Dinner! 2012

[sigma]

Ack. The lobster looks like it is coated in unmentionables. Never seen it look that way at Per Se.

Edited February 19, 2012 by sigma (log)

[djyee100]

Dcarch, my heart beats for your heart beets.

[mm84321]

mm84321, is your recipe for "Beets and Leeks" from French Laundry at Home by any chance?

Indeed.

Ack. The lobster looks like it is coated in unmentionables. Never seen it look that way at Per Se.

It was poached in butter. Like this:

They may be cooking the tails sous vide at Per Se. Though, I am not certain.

[David Ross]

Roast Cod with Applewood-Smoked Bacon and Ratatouille-

[Dejah]

Been stockpiling lamb chops for a visit home from daughter and fiancé Ryan-the-Boy. Tonight was the night! Seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper,the chops were pan seared and finished off in the oven. The beets were roasted in foil, and the beet greens were sauteed in the fat from the chops. I think I started enjoying lamb just so I can have mint sauce.

Ryan ate 7 chops, I believe! The beets were great with lots of butter.

[djyee100]

David Ross, I like that roast cod with applewood bacon.

Dejah, now you've got me thinking about lamb chops.

An experiment for dinner, a tryout of James Peterson's method to roast chicken from his Meat cookbook. The chicken is rubbed with salt and pepper, trussed, then set on a raft of giblets and chicken necks in a roasting pan. Vegs go around it in the pan. (I used onion, carrot, celery.) The vegs are aromatics, of course, but they also serve a practical purpose to keep the melting fat from burning and spattering as the bird cooks. A triple thickness of buttered foil covers the breast until the legs brown so the breast doesn't overcook. The bird roasts in a 500F oven for a crispy skin.

This method is a keeper. The meat was tender and moist, especially the breast, which is often overcooked in other methods I've tried. I'll be doing this one again.

The recipe is available on Googlebooks, page 34:

http://books.google.com/books?id=85ONKkm_QS4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=james+peterson+meat&hl=en&sa=X&ei=IJNAT6WpEoiiiQL0i9mSAQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=basic%20roast%20chicken&f=false

[MrsSheepish]

It was our anniversary on Friday so I cooked last night as Sheepish cooked last Saturday evening. We had Parmesan crisps with cheese gougeres for amuse bouche. A simple bouillabaisse with a rouille and croutons. Salad Aveyronnaise. Poulet frites and a semi freddo with homemade turron for dessert. It was all very delicious according to Sheepish!

Parmesan crisps and gougeres

Bouillibaisse

Salad Aveyronnaise

Poulet frites

Semifreddo turron

[ScottyBoy]

Yuuuummmm

[Anna N]

WOW Mrs Sheepish - where have you been hiding? That looks fabulous. Can you tell us what is the filling in the parmesan crisps, please.

[MrsSheepish]

WOW Mrs Sheepish - where have you been hiding? That looks fabulous. Can you tell us what is the filling in the parmesan crisps, please.

Thank you very much for your kind words! The filling is Boursin with herbs and garlic. I added some double (heavy cream) until I got a good consistency in a food processor.

[Franci]

Mrs Sheepish, really wonderful meal! I like really every dish.

I didn't comment before but want to say that I really enjoyed very much your blog.

Tonight we had something that maybe Sheepish would like.

Coratella di abbacchio con i carciofi= milk lamb offals with artichockes. In the mix lungs, heart, sweetbreads and liver.

Not very traditional but I served it with polenta taragna (no cheese in it, though)

[ScottyBoy]

Salmon poached at 105 in olive oil with a dill-bacon-meyer lemon cream, sourdough croutons.

Baby red chard, tatsoi, preserved lemon dressing and shaved frozen foie.

Sous vide squab and poussin, grits and shaved brussel sprouts.

For a dinner for a client last night.

Edited February 19, 2012 by ScottyBoy (log)

[Paul Bacino]

My Shrimp and grits..

Gulf of Maine shrimp and Stone ground Anson Mill Anabella white Grits( with Prosciutto )

[amkr]

Hi everyone!

Go easy on me, im new.

Last night was a faux chili con carne - The photo is a bit rubbish sorry!

I also made some of David Chang's pork belly buns (from about 100 pages ago in this thread)

These were amazing!

And from last week (hey im new, i need to catch up!)

Something I stole from the Alinea booke

[Keith_W]

amkr welcome to eG! Beautiful looking pork buns there ... like I said in the other forum

[kayb]

Welcome, amkr! Lovely meals. Please tell me about the last one.

[amkr]

Thanks Keith!

Kayb

Its 'ghetto' sous vide wagyu fillet, put it in the slow cooker with a thermometer set for 1 degree C over, I just hung around the kitchen turning it on and off for a while.

Underneath the meat is a gel made from soy sauce and a dash of balsamic vinegar, I cant remember weather I gelled it with Agar or Carrageenan.

The sauce on the side is the same gel blended back to a nice thick mixture.

The carrots are a bit of an experiment, I sliced them really thin then bent them into 'arc' shapes, I wrapped them in glad wrap pulling the arc shape tight and stuck them in the freezer. when they defrosted they kept the same sort of shape but tried to flatten out a bit - it 'sort of' worked but wasn't great.

The Alinea recipe is alot more complicated with alot more elements. I sort of stole a few of the elements and the plating.

Edited February 20, 2012 by amkr (log)

[Stefferdoos]

Scotty Boy, I can't think of any word that would more accurately describe how that salmon looks other than "luscious".

Tonight I made a good old standby. Roast Chicken. About 7 years ago I spent about a year to get the right recipe and method and it couldn't be more simple.

Salt and pepper inside along with parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon and onion

Rub the outside with olive oil then salt and pepper

Roast at 400 until the chicken is the correct internal temperature (this being debatable I won't mention a particular temp)

Tonight I had it with pommes puree and sauteed spinach.

Edited February 20, 2012 by Stefferdoos (log)

[robirdstx]

Lentil and Sausage Soup, adapted from this recipe. I used regular brown lentils, a mix of pork and chicken stock, kale in place of the spinach, and sherry vinegar.

[mm84321]

The carrots are a bit of an experiment, I sliced them really thin then bent them into 'arc' shapes, I wrapped them in glad wrap pulling the arc shape tight and stuck them in the freezer. when they defrosted they kept the same sort of shape but tried to flatten out a bit - it 'sort of' worked but wasn't great.

You can get the same effect by placing thinly sliced carrots (or any vegetable) in a bowl of ice water for 20-30 minutes or so.

[patrickamory]

I made my first Vietnamese dish ever, I think... bo kho, a beef stew. It's extremely easy to make if you start early enough. The long slow braise is key. Also the oxtails are critical.

Recipe came from Wandering Chopsticks.

[SobaAddict70]

Franci -- it's funny you mentioned the grated over shredded. When I was at Eataly, I had a flash of inspiration and asked the cheese guy to grate it for me, mostly because I'm a lazy cook. I'm thinking that tomorrow night's dinner will be spaghetti with butter, cheese and pepper. not exactly "cacio e pepe" but something very close to it.

dakki -- mac an' cheese is always a winner in my book. especially if it were in individual-sized portions.

robird -- the thing about corned beef and cabbage is that while I dearly love the whole dish, my favorite part is the cabbage. maybe I really was a vegetarian in a former life.

Scotty -- a nice, simple taco that speaks volumes.

kayb -- +1 on the hash.

dcarch -- I love how the lamb looks like hearts, perfect for V-day. And Berkshire pork too! I'm a bit envious.

FP -- plate looks great, especially the carrots.

Chris -- I bet that chuck roast tasted great. Never heard of coffee being used as a rub for meat though. You do learn something every day.

Anna -- looks great, especially the vegetables.

mm84321 -- I like how you used beets in a way that doesn't stain the entire plate pink. Something I need to cook with more often, maybe a food resolution for 2012...

David -- that reminds me of a recipe for potato crusted-salmon and a black truffle vinaigrette. I think I'd prefer your dish though.

Dejah -- that kid is an eating machine.

Sheepish -- the salad is my favorite pic.

and kudos to everyone else who I didn't comment on specifically!

I've been grazing this past weekend on things in the refrigerator and so, haven't really been cooking much. A thread on Facebook erupted into a minor discussion about the perils of "authenticity" especially when I mentioned subbing in fennel over celery in one of M. Hazan's recipes.

Had this as an appetizer for dinner late Friday night though:

Cauliflower with rocambole garlic, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil

Rocambole garlic is an heirloom (hardneck) garlic cultivar. It has a spicier and sharper flavor than normal garlic. Season is typically from early November to the end of January, +/- a few weeks. Substitute regular garlic if unavailable.

Recipe is on the blog. This is my favorite way to cook vegetables...besides cauliflower -- broccoli, spinach, chard, escarole, green beans and zucchini are all great alternatives.

[amkr]

The carrots are a bit of an experiment, I sliced them really thin then bent them into 'arc' shapes, I wrapped them in glad wrap pulling the arc shape tight and stuck them in the freezer. when they defrosted they kept the same sort of shape but tried to flatten out a bit - it 'sort of' worked but wasn't great.

You can get the same effect by placing thinly sliced carrots (or any vegetable) in a bowl of ice water for 20-30 minutes or so.

Thats what i've been told.

I put ribbons of carrots and cucumber into an ice bath and not much happened, slight bends but not curls. Infact, the green stringy bits all over the wagyu beef dish is cucumber AFTER its been in an ice bath.

I'd love to know what im doing wrong!

[mm84321]

I actually would not use that technique with cucumber. Make sure you are putting them in a small enough glass so that they take shape, and be sure to use about 50/50 ice water.

[amkr]

I actually would not use that technique with cucumber. Make sure you are putting them in a small enough glass so that they take shape, and be sure to use about 50/50 ice water.

ohh so they need to be in a small glass. I've been trying it in a large-ish container.

Might need to up the ice aswell, i usually only have 1/3 ice.