Dinner! 2012

**nickrey** · October 23, 2012

Fantastic technique as usual. Wondered what you wanted the pig's blood for.

In real life does it look as much like a chocolate slice as the picture makes it seem?

**Mjx** · October 23, 2012

Shredded pork with microwaved crackling:

The pork was a skin-on cut traditionally used here for flæskesteg, braised in a litre of stock plus a beer, seasoned with fresh lovage, garlic, a bit of ground cloves and nutmeg, a chili, a pinch of ground vanilla bean, and a little vinegar and sugar. Since this was braised, the skin was soft and gelatinous by the time the meat was done; I started to finish it a high temperature to crisp it, but everyone was hungry, so that went to the wall.

However, I was curious about something I'd read in Modernist Cuisine about making beef jerky in the microwave, and wondered what would happen to the skin if I I cut it away from the meat and just nuked it for a few minutes (folded up in paper towel, to absorb the grease, and because I don't love cleaning microwaves).

In about half a minute, it sounded like I was making popcorn. At the two-minute mark, the skin was (as you can sort of see; it was a bit dark when I took this shot), beautifully, deliacately crisp and browned. Since the traditional method of browning the skin in the oven tends to make for rock-hard results without anything special in terms of flavour, I intend to go the microwave route from now on.

rod rock · October 23, 2012

Mjx It seems interesting and this combination with chili sounds delicious!

Ashen · October 23, 2012

MSM my absolute favorite. hope to try your Rx soon. is it like Schwartz in Montreal?

Schwartz is the gold standard I am trying to come close to. The texture of the finished product is spot on for the smoking and steaming process. The flavours are going to be a work in progress. hopefully I will be able to find some prague powder #2 on the weekend when my wife and I go across the border Port Huron. I have been using readycure and wondering if #2 will give me a better result. Find what I have been able to research Schwartz's claims not to use any artificial nitrates or nitrites. They do a 14 day dry cure with a secret blend of spices. I am willing to bet celery powder is in there , otherwise I am stumped at how they get that kind of colour in their product .

Reuben tonight with some of the smoked meat. I finished my bottle of black cherry soda , so beer it is. Augustijn Donker.

rotuts · October 23, 2012

Wow Ashen: please continue your studies Id love to make "Schwartz'" Montreal Hot Smokes Meat. a big fav of mine!

Franci · October 24, 2012

I'm getting slightly obsessed with quince.

Lamb, quince and turnips from J. McLagan. One of my favourite recipes from Odd bits.

Lamb and quince inspired by a dish from Classical Turkish Cooking. I halved the fruit, the sugar, the cinnamon. It's tasty but Jennifer version is by far the one I prefer.

**FrogPrincesse** · October 24, 2012

I'm getting slightly obsessed with quince.
Lamb, quince and turnips from J. McLagan. One of my favourite recipes from Odd bits.

Franci - this looks delicious. Is it lamb neck?

Franci · October 24, 2012

Franci - this looks delicious. Is it lamb neck?

Thank you, FrogPrincesse. Yes, it's neck. If I'm stewing lamb, it's definitely my preferred cut.

rotuts · October 24, 2012

F: delicious Im sure!

EnriqueB · October 24, 2012

I had a son one month ago... so I haven't had much time to take pictures and post dinners, getting some sleep has been enough!! In the meantime I've been amazed by the wonderful dinners posted here.

And here we go again:

Low-temperature roasted pigeons:

Quinoa and cauliflower salad, from Modernist Cuisine at Home:

Citrus-cured salmon, then confit sous-vide at 43ºC, from Thomas Keller's The French Laundry:

dcarch · October 25, 2012

Looking at all these incredible multi-dimensional extraordinary creations, I feel a little timid to post my dinner tonight.

In doing my archeological excavation of my freezer trying to find things to demonstrate the use of vegetable plastic bags for freezer use, I discovered a lot of old odds and ends leftovers. I hate throwing food away, so dinner tonight was petrified historic freezer food discoveries.

dcarch

Tofu with truffle oil

Re-baked leftover pizza and deep fried cod

Couscous, Tapioca and radish

robirdstx · October 25, 2012

The meals on this topic continue to amaze! Thank you for sharing!

Dinner last night:

Crawfish%2520Etouffee-04.jpg

Crawfish Etouffee with Steamed Rice and a sprinkle of "Slap Ya Mama" Cajun Seasoning

And dinner tonight:

Grilled Beef Rib Eye and Onions with Steamed Broccoli Florets

patrickamory · October 25, 2012

robirdstx - I can smell that etouffee from here!

rod rock · October 25, 2012

This broccoli and beef looks yummy!!!! Nice work Robirdstx!

Keith_W · October 25, 2012

dcarch's leftovers look more appetizing than the freshly cooked meal I made tonight. How depressing.

EnriqueB · October 25, 2012

dcarch's leftovers look more appetizing than the freshly cooked meal I made tonight. How depressing.

When he gets humble saying he doesn't do anything special, or he talks about leftovers, I start to tremble ;-)

When I grow up I want to learn to create dishes and plate like him...

Norm Matthews · October 25, 2012

Despite the morning rain and subsequent cold and damp, I fired up the smoker for possibly the last time and did a small (2 1/2 lb.) piece of beef brisket. Because it was small, it only took about 4 hours.

ScottyBoy · October 25, 2012

As always dcarch, food as art! It's such a breath of fresh air sometimes to see you plate the way you do.

dcarch · October 26, 2012

Keith_W, EnriqueB, and Scottyboy, thank you so much for your kind words.

It weas very depressing to look into my freezer. So I decided to play with the food a little. I felt better afterwards.

dcarch

Franci · October 26, 2012

Enrique, with a new baby you could make that! You are brave. Congratulations on you newborn!

Dcarch, leftover or not your food is always beautiful. Now I need to run and buy tapioca.

Yesterday night we had risotto with fresh porcini. And we are still working on our jamon de pata negra.

GeneMachine · October 26, 2012

Looking at all these incredible multi-dimensional extraordinary creations, I feel a little timid to post my dinner tonight.
In doing my archeological excavation of my freezer trying to find things to demonstrate the use of vegetable plastic bags for freezer use, I discovered a lot of old odds and ends leftovers. I hate throwing food away, so dinner tonight was petrified historic freezer food discoveries.
dcarch
Tofu with truffle oil
Re-baked leftover pizza and deep fried cod
Couscous, Tapioca and radish

Good Lord, and that is just a leftover presentation. dcarch, your plating skills leave me afraid to touch a plate any more...

Send me that Tofu picture in high resolution, and it goes straight up on my wall in a decent frame. :smile:

rod rock · October 26, 2012

Dcarch is maestro, i like this style - simple, delicious and good looking food!

C. sapidus · October 26, 2012

Norm: Beautiful brisket!

It is a daily pleasure to see everyone’s creations here.

Fried shrimp po’ boy: Three-station prep for the shrimp: 1) flour mixed with Cajun seasoning; 2) egg wash; 3) flour and corn meal. Deep-fry the shrimp and serve on lightly broiled Italian rolls with Cajun mustard, mayo, bread and butter pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and Tapatio hot sauce. Avocado slices available if desired. Quoth younger son: “I don’t like shrimp but this was good stuff.”

First time making po’ boys but not the last. Do any po’ boy experts have suggestions for improvement?

No Cajun seasoning or Cajun mustard in the house, so we consulted the internet and mixed some up. Also fried up the last of the green tomatoes, using the same breading as the shrimp.