mostly all of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove couscous from heat and let sit an additional 10 minutes before stirring.  Once finished, check for seasonings and add salt if needed.  Set couscous aside.

Meanwhile, to make the whole grain mustard cream sauce, slice and sauté an onion in canola oil in a medium size pan.  Once onion is softened, add minced garlic, roasted garlic and sauté for a couple of more minutes.  Deglaze with white wine and reduce and then add heavy cream and a bay leaf.  Bring cream mixture almost to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes until cream reduces and slightly thickens, stirring frequently.  Remove bay leaf and pour cream mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in whole grain mustard.  Set aside and keep warm.

To finish, heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat, add canola oil and salmon and sear salmon for about a minute.  Flip salmon over and then finish cooking in a 400-degree oven until desired doneness.  Sauté spinach in canola oil with minced garlic, white wine, salt and pepper.  I had wanted to use beet greens with this dish but we didn’t have any at the restaurant—mixed braising greens would also work well.  Reheat couscous in a sauté pan with a small amount of chicken stock or water and taste for seasonings.  Spoon couscous onto the plate, and top with sautéed spinach, and seared salmon filet.  Spoon cream sauce over salmon and drizzle around the plate.  Finish with micro greens dressed in lemon vinaigrette and serve!