basquecook

We were up state this weekend and my mother and law happened to have purchased a new pasta maker.. Not wanting to leave the house, i rummaged through the downstairs freezer and came up with a pasta filling.. ground veal, chicken livers, garlic, onion, tomato paste and some muscadet that was opened from however long ago Agnolotti Brought up the ingredients for a pie that I wanted to serve for lunch today. Apple caramel with a vanilla salt ice cream For breakfast smoked salmon and onion omelette today. Bagels and pickled herring in cream sauce yesterday.. Dinner friday was arroz con pollo from the freezer.. Found some duck sausage and a few chicken thighs..

It's a good sauce, it's easy. Here is a link to the recipe from About.com http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaiseafoodrecipes/r/drunkenfish.htm

Last night, on the way home, after changing my flat tire, I stopped in Chinatown and picked up two fish. Miss K got a salmon steak, while I bought a whole snapper for Miss A and I... Miss A was rather bummed that I got a snapper as she was not in the mood for a simple roasted fish. I said, well then, search the internet and show me a recipe, i will make that. We landed on, fried snapper with a Thai Green Sauce. I can't really verify it's authenticity but, it was really damn good.. Perfectly fried fish, topped with an herb sauce, that is hot, sour, spicy and sweet. Into a blender went; 6 cloves of garlic, a half a cup of basil and cilantro, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and brown sugar, a jalapeño and shot of habanero sauce, the juice from a lime and a lemon, three large stalks of scallions, a quarter cup of coconut oil and a couple of tablespoons of water.. I believe that is all everything.. There is something really great about living 20 yards away from a grocery store. There was also coconut rice that included coconut water from the coconut, some coconut milk from a can and some shredded coconut from the coconut. Fried the fish topped with the green sauce and served with the rice.. Nothing very formal, we ate off the same plate. Floured and fried Miss K likes her salmon steak deboned and tied. I served with a lemon butter sauce over coconut rice. 3/4 pound for perspective.

Was in Chicago for a few days. Had some really wonderful Thai Food but, that's besides the point.. Had one of the smoothest trips home last night. I got through security at 3:22 pm. I was on a 5 pm flight but, with only carry on luggage I wanted to see if they would let me on the earlier flight. They let me on the 4 pm flight, I landed at 7 pm, with no taxi line, I was home and out of my suit before 745.. Taking in the hour time change, I was in awe while I was standing in my kitchen that just 2 hours and 20 minutes before, I was standing in Chicago.. Miss A had pork chops waiting for me to grill. She made a lightly salted polenta made from water and a really lovely simple garlicky green pesto like sauce. She had a bottle of 2002 tempranillo decanted and a really nice salad with avocado and blue cheese. As well as garlic bread.. Life is good Bite:

the caraway threw my off.. Sounds really good, thank you.

So, trying to get rid of leftover mashed potatoes, i decided on making a shepard's pie.. I also happened to have a bunch of veal stock. With carrots, frozen peas, parsnips in the house, all i needed was 1.5 pounds of ground beef.. Hows this for a poor man's sous vide.. I had the mashed potatoes in a plastic bag.. I just heated them up in hot water to soften.. I cut the corners in order to pipe it on top of the meat.. We don't have a microwave in the house I heated up the veal stock and par cooked the parsnips and carrots.. Sweated onions in the other pan. Scallions were getting to the end of their freshness and I was too lazy to get my knife roll so, I was chopping with this old dull knife. Every recipe called for using butter and worcestershire sauce or however you spell it. I wanted to make it a little more savory.. Plus a little sweetness in the parsnips plays well with star anise.. So, I added like a half of a star anise, then I also added chinese 5 spice powder.. In addition to a little worcestershire sauce, I also used this Black Vinegar and a half a HI Res by six points.. I don't seem to recall what happened to the other half. Different than what I think of a normal chinese vinegar.. it has a richness and a back note of worcestershire sauce as well. Added some frozen peas at the end. A little spell in the oven, then in the broiler. The veal stock was pretty damn awesome too.. I have not had many renditions by this is by far my favorite.

Looks awesome.. i would love to hear about your German Potato salad..

Took the cheese out around 6 o clock this morning.. Decanted a 2001 around 1 pm. Sat down for a late lunch around 2:30.. With warm bread.. The little one enjoyed a 2 ounce glass. She has a better nose for cheese than me. These two, she loves. We had the Leonora and St. Marcellin. Beautiful cheese, good wine.. I have leftover mashed potatoes,a bag of ground beef,some frozen peas, fresh carrots, beef stock, shallots, demi glace, worchesterschire sauce.. Going to make some type of shepard's pie, we are on track for 930 dinner..

Eckermann's looks awesome.. I was hoping you were from Ohio, I was considering a weekend trip.

Beautiful, Franci. Tonight, I defrosted some of the pork with green chile sauce. made rice, served in a soup bowl with the rice, the added the pork and sauce, topped with avocado and red onion.. Avocado, i just mashed some cubes with water, cumin and salt. out of limes so brightened the chile verde and the avocado with lemon. Miss K requested spaghetti with cream sauce.. boiled down cream turned off the heat, added a spoon of mascarpone and a couple of punches of fresh grated parm. Norm, I wouldn't mind trading places with the photographer Robirdstx, i really like the burnt end of that sausage.. where did you get it.

Miss A had dinner waiting for me tonight. Still eating those two lamb we bought. Miss A made marinated lamb chops with soy sauce and garlic. Crispy sprouts with a hot and sweet sauce. Mashed potatoes.

After making demi glace with 10 pounds of veal bones, i did a second run with the bones... I left the stock in a cambro in my backyard before all the snow.. It had been covered with a foot of snow for some time.. This is where we are as of last night..

Dinner tonight with a few friends. We started with salad. kale salad, lemon cream fraiche dressing leftover from Val. Toasted hazelnuts, macerated onions, blue cheese and pomegranate. agnolotti with butter sage sauce. a little olive oil as I ran out of butter and then some pasta water. purchased at eataly. (i worked today) pasta was pretty good. i like to add chicken livers to my filling normally. homemade stuffed artichokes beautiful dry aged steak from Eataly.. Went well with a really nice glass of old red. baked potatoes with the leftover cheddar. I bought some sardines for dinner too but, didn't cook them up.

While not an ice cream base, we often make semi freddos at the house.

I too was going to suggest that you take a look at sformato recipes.

Well, I am also a New York City guy.. I once told my wife, my friend was Woodsy and Outdoorsy because, he liked to wear clothes from LL Bean. My wife's brother in law built his own house in the woods and has lived off the land for many years.. That's what her idea of woodsy was.

Sunday Morning coming down.. Love that song... Now I want fried chicken. and when considering the 2nd beer, i thought things might get problematic.

Some leftover venison from carpaccio. Cooked in a skillet with butter and then served in a cheddar grilled cheese. I had it with a beer at 8 o clock this morning... Finished working around 1 am last night, hung out until close to 4, made it into the office by 930.. I have had better days..

Catering an event tonight Been crossing out things as we have been going but, it's all being served MADELINE Roast Garlic, Rosemary, Cornmeal CARPACCIO Venison, Prince Noir Goat Cheddar, Sriracha, Sea Salt KALE Crème Fraiche, Lemon, Hazelnuts, Pomegranate, Gorgonzola MARROW Caviar, Parsnip Puree, Parsley Salad, Blood Orange Gastrique, Toast RAVIOLI Red Beet, Brown Butter, Pecorino, Poppy LAMB Bronzed Cauliflower, Glazed Carots, Demi Glaze CHEESE 5 Year Aged Gouda, Leonora, Torta De Casar, La Cesearia Blu TART Vanilla Bean Custard, Dolce De Leche, Banana Brulee POT DE CREME Mast Brother’s Chocolate, Sea Salt, Frosted Thai Chili

I like white pepper with tarragon and sherry vinegar.

What a wonderful presentation. Thanks for walking us through that, Franci

Korean grocery, japanese grocery, I have heard good things http://www.catalinaop.com/Sea_Urchin_Uni_Vana_s/112.htm

Thanks, Franci. Excited to give it a shot. This is such a wonderful thread. Love the passion and creativity. Thank you, to all who contribute

So, after 30 days of not drinking, I broke the streak with a 2009 Gaja. That's a good way to do it. I took a leg of lamb out of the freezer on Sunday and then my week got crazy.. I ended up inviting some people for dinner last night.. We started with mussel pasta.. This was really nice.. Sweated some shallots in butter and olive oil.. Then I added some garlic and jalapeno peppers.. Then, I took the mussels out once they opened and deshelled them.. Added some milk that had anchovies soaking in it to the pasta sauce, the the spaghetti, then the mussels, red pepper, parsley and finally some toasted white bread crumbs. Not the prettiest photo. People went nuts over this. My one guest told me I should package it. I don't think canned spaghetti would be successful.. I served a little pasta water in a glass with a spoon. I was making the pasta and right at the end, one of my guests stepped in and poured everything into a bow, thinking they were helping.. I hadn't finished with pasta water and olive oil.. So, instead of scolding them, I just casually served the pasta water on the side and had people help themselves.. It worked out perfectly. Caesar Salad: Golden egg potatoes Broccoli rabe.. cooked in garlic and oil.. i then added sherry vinegar and tarragon. (trying to use up the last of the tarragon)interesting combo Leg of lamb that our cousins raised, topped with a balsamic glaze.

I use to love white pepper.. I still might! The wife hates it and when I met her, I stopped using it in my recipes.. Smell your white pepper right now, it smells like horses.. It doesn't taste like horses but, it smells like horses and she can't get passed that..