Poached ocean trout, fennel and orange salad with baguette

Each morning, with the dancing of dust on streams of sunlight, we open our bedroom door to the Eiffel Tower.

In my unappreciative and awkward youth I had the privilege of visiting France, well, more like dashing through. But even with the brief scents and flashes of scenery through a bus window, it stuck with me, lingered in my memories, waiting to be refreshed.

My husband on the other hand has not yet stepped foot on French soil, but nevertheless is a Francophile like myself. Throughout our house are French inspired items, such as our ash bistro-eque wooden breakfast table to the man-sized black and white photo on canvas hanging at the end of our hallway. We love french food, french furniture and the french way of living and enjoying each day (my husband also has a penchant for the French accent, how I wish I had one). And although we didn't have time to include France on our blip of a forthcoming honeymoon, a long visit will hopefully come along next year.

In the mean time I shall dream Parisian dreams over croissants at breakfast, and baguettes with dinner.

Un rêve et un rêveur, voilà le terme de la nature et de la pensée.

André SUARÈS, Poète tragique

(A dream and a dreamer, those are the terms for nature and thought. )

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 10mins.cooking time: 10mins.
total: 20mins.

taste: 4/5. I made a few adaptions for dinner for two:

• 2 fennel
• I halved the amounts of wine, verjuice, mint and celery
• I used two ocean trout fillets

This was a light, tasty dinner but I would definitely add more orange juice and mint the next time as I felt myself trying to savour the citrus bursts and the cooling mint alongside the salty fish and aniseed fennel.

would I make it again: Yes.

recipe: http://gourmettraveller.com.aupoached_ocean_trout_fennel_and_orange_salad_with_baguette.htm