TicTac

Shredded potatoes are a must. Some onion shredded is certainly a good option. Salted and squeezed is key. Do you folks prefer yellow potatoes or russets? Lately I have found russets make the best fries. I think my uncles (the latke masters) have used yukon golds in the past, though.... I like to try to keep my latkes as thin as possible to get as much crunch factor as I can. Applesauce should accompany, but that's typically my mom's wheelhouse and I am not sure whether it will make an appearance this year. Cranberry sauce also works really well. You can keep the sour cream! We typically get a large smoked turkey as well to have with the latkes. I think the turkey will get another pardon this year... Strange times. Stay safe!

Stay safe everyone! I have purchased my Spanish smoked oysters so it has official begun. After soliciting requests at dinner the other night, my 7 year old has requested Kabanosa sausage and pizza fingers - my 5 and 3 year old have requested sushi. My wife would like me to make my port infused chopped liver and hearts of palm salad. Oh boy. Talk about a smörgåsbord! While we had my folks in our social bubble, in Ontario - numbers are increasing (we are averaging 1700 cases per day over the last week or so and around 4000 across Canada) far more than they should be so we have now, sadly; had to revert back to our original social distancing isolation protocols. Meaning no more meals with family, which is really tough, especially with a 95 year old grandmother who wants nothing more than to see her grand (and great-grand) kids. Though we do not celebrate Christmas, we signed up for a Night of Lights event on Christmas Eve where you drive through this 30 minute light show that apparently has millions of lights setup in different scenes all matched to a custom radio station. Will be fun to get the kids out - and they just LOVE lights. Trying to convince me to put up Chanukah lights; I might just cave... Love the ideas being shared here - certainly a source of inspiration.

If ever, this is the year to plan something fun and special, because - well, life is all about making lemonade (or lemoncello!) out of the lemons you are given! I like the idea of a big spread to graze on throughout the day. Typically for our NY dinners we have a big table laid out and we / the kids just graze all evening - perhaps putting out an even larger one earlier in the day and rotating new things in later on might be fun. Home cured gravlax will be a must. As well as smoked oysters. Probably cheeses and crackers. Or perhaps I will change things up and go a different direction - but probably not. Traditions....after all! Looking forward to hearing others ideas and poaching them accordingly!

Yes, but unfortunately the majority of shoppers (perhaps more so on this continent) are clueless and see a bag of pre-cut, nearly perfectly uniform shaped 'baby' carrots and gobble them up. Unbeknownst to them they are, as mentioned, just whittled away larger carrots that have been soaked in a sugar bath solution to create the impression of a sweet 'baby' carrot. Now, baby bok choi, baby zucchini, baby potatoes, and certainly baby lettuces - sign me up all day long.

I would happily clean that mess up any day of the week! Sometimes the messiest of foods are the tastiest (there seems to be a subconscious correlation between getting messy and enjoying food). And from the looks of those schmears at the bottom, that gravy is finger lickin good!

There is a local Asian market that has a fantastic fish counter who recently has started bringing in live spiny lobster. As you said, at $30/lb I will take a hard PASS and stick to my beloved Canadian East Coast 1.5lb lobsters at $10/lb!

King fish is actually most often used in the Caribbean in ceviche! Because it is lean, as mentioned, it is a great protein for this type of execution.

Ditto! Ruttelicious!

Gnocchi 2 ways (because a half boiled half seared gnocchi is blasphemous!) Crispy gnocchi with extreme mushroom reduction, crisp pancetta, caramelized vidallia onions and fresh grated Parmesan - Boiled gnocchi with cherry tomato and garden basil. RAS (random ass salad) - roasted and marinated peppers, hearts of palm, cucumber, shredded cabbage, cilantro - balsamic dressing Argentine white blend in the glass

Smoked ribs (Aaron Franklin style - aka just salt and pepper) with Slaw. Pretty decent smoke ring for a 2.5h cook...

The 'potato' pizza element is just potato hash browns with onions and garlic and thyme as a topping (though I have many times made 'pizzas' with mandolin'd potatoes as a base). The pizza itself is, admittedly, Bobs Redmill GF Pizza Crust. It's the best option I have found thus far (and at $6, fairly economical as far as GF pizza's go). Next time I would add salt to the dough.

Gluten free potato pizza and a visit to the cellar

I will once again disagree with you and apparently Eric as well. If I have a large scallop, I can achieve a fantastic crust, on BOTH sides - thus creating more flavor - while still maintaining a rare interior. It all comes back to the pan's heat. If I want to enjoy a scallop raw to appreciate its truest form, then it will not see the inside of a pan. I can appreciate your suggested technique for things like fish, where you only want to cook it skin side down and not impact the texture of the fish. But a scallop is the same all the way around. Anyways, enough time wasted lambasting you. Clearly you know it all, so lessons will evidently not be necessary - I will return your deposit.

Who are you kidding, you have been looking for that ever since we started feuding over your pale scallops! 😆 Technically, it is tom yum goong nam khon (ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำข้น) I scaled down the chili component as heat does not agree with me, sadly.

Tom yum with glass noodles

Oh rotuts, you have danced near a commonly shared nerve here! /flameon Cooking tuna, is IMO, the worst thing you can do to that lovely protein. If you want cooked tuna, open a can packed in olive oil (preferably from Italy or Spain). /off

I will confess that on hard shell tacos, I throw authenticity to the wind! Shredded lettuce, orange cheese, chunky store bought salsa...you name it! Almost anything tastes good in a crunchy warm taco shell.

Full disclosure, that was one of my kids tacos (they love cheddar on their tacos)! I had some queso fresco in the freezer but did not have the foresight to take it out in time. Would you sear a rib eye, or any steak for that matter, on one side and just flip it over for a second or two to achieve a lovely dull grey exterior? If so, trek on wayward soldier! If you are cooking a protein, then cook it properly. Yes, fullest potential when cooked would suggest a crust on the exterior. Unless you enjoy dull proteins. The diner can absolutely request it cooked to their level of 'done'ness'. The chef just has to have the chops to execute it accordingly.

Back on track - taco Tuesday excuse the unauthentic orange cheddar!

Fair enough. But I would argue that if you want to enjoy the delicacy of a fresh scallop, eat it raw. If you are cooking it, execute it to its fullest potential. Once can absolutely achieve a medium to even rare middle if you sear it at a very high heat (on both sides, equally so).

I am well aware it was cut in half. However, I only commented as I noted one side was far less done. Evidently, you do not sear the bottom as you do the top. Not necessarily the ideal method to prepare them (think of a steak for reference). Were your pan HOT ( ), you can achieve a good crust on each side without overcooking the protein. At the same time, creating more maillard reaction. "interior cooking surface" - you lost me there!

You have a wolf range, so surely you can do better than that! (the temp, that is - scallops look good, minus the top one that is a bit pale 😛) Cornstarch also works well to get a really crisp exterior. I prefer however to just caramelize the protein itself. As other have mentioned, getting them as dry as possible and even putting a fan on them (as one would do peeking duck) to get rid of any moisture is a wise move.

And by 'hot-ish' you mean screaming hot, preferably thick bottomed pan - yes? Scallops are ultimately prepared at the highest temps possible (assuming you want the most flavour you can get) in order to caramelize the meat proteins. Either that, or eat 'em raw!

Finding these at the market prompted the creation of this which required something wet

Did you open the bottle the day/night before?