I did adapt this recipe a bit. Here is a list of my own special touches:1) I did not use a whole pineapple. Can you imagine how long it would take me to peel, core and dice an entire pineapple? I bought a can.
2) I did not buy 1 1/2 lbs of skirt steak, I bought .81 lb a) I was not paying attention b) I didn't need that much anyways.
3) This recipe makes a lot of dressing. Even with the reduced 1/2 a cup, and then 3/4 of that poured into the salad, there was a nice little puddle at the bottom of my bowl. I would recommend to use less of each liquid, or just reduce the dressing longer.
4) Whole Foods and Sprite do not belong in the same sentence. Can we pause for a second: Who thinks to make salad dressing with Sprite? That's just crazy talk. I bought a Maine Root lemon lime soda to substitute. But Adam insisted on Sprite. He ended up running out to grab some. We drank this soda right away instead. To intriguing to just let it sit in the fridge. I thought it was really natural tasting, but didn't compromise on sweetness. I kinda want to try more flavors now.
5) Also pictured: Fish Sauce. Yeah, I had no idea what I looked like either. A nice staff member at Whole Foods helped me find it.
6) 4 Jalapenos?! ummm no. I did buy four. But I only used two. Feel free to use as many as you like but I thought two would satisfy the heat factor just fine.
Spike, How on earth did you create and prepare this salad in 30 minutes? I am thinking this as I'm chopping my bunch of radishes slow and steady so as to not loose a thumb. My oven alone takes 30 minutes to heat to broiling. I am really just in awe of the things these chefs are capable of in the kitchen. I guess that's why they are on TV!
Radishes sliced, fingers intact.
Sliced cucumbers, radishes & pineapple with chopped cilantro and mint leaves. How cool are those salad spoons? My Aunt Cheryl bought those for me a few years back.
The sprite, lime juice, fish sauce and jalapenos are combined in the sauce pan
The liquid gets darker as it boils and then reduces.
WARNING: It not only gets darker, it smells. It smells BAD. Lets just say I was crossing my fingers this concoction was going to taste better than it smelled. But it won the Quickfire Challenge! What is going on?! I knew the god awful odor was the fish sauce. It got into my lungs and then combined with the heat from the jalapenos and whatever the heck happens to sprite when you boil it....felt like I had been tear gassed! (I'm exaggerating, seriously though, it got into my eyes and lungs and made me cough.)
Almost done. I was impressed how close I actually came to 1/2 a cup.
Steaks done.
Am I slicing this correctly?
See, the dressing is definitley water-y. But it also looks like that in the book! In retrospect, I think a lot of that liquid is my excess pineapple juice. Obviously I drained the can. Pineapples are extremely juicy no matter what I think.
I often have issues getting my camera to foucus. It's old and slow. I love it don't get me wrong....
The steak doesn't look like exactally like Spike's, but what are you gonna do.
Full presentation with the mint and cilantro garnish. I am relieved to report, the dressing did not taste at all like it smelled, not a hint of fish sauce. I can totally picture Padma and the guest judge tasting this. It's got that pure originality and "wow" factor they are looking for. Holy Z-I-N-G. This brings the sexy back to salad and then some. It's tangy, it's tart, it blends just right with the sweet juicy pineapple, the crisp watery cucumbers and crunchy radishes. I think this would be best prepared on a hot summer day. Maybe at your next cookout. It's both refreshing and light, and the steak adds another level to make this a filling meal. Definitely pair it with a Sprite or even a lemon lime Maine Root Soda.
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