Dinner! 2012

[robirdstx]

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

[Steve Irby]

Couple of weeks ago - Compressed melon and feta salad with mint and lemon verbena adapted from Ottolenghi

Last night -Tuna and shrimp tower loosely based on a visit to Frank Stitts Highlands Grill.

Deboned chicken legs stuffed with homemade feta sausage prior to finishing on the grill.

Getting the legs prepped - I love when you can take $1.19lb leg quarters and create a fun dish.

This past weekends sous vide project - venison hind quarter, beef sirloin flap steak, wild goose breast, and lean pork garlic sausage. All cuts were cooked 3.5 hours at 135 F then finished on the grill.

Prepped

Grilled

[patrickamory]

robirdstx lovely looking carbonara.

[ChrisTaylor]

That's an awesome sv/barbecue spread, Steve Irby. Out of interest, cooked much venison sv before? I have a rack of venision thawing at the moment. Maybe 550g. How long would you sv that for and at what temperature?

[Steve Irby]

Thanks Chris. I'm a beginner at SV but what I have cooked so far has turned out fairly well. The vension hind quarter came out pretty close to perfect which says as much about the quality of the deer as my skills. I think the cooking time was just right, any longer and the meat would get a little to soft. Try 132 F for 3 - 3.5 hours which will give you a little more latitude when your sear it off. Any pointers on wild goose? I think it how stayed in the bath for days.

[mm84321]

Today I went looking for mushrooms. I found hedgehogs, yellowfoot, and black trumpets.

Last week I found porcini.

No such luck this time. But I did happen to find what appeared to be the rotten cap of one.

I cooked the mushrooms very simply. Separately, first in oil, then brought together in a little foaming butter, seasoned with fleur de sel, white pepper, and a touch of lemon juice.

I ate them alongside the final slice of my terrine I had sitting in the fridge, fresh herbs, and quail juices from last night's dinner.

[Keith_W]

mm84321 you are a brave man (or woman?) for eating wild mushrooms which you foraged yourself Glad to see you survived to post about it. I would really miss looking at your food if something were to happen to you. Lovely looking dinner BTW

[pastameshugana]

mm84321 you are a brave man (or woman?) for eating wild mushrooms which you foraged yourself Glad to see you survived to post about it. I would really miss looking at your food if something were to happen to you. Lovely looking dinner BTW

Two weeks ago, when in Saint Petersburg, my friend was showing pictures of the family mushroom foraging on vacation. Apparently it's quite common in the smaller villages this time of year. I guess you've got to know what you're looking for.

[Steve Irby]

mm84321 - Less pictures and more GPS coordinates!

[robirdstx]

robirdstx lovely looking carbonara.

Thank you!

Dinner tonight:

Grilled Chicken Fajitas!

[Kim Shook]

Mjx - thanks so much for the chicken information. I'll be trying that since one of our favorite food is simply roasted chicken.

I have some sad news. Some of you will remember my stepdad, Ted Fairhead, who used to post here. He passed away yesterday morning. He hadn't been well for some time, but his death was very sudden and shocking to us all. We have lots of friends and family in and out of both of our houses right now. I'm staying with my mom for a few nights, so I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'm still going to be going down to NC to see after my grandmother, so my time isn't my own right now. I'll be checking in as often as I can, though.

[patrickamory]

mm84321 those mushrooms and foie gras look fantastic.

my partner just harvested another 30 lbs of hen of the woods. (I know, it doesn't sound possible.)

[PattyO]

Oh Kim, I am so sorry. Wish I could bring some comforting food to you and your family.

[dcarch]

Sorry, Kim.

Don't neglect to take care yourself, so you can take care others.

dcarch

[FrogPrincesse]

Sorry to read about your loss, Kim. My thoughts are with you and your family.

[avaserfi]

dry aged pork, xo pearl barley risotto, tomato confit, kale chips, broccoli crusted quail egg

[Keith_W]

dry aged pork, xo pearl barley risotto, tomato confit, kale chips, broccoli crusted quail egg

Genius! How do you make a broccoli crusted quail egg?

[avaserfi]

Quail yolk prepared however you like it most. Raw, poached or cooked sous vide the yolk is gently enrobed in broccoli tips. Raw eggs are more apt to break while being enrobed. The real trick is cutting the tips so that there is virtually no stalk attached, just the green flower part. Gently roll the yolk in the broccoli and the two will stick together.

[bmdaniel]

Is the broccoli cooked? If not, does the raw broccoli work with the rest of the dish?

[avaserfi]

I used raw broccoli. I think the slight bitterness and green flavor help bring out the kale chips and with the tomato confit help balance with the relatively rich nature of the dish (pork, egg yolk, risotto).

[C. sapidus]

First freeze of the year forecast tonight, so we cleaned out the garden. Some of the harvest made it on the plate tonight.

Red curry scallops with eggplant: Bay scallops, Japanese eggplant, slivered chiles, Thai basil, lime leaves, and fish sauce. Homemade curry paste with dried and fresh red chiles, lemongrass, galangal, lime peel, shallot, garlic, and shrimp paste.

The curry was killer spicy, so I tamed the heat with coconut milk and brown sugar.

Pad pak: Stir-fried baby bok choy, Napa cabbage, and gai lan, seasoned with smashed garlic, black pepper, fish sauce and fermented soybean paste.

Coconut rice

[ChrisTaylor]

Rack of venison (52.5C, 1 hour) w/ bitter chocolate/sherry vin ganache and blueberry sauce. Roasted vegetables, too. The ganache refuses to quenelle nicely so it ended up looking a bit ... suspicious.

Edited October 13, 2012 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[ScottyBoy]

Genius! How do you make a broccoli crusted quail egg?

Haha first thing I thought.

Always look forward to your creations man!

[Franci]

Nice curry Bruce

We usually get a paleta de Pata Negra for Christmas but this year we will be travelling, so my husband took advantage of a sale at our usual on-line supplier and ordered a jamon de bellota.

We are going to be busy eating it before it goes bad

We also had some roasted sea bass with potatoes and spicy cardoons in anchovy sauce. Sorry, presentation a little sloppy but was taste was pretty decent.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Franci (log)

[patrickamory]

OMG Franci that must be a $1000 ham. I am SO jealous.