Dinner! 2012

[Rico]

Did I just see smoked bay scallop custard up there? Let me check ... yeah, I did.

That just blew my mind, menuinprogress. I'd be interested in hearing a little bit more about how you went about creating it.

And Dakki ...

Here's some ribs wrapped in foil with rosemary. Our host won't even tolerate the smell of garlic and one of the girls can't stand onions so... Anyway, these were cooked to barely pink in the foil pouch. Waste of good beef if you ask me, but they smelled pretty nice.

They look pretty nice, too. Was there any wood smoke involved?

As for me, I made the Stuffed Bitter Melons from Secrets of the Red Lantern, and I have a report that will surprise nobody: Bitter Melons are bitter. Having never had them before, I expected some degree of bitterness, of course, but wow. The filling was great, with pork and black fungus and bean thread noodles, but I almost couldn't taste it over the bitterness of the melon. Could I ameliorate it by leaving it to simmer in the broth for a longer period or something like that? I'd like to make it again with an approach that would dampen the super strong presence of the melons; if anyone has any thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them.

But they do make for a neat picture.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Rico (log)

[heidih]

As for me, I made the Stuffed Bitter Melons from Secrets of the Red Lantern, and I have a report that will surprise nobody: Bitter Melons are bitter. Having never had them before, I expected some degree of bitterness, of course, but wow. The filling was great, with pork and black fungus and bean thread noodles, but I almost couldn't taste it over the bitterness of the melon. Could I ameliorate it by leaving it to simmer in the broth for a longer period or something like that? I'd like to make it again with an approach that would dampen the super strong presence of the melons; if anyone has any thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them.

But they do make for a neat picture.

Some people salt them and blanch them like eggplant. I like the bitter. In a broth prep just like yours I like a larger broth to melon proportion and I cook them longer - they look more pale than yours. I also think that they benefit from being eaten in a family style multi-plate meal so that they are an element of the meal rather than a separate course.

[C. sapidus]

Gorgeous meals, all!

Malaccan beef and vegetable stew – This looks conventional, but the aromas of star anise, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and fried shallots give it away. The boys started wandering into the kitchen at least an hour before dinner was ready.

Stir-fried long beans with fermented black beans and garlic – A family favorite

Store-bought bread – I enquired about a particular kind of bread that I like. Baker: “Oh, all we have is fresh out of the oven.” Me: “Um, no problem.”

[SobaAddict70]

Arroz caldo (aka Filipino chicken rice porridge), adapted from this recipe at Jun-Blog:

As a general rule, I like my congee/porridge on the thick side, with a consistency approaching risotto. The recipe uses short-grain rice, although I imagine that if you subbed in jasmine rice, it would work just as well.

This version contains Chinese chicken stock (instead of regular chicken stock), schmaltz (instead of vegetable oil) and sriracha, but is otherwise as originally posted.

[ambra]

Thank you Franci and Prawncrackers!!!! I'm going to try both. I've made something similar to Franci's, and they are good, but they always taste like they are missing something.

[nikkib]

Franci - am I right in thinking you are in Monaco or Nice? The salad and fritters scream "riveria chic" at me and are the exact sort of dishes I would be hoping to eat when holidaying in the south of France..

[Franci]

dcarch, how did you get that beautiful skin on the duck?

Last year I made Szechuanese duck three times at least, deep fried, taste was wonderful but I could never achieve a perfect coloration on the skin.

C. sapidus, I wish my children will turn out as adventurous eaters as yours. So far I cannot even have them eat zhou, jook, and they are half Chinese. Is there a secret?

Here there is a HUGE Filipino population but only a couple Asian (in the British sense) shops which carry some ingredients which "cover" all asian cuisines.

Nikkib, yes, I'm on the Riviera, right in Monaco. I'm going to miss some stuff when we leave (my assiette de fruit de mer, foie gras as emergency food in the fridge, my offals, the weather) but this has been the most boring place for me.

[ambra]

Franci, why is it boring?

Nikkib, I had the most wonderful cod fritters in Nice a couple of months ago.... and fought over them with my 3 year old. Too bad he always won!

[dcarch]

"dcarch, how did you get that beautiful skin on the duck?

Last year I made Szechuanese duck three times at least, deep fried, taste was wonderful but I could never achieve a perfect coloration on the skin. "

Franci, take the duck to a nice sunny beach to get a nice tan.

OK, if I tell you the secret, promise not to tell anyone here?

There are two kinds of soy sauces in general, light and dark. Two table spoons of dark soy sauce in the marinate will do the job.

The rest is following Peking duck roasting method to get the skin cracklin crispy.

Including this step, Me blowing up a duck:

Have fun.

dcarch

[Paul Bacino]

dcarch,

How did you do the Sous vide Rib Roast? Just time and temp ?

Thanks Paul

[nikkib]

Franci - where are you moving to? Yes, i can imagine you would miss all that!!

[C. sapidus]

C. sapidus, I wish my children will turn out as adventurous eaters as yours. So far I cannot even have them eat zhou, jook, and they are half Chinese. Is there a secret?

Franci – Thanks! Re secrets: 1) Start with foods that they like, slowly expand their comfort zone, and steer clear of power struggles; 2) If they don’t like something, try to figure out why (texture, a particular ingredient, etc.); 3) Children become much less picky when they are hungry; and 4) When all else fails, add bacon!

It does take time, though. Children often need to try a new food several times before they will enjoy it. Our boys are teenagers, so they have become inured to my cooking.

Here there is a HUGE Filipino population but only a couple Asian (in the British sense) shops which carry some ingredients which "cover" all asian cuisines.

Sounds like our small town (minus the beach ) – we have one pan-Asian market and one Indian grocery. Availability of Latino and Caribbean ingredients is increasing nicely, though . . .

[menuinprogress]

Did I just see smoked bay scallop custard up there? Let me check ... yeah, I did.

That just blew my mind, menuinprogress. I'd be interested in hearing a little bit more about how you went about creating it.

It is pretty much the same technique as making a sweet custard - but without sugar. We've been experimenting with different combinations/ratios of eggs, milk, and fish stock for the custard base. They have all been good, but with different textures to the custard depending on the egg to liquid ratio.

[dcarch]

dcarch,

How did you do the Sous vide Rib Roast? Just time and temp ?

Thanks Paul

The biggest issue with sous vide a 12 lb rib roast is having a tank that is big enough.

I used a beer cooler. In the bag, nothing special, rosemary, salt, pepper, a little Liquid Smoke, soy sauce, sugar, bacon fat, garlic paste.

I had the temperature set at 130F. I don't remember how long, 8 hours?

After that, I put the whole thing in the freezer for 15 minutes, then I had my pet fire breathing dragon (my torch ) to give it the crust.

dcarch

[Franci]

Franci, why is it boring?

Monaco is really a village and might be boring or not depending on your lifestyle. At this time of my life I would really prefer the convenience of London.

"dcarch, how did you get that beautiful skin on the duck?

Last year I made Szechuanese duck three times at least, deep fried, taste was wonderful but I could never achieve a perfect coloration on the skin. "

Franci, take the duck to a nice sunny beach to get a nice tan.

OK, if I tell you the secret, promise not to tell anyone here?

There are two kinds of soy sauces in general, light and dark. Two table spoons of dark soy sauce in the marinate will do the job.

The rest is following Peking duck roasting method to get the skin cracklin crispy.

Including this step, Me blowing up a duck:

Have fun.

dcarch

Yes, indeed, today we had 17 C.

Nice job. I went the Szechanese route with the duck because I don't have a compressor nor a big enough oven. I used dark soy sauce in the final basting before deep frying.

But I used a grill to dry the duck (didn't have a neck or enough skin for hanging ) , so I got those anaesthetic marks, then dusted with flour (as for recipe) which evolved in patches of dark color (in the picture looks worse than it was in reality). Taste still was very good. I'll attempt again soon or later or will go to have duck in NY or China

anatra fritta di Francesca Spalluto, su Flickr

Franci - where are you moving to? Yes, i can imagine you would miss all that!!

Not sure. If husband stays with his current job maybe back to London. Or in the States, somewhere we feel comfortable (NY, SF or Philly

C. sapidus, I wish my children will turn out as adventurous eaters as yours. So far I cannot even have them eat zhou, jook, and they are half Chinese. Is there a secret?

Franci – Thanks! Re secrets: 1) Start with foods that they like, slowly expand their comfort zone, and steer clear of power struggles; 2) If they don’t like something, try to figure out why (texture, a particular ingredient, etc.); 3) Children become much less picky when they are hungry; and 4) When all else fails, add bacon!

thanks for the advice. Hopefully they would turn ok. My son for now could dip everything in ketchup (not homemade) or eat carbs.

Tonight we had

Veal heart with dates and preserved lemons very, very nice and to go along, not pictured,a pilaf of rice and chickpeas.

[mm84321]

So, since Dover sole fillet are quite thin, I stacked them together and then vacuum sealed to create a nice fat piece to roast in butter. Half way through I added some preserved lemon to the pan, and served it with squash, also cooked in butter, and a drizzle of the cooking butter. It was very tasty.

[C. sapidus]

. . . Hopefully they would turn ok. My son for now could dip everything in ketchup (not homemade) or eat carbs.

Hah! When our boys were younger, their favorite meal was spaghetti with ketchup. Your little ones will be fine (and well-traveled!).

mm84321 – looks good!

Garlic-black bean pan-fried mahi mahi, from Dancing Shrimp. Mrs. C picked up the fish while I chopped garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, and cilantro stems. Black soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, black pepper, and cayenne rounded out the flavors. Served over jasmine rice, with our usual side salad of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and scallions.

[Paul Bacino]

dcarch,

How did you do the Sous vide Rib Roast? Just time and temp ?

Thanks Paul

The biggest issue with sous vide a 12 lb rib roast is having a tank that is big enough.

I used a beer cooler. In the bag, nothing special, rosemary, salt, pepper, a little Liquid Smoke, soy sauce, sugar, bacon fat, garlic paste.

I had the temperature set at 130F. I don't remember how long, 8 hours?

After that, I put the whole thing in the freezer for 15 minutes, then I had my pet fire breathing dragon (my torch ) to give it the crust.

dcarch

Nice...i didnt think it was that big.dude you ate well...thanks

And im sure slept well that nigbt..

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[SobaAddict70]

As usual, I made too much arroz caldo so now I have leftovers. At least it improves with age.

Had a side of this tonight:

Sautéed watercress, with crispy fried breadcrumbs

[rarerollingobject]

New Year's Eve dinner was grilled beef, a bit of a tradition in our little circle. Here's some photos.

Dakki, that MEAT! It's meat-henge. And I'm with you..medium rare, or rare. Anything else is sacrilege to the beast IMO.

Franci, lovely fritters. I don't think I've ever had salt cod, but I'm sure I'd like them..salty, crispy, deep-fried..yep.

dcarch, what are the things on the plate with the mussels? Sensational meal.

mm83421, what kind of squash is that? I don't think we have any vegetable that shape in Australia (the ridges, I mean..I realise they're slices) so I'm quite perplexed!

And C. Sapidus..what happened to the eternal cucumbers?

I'd become concerned that our diets were beginning to lack in pure pork fat lately, so made bossam; a Korean dish of poached sliced pork belly, kimchi, ssamjang (a sauce made by mixing doenjang soybean paste and gochujang chilli paste) and oysters.

Wrap a bit of meat, a dab of sauce, an oyster and a slice of kimchi up in a leaf of butter lettuce and gobble down. Also added slivers of raw garlic to each parcel halfway through the meal, so no photo of that.

Pork fat levels: restored.

Edited January 4, 2012 by rarerollingobject (log)

[pastameshugana]

Wrap a bit of meat, a dab of sauce, an oyster and a slice of kimchi up in a leaf of butter lettuce and gobble down. Also added slivers of raw garlic to each parcel halfway through the meal, so no photo of that.

That is amazing. And I'm glad to hear your pork fat levels are back up to normal. Wouldn't want you wasting away...

[mm84321]

mm83421, what kind of squash is that? I don't think we have any vegetable that shape in Australia (the ridges, I mean..I realise they're slices) so I'm quite perplexed!

It's acorn squash.

[rotuts]

My dinners never approach what these look like, with a rare exception. But Id like to thank those who contribute, esp. the pics as I find it inspirational.

[dcarch]

"---dcarch, what are the things on the plate with the mussels? Sensational meal.------"

Thanks rarerollingobject.

It is a very healthy vegetable which you may be unfamiliar with, Brassica Rapa Chinensis

(otherwise known as Bok Choi, LOL!)

After I sautéed the beets, I stir fried the bok choi in some of the beet juice, and that’s the way they came out.

dcarch

[patrickamory]

C. sapidus, what was the recipe for the Malaccan beef and vegetable stew? That looks DELICIOUS.

SobaAddict70, thanks for the Arroz Caldo link - I'm definitely giving that a try! We have lots of high-quality saffron in the house that we need to use too.