basquecook

that looks insanely good.

tonight dinner was made with leftover sauces and ingredients from an event this weekend. Risotto with onions, peas, mascarpone, a little ham, ramp pesto and salmon roe. So good. water stock. started with a bacon and onion, then vermouth, peas, mascarpone, pesto a little in the rice while cooking, then the rest while plated.. Topped with salmon roe.. a no shop dinner. it might look a little more fluffy here

This weekend, we had 32 diners come to the place for an event. I never really remember to record our meals, or even photograph things.. Here is the menu: Kale, Pomegranate, Filberts, Valdeon, Meyer Lemon Creme FraicheAsparagus, Duck Egg, Salmon Roe, Ramp PestoWild Spanish Mackerel, Treviso Radicchio, Avocado, DijonGame Hen, Spiced Lentil Puree, Cardamom Crema, Burnt ShallotsCheese, Truffle Honey, Quince PasteBrûléed Melon, Mango Sorbet, Basil, MaldonS'more Brownie, Housemade Marshmallow, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout Gelato, Smoked sea salt One recorded dish, that was photographed below in an incomplete state, is this asparagus dish.. I am proud of this dish as it was a complete collaboration and our first time making the dish. In fact, outside of the kale salad, every dish was our first time making it. Steamed Asparagus, with a ramp pesto vinaigrette, crispy pancetta with a sous vide duck egg resting on it, topped with salmon roe. This dish came about as, our fish guy last week delivered us salmon caviar instead of our regular black caviar.. So, we had to go out and buy different caviar and were left with this salmon roe. After seeing ramps at the green market, the rest of the dish came together. Here is a grainy photo taken by one of the diners that had the kitchen table seat.. This is prior to the pesto and the salmon roe. .We had been playing with bruleed melons this week.. We served that as a course on Saturday. People were raving about it.. I took delight in revealing, the melons were bought at Mr. Coco for a dollar a piece. We got about 4 to 6 servings per melon. Last night I had a dream of doing something with the bruleed melons and also broiling blue cheese with it and serving it with some ham.. But, we shall see. It was also a rare time that we served poultry at our place. Brined the game hens for a day. We smoked cornish game hens for a few hours at a super low heat, it was covered in zaatar.. We then took them out, let them rest for a few hours.. Roasted at 450 for 10 minutes, cut into portions and then broiled for two minutes to crisp the skin. Served on a lentil dal with cardamom scented crema and crispy burnt shallots.. That was really good. But, the second most fun thing I think we served was the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout gelato.. Luckily enough was made that, we have a full pint leftover.. We did not cook the beer out so, it remains to be a boozy and delicious concoction. Homemade marshmallows, homemade brownies and this really beautiful gelato.. It almost tastes like caramel and coffee ice cream. Anyway, that was my brief summary of this weekends meal.. People were super happy and it was another really eclectic mix of people.. I hope someone blogs about it. A guest that has come several times through out the years told us, it was one of their favorite dinners they have had with us.

Really pretty meals, all.

Thanks! So, I had the fish soaking in buttermilk with a little salt and pepper and a few shots of tabasco sauce. Then, I just used AP Flour, paprika, garlic salt, celery salt, salt, pepper, dry mustard and some dry rub that I had from last summer. Deep fried the fish two at a time, flipped at the 2 minute mark. Hit with lemon, served with tartar sauce.

Dinner last night was leftovers for Miss K Salad and Lasagna before her animation tutor came to the house. I made buttermilk soaked and then fried whiting. served with a quick version of tartar sauce. Champagne vinegar, pickles, mayo, a little mustard. I fried about 8 of them. my friend who I have known since Pre-K came for dinner. Caesar salad and pulled a rack of lamb that my wife's cousins raised And for dessert broiled melon with melon sorbet

Last night, we had shrimp "scampi" followed by homemade lasagna and Caesar salad and bruleed melon with homemade ice cream. No photo of anything else cooked besides dessert

I wanted mussels last night but, the shop had none.. So, I picked up 12 clams and a pound of squid for about 9 dollars.. We had some homemade pasta dough leftover from the weekend. Rolled out some angel hair. I cut the squid in a way where I opened it up into a flat square. I then scored it in a checkerboard. And cooked it on a super hot cast iron pan and pressed it down. It got super crisp, salted it and then cut it into crunchy strips.. I tossed the crunchy squid in with the clam sauce. It added a nice textural component. The angel hair was perfect if I don't say so myself.

Doing an event tonight for 30 people.. Private party.. Big drinkers, younger crowd. Amuse Kale, Pomegranate Arils, Hazelnuts, Gorgonzola, Lemon Creme Fraiche Roasted Marrow, Parsnip Purée, Blood Orange & Rosemary Gastrique, Bien Cuit Toast Spring Pea & Ricotta Ravioli, Crispy Pancetta, Provolone Brodo Bell's Kalamazoo Stout Braised Short Rib, Maple & Horseradish Glaze, Creamed Polenta, Jus Cheese Plate, Truffle Honey, Toasts Grand Marnier & Masarpone Cheesecake, Burnt Caramel, Sea Salt I will try to take photos.. so far alls i got is a pancetta pick for the ravioli

I can't offer much help in terms of cooking classes in Japan.. But, I do see there is a Hotel Nikko in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. They are a Japanese owned Hotel Chain with locations in Japan.. Maybe there are other Japanese Hotels you can work at and eventually have them transfer you to their Japan locations. Just an idea. To be 20 years old and have a long term goal like that puts you at an advantage over most people. Good luck. I hope you update us on your success.

Marcella's pork cooked in milk. We varied with the seasoning, adding a bit of nutmeg and what not. Very good. Spinach salad with warm mushrooms.

How much is your lamb per pound. The original question you posted was I think the clear answer is yes, there should be a significant difference between the best lamb you can buy and what your average grocery store would carry. But, that doesn't mean it's not going to be good. I am sure it will be as, it's clear a lot of time and thought is going into making your evening a special one.. Good luck and take some pics!

I have been there, once a week for the last 4 weeks. Every time I come back from a trip, I usually land later in the evening, I stop in there.. It stops me from eating some garbage McDonalds at the airport, knowing I have this on the horizon. The latest time I was there, last Sunday, i went with 8 people.. 8 people is the perfect number to go with as, those circular tables hold 8 adults comfortably. I have seen more but, 8 is great. We ordered lots of things on the menu. The only new dish we ordered was the oysters and pork.. Fried oysters, roasted pork with mushrooms in this thick brown sauce.. oysters were fried well and very large.. it was a good combo for sure.

Last night, we made salad with poached eggs, whiting escabeche and a roast of pork.. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos. until the very end... For dessert, grand marniere souffle. Whiting is my new jam... You can feed four people with about 6 dollars worth of whiting... I don't know why it's so inexpensive but, it worked super well escabeche style. Berkshire Pork roast. Skin crisped up perfectly. Served over polenta with a ginger scallion sauce. So good, so juicy. Took the roast out at 120. I had a pretty nasty cut on my finger and had been bleeding for most of the evening so, I had my buddy carve the pork. I opened a brand new microplane and let's just say, they make a very fine product.

that looks awesome. Bruce. Miss A made dinner this evening.. Another no cost meal. I told her i was stopping to buy groceries but, came home with nothing. A literal quarter of a wedge of cabbage in the fridge became a coleslaw. mixed with a little sugar, mustard and vinegar. This was a great idea as we had fish and there was no lemon in the house. It added the acidity that mackerel and char need. A mackerel and a char vacuum sealed in the freezer. She pan cooked the char and broiled the mackerel. char... the skin came off like a chip and was passed around.

I would suggest you buy a whole lamb from a local farm.. Actually, the local farm was my wife's cousins front yard. I just purchased two whole lamb and the whole thing was like 200 bucks for close to 60 pounds of meat. But yeh, supermarkets are garbage for the most part. It's a safe rule to follow.

Today, got some rough news.. Not hungry, i used the excuse for a good meal to bang down some wine. My google photo search of kittens did very little to lessen my anger. daily special Picadinho. A mix of crispy pieces of pork shoulder and some other fatty part, with crispy wine soaked chorico, fried potatoes, pickled vegetables and shrimp.. It was all in a thick garlicky wine sauce. three coffees and flan

quick dinner.. in an hour, I shopped and we had eaten dinner. spinach with a little cream and garlic,button mushrooms roasted in a pan. butter lettuce with red onion and endive salad.. Defrosted lamb chops in the freezer. It's so convenient living across from the grocery store. 5 bucks worth of vegetables and still working off that lamb in the freezer. Cheap good dinner.

my friend from San Fran is in town with her husband. she is pregnant and eating vegetarian and gluten free. they came over for dinner last night and gave us the good news.. they just put a bid in on a house and it was accepted.. so, our one friends got pregnant and moved to Oakland and our other group of friends are pregnant and moving to Brooklyn. Anyway, I made a communal sort of dinner.. I had this long wooden board and I poured hot polenta that I made with salt, garlic and rosemary. I made a homemade pesto with a mortar and pestle, about a year ago, while in chelsea market, she made me buy this tomato sauce she wanted to try.. it's from italy and super fresh. like a san marzano puree, so I gently heated that up.. I pressure cooked chick peas and then poured wine, a ton of paprika, a shot of tabasco, a shot of sriracha and some garlic.. cooked kale with wine. I stuffed button mushrooms with their stems and some shallots, garlic and cheese and I also cooked shitake mushrooms in oil and garlic. It was a nice presentation and cool to do.. Reminded me of something similar to when Grant Achez or whatever his name is, at Alinea, makes you that final dessert on the silicone platter, or like something Ethiopian. I also fried up a few final pieces of marinating chicken for the husband and myself. To start we had butter lettuce salad with red onion in a apple cider vinegar dressing with a little sugar.. 325 for 12 minutes

Dinner for 18 last night... Family came over and one person only eats chicken.. So, we decided to make fried chicken, wedge salad with blue cheese, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, homemade biscuits,baked beans, collard greens cooked for several hours and homemade tres leches cake. wedge Biscuit collard.. mother in law does not like cider vinegar so, i used a jar of whole grain mustard with stout in the greens. leches chicken salt baked potatoes have not eaten yet today.. Dinner was slightly less the 120 bucks.. Not bad for feeding that many folks.

It's been a couple of weeks or more since, I cooked in my own kitchen. I forgot how little was in the fridge.. I bought some squid and a trout at the seafood shop. had pasta and a can of tomatoes in the pantry and olives in the fridge. Lots of black pepper, a shot of vermouth in the sauce and a little tabasco. Miss K was super tired last night as we arrived late the night before. It was even later when we stopped in Chinatown for noodles. So we heated up some coq au vin that was in the freezer and put over buttered noodles.. With the left over wine sauce, I poured it over trout and served with steamed artichokes. Deboned and flattened before cooked in a pan. It's amazing how similar the trout reminded me of a delicate chicken when in the chickeny red wine sauce. Took one shot of the artichoke and partially eaten trout plate. Not really worth showing. To drink, Miss A accidentally cracked an 05 Pomerol that a customer gave me. It was delicious regardless.

I do bone marrow a few ways.. Normally, I like when the butcher cuts them on the bias or lengthwise.. This exposes all the marrow and looks really pretty.. However, I went to a fancy butcher shop in California and they definitely dressed the part, looked the part, acted the part, except when it came down to asking them to cut the bones for me. It's funny, you get these kids with beards and put on a white smock and they are butchers.. But, all of the nice fresh faced "butchers" are essentially glorified meat slicers.. I asked the guy to cut the bone on the bias, the bones I was over paying for and he replies " i can't cut the bones like that" To which I replied, "can't or won't ? Because, I clearly see a brand new band saw waiting to be used." I then offered to cut the bones myself.. So, the best he would do was, cut them into 3 inch pieces.. But, I could totally see him with like a knife tattoo on his arm, drinking PBRs at night, picking up chicks and telling them what a great butcher he is. So, when I roast them, I just cover the bottom with foil and roast them.. But, I didn't want to put their oven on as it was a small kitchen and we cooked everything on the grill.. With the exception of me boiling the kale and the fava beans prior to cooking on the grill in a cast iron pan.. But, really, just get a hot oven or a hot grill and cook it until it looks good.. I am guessing, 20 to 30 minutes.. It starts to melt and then it looks good enough to eat and then a salt it. I was using a gas grill, perhaps my first time ever using one.. It's not a good sign when you can slap the grill without second degree burns. Bread was grilled and rubbed with garlic.. I like the bitterness of blood orange which help cuts the fat.. Though, I often use a garlic jelly. Sorry i could not be more exact.

Friends had a baby out in Oakland... 5 weeks old, we stop by and cooked them dinner... Not familiar with the area, we were lucky to find this little gourmet spot.. Steaks, bone marrow with blood orange jam, beets grilled with local chevre and some fennel tops from their garden and kale with fava beans with garlic and vinegar.. Also a salad with dressing. Cow girl cheeses for dessert.

awesome, MM.. Those potatoes remind me of Antoine's Potatoes from NO.

It's directly across the street from the bank of First Street.. I assumed it would be Spanish run and owned and that Gus must be long gone.. But, I was surprised to see, what looked like a father and son team, speaking Greek to each other. So, this morning I ordered a grilled cheese and a black coffee.. People were getting down. Full huge breakfasts, pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns. It was a full greasy spoon. So here is the menu, this is the reason I came back for lunch today.. They have two burgers on their menu. One says Homemade burger, the other just says burger.. Being a pretty inquisitive fellow, i had to start asking questions.. A burger is just a frozen patty heated up on the grill while, a homemade burger is a patty that is formed in house, made from fresh beef. Now, I was super excited.. I ordered the fresh burger. I got a aw onion cheeseburger, a plate of fries and a black coffee.. When the burger came out, it sort of reminded me of the burger from Newark. Krugg's Tavern..It was big, juicy and looked like it was loosely formed.. My issue was with the quality of the beef.. It was also slightly overcooked and dried out but, because the beef was so low budget, I am happy they overcooked the meat. It was truly disappointing because, i thought i was on the verge of discovering a gem. In the end, it's a very charming and homey spot. It's a greasy spoon where things appear to be good but, not over the top great.. It's the closest place to where I would order a cheeseburger, I just don't order a cheeseburger unless I love the burger the people are making.. I am more forgiving I guess eating mediocre pizza or something.. But, if a burger isn't awesome, it's not worth it to me.