Dinner! 2003

[Jason Perlow]

Lobster Ravioli in butter sauce with sauteed sweet corn:

[jsolomon]

2 cheap hot dogs, spinach and sauteed sweet corn salad with thai chile sauce and fat free ranch dressing (left over from my roommate's girlfriend who just got voted off the island) and two bottles of Snake Dog IPA from Flying Dog Ales.

EDIT: Drank the beers before I ate the food... 2 is spelled two, not to.

Edited August 20, 2003 by jsolomon (log)

[SethG]

Am I the only one who posts when he/she had done an impressive dinner? C'mon. We have Mac & Cheese or taco salad on a regular basis. I'd defy anyone with kids to say otherwise.

In the spirit of Chad's remark:

Monday: made our backup roasted chicken-- just roast the sucker with rosemary, lemon and garlic.

Tuesday: leftovers

And as for tonight:

Larb!

Here's a photo, although you'll get no Perlow-esque pornographic close-ups from me:

And for my daughter:

I microwaved a potato;

Heated up some corn;

Heated up some Gerber ravioli (spinach and cheese)-- am I going crazy or are these ravioli disappearing from New York's supermarkets? My daughter loves them!

Shared with her some sliced turkey

Topped it off with blueberries and grapes

[KAPDADDY]

Mushroom and leek tarts

Garlic orange shrimp on a bed of cold buttered capellini

Cantaloupe fingers with a goat milk yogurt dip

Homemade Rice Krispie squares

[Elissa]

miro's catalan "festa calcotada" preparation for roasted scallions and roasted baby leeks to dip (with hands) in a salsa of roasted tomato, roasted garlic, chipotle and toasted almonds

matisse's fish soup: crabs mussels clams in a boil with melted tomato/onion/leek, solids discarded; to broth added new shellfish with saffron.

watercress salad

white rhone my guest brought

fruit with mint, ginger and zest

mixmaster: for Beverly Pepper's [blackout] lemon spaghetti: to hot oil and butter add a tin of anchovies til disolved; an onion minced, then zest of one and juice of two lemons. add pasta cooked (in water with a third, thickly sliced lemon) to the sauce, then some creme and reggiano, s n p. to serve: lemon skin strips (from lemon #2) and parsley chop. how does hazan differ?

Edited August 20, 2003 by lissome (log)

[torakris]

Weds night:

Last night was almost entirely from A new Way to Cook by Sally Schneider, recipes from the book are followed by page #'s

Chicken with garlic, thyme and olives (page 306) this calls for a whole chicken to be baked in foil with all of the other ingredients, I didn't have a whole chicken so I substituted cornish hens but the shorter cooking time meant that the garlic didn't get all nice and roasty . It was a great dish, very tender but not one I would serve for guests because of the pale look of the chicken.

Slow roasted tomatoes (page 38) these were wonderful!

Rosemary, lemon, and garlic focaccia (page 366) this was wonderful too but next time I will double up on the toppings and look forthe thinnest skinned lemon I can find

navy bean and cherry tomato salad, the beans were prepared by her method on page 92 and this is the best (most flavorful) beans I have ever had

sauteed green beans

[theminx]

Last night was  almost entirely from A new Way to Cook by Sally Schneider

Have you tried the slow-roasted duck from that book? Delish! Next time I make it (will have to be in the winter, as I can't bear to have the oven on for 5 hours at this time of year), I'll serve it Peking duck-style with plum sauce and scallion brushes.

As for my dinner: last night it was mediocre meatballs and spaghetti from a local Baltimore joint (although not in L'il It'ly). Tonight was curried chicken salad made from a supermarket roast chicken, Japanese mayo, McCormick's curry powder, and a good tablespoon of mango chutney. I was going to make some mango lassi to go with, but we had beer instead.

[Priscilla]

Last evening prepared Jacque Pepin's Mother's oeufs Jeanette. What a great dish! Served the warm sauteed stuffed halved eggs on a bed of nice butter lettuce, with the sauce drizzled over. Sourdough bread. Cold pink wine. Nice! Oh, chives rather than parsley, got a lotta chives out there, nodding, encouraging if not exhorting outright.

[SethG]

Tonight: leftover larb. Larb, larb, larb, where have you been all my life?

And I had a bunch of tomatoes bought before the blackout. Had to do something with them or pitch 'em, but had trouble coming up with something larb-complimentary. My Thai cookbook (Vatch) was at my office. So I made a stewed tomato recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. Came out very nice. Cumin and chiles matched with the larb lemongrass/lime/chiles thing. It wouldn't receive approval at the eGCI menu planning course, and I think going pan-asian is generally a mistake, but I didn't find it to be a problem. If I'd been smart or creative, I would've dropped the cumin from the tomatoes and added some lime leaves and a squirt of fish sauce. But I wasn't really thinking.

[torakris]

So I made a stewed tomato recipe from Madhur Jaffrey.  Came out very nice.

I have made this recipe quite a few times and love it!

I tend to make it when I have a lot of tomatoes just past their salad eating prime and don't feel like tomato sauce

[SethG]

So I made a stewed tomato recipe from Madhur Jaffrey.  Came out very nice.

I have made this recipe quite a few times and love it!

I tend to make it when I have a lot of tomatoes just past their salad eating prime and don't feel like tomato sauce

Exactly!

This was my first time making it, but I'll definitely come back to it.

And there's lots left over, Torakris. If you'll be in Brooklyn in the next few days, feel free to stop by!

[NeroW]

Black beans and rice.

Served the way I like them, with lots of vinegar.

[Chad]

Last night: grilled pork chops with a chunky tomato/basil vinegrette, wild rice, broccoli and corn muffins.

Tonight: Homemade macaroni and cheese. My wife is out of town, and when I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner tonight my 8-year-old gave the perennial "Mac & cheese" answer. Fine, but we're doing it my way . Real deal macaroni -- bechamel-based cheese sauce w/sharp cheddar and a little gruyere, penne noodles, a hit of cayenne and a little onion, the whole thing topped with buttered panko bread crumbs and baked.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, I'll slice the mac & cheese, bread it with more panko and fry it! Mmmmm.

Chad

edited for spelling of perennial -- perineal is something entirely different

Edited August 21, 2003 by Chad (log)

[FoodMan]

Chili Rellenos (sp?): Poblano peppers stuffed with a turkey and beef Picadillo, battered, fried and then baked. Topped with home made tomatillo salsa verde and shredded white farmers cheese. Served it with plain white rice and tortillas.

Dessert: Home made Mango-cardamom kulfi

FM

[FoodMan]

Tonight: Homemade macaroni and cheese. My wife is out of town, and when I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner tonight my 8-year-old gave the perennial "Mac & cheese" answer. Fine, but we're doing it my way . Real deal macaroni -- bechamel-based cheese sauce w/sharp cheddar and a little gruyere, penne noodles, a hit of cayenne and a little onion, the whole thing topped with buttered panko bread crumbs and baked.

Good for you!!! that's what I would do.

How did the kids like it ?

FM

[torakris]

Thursday dinner:

The first day of sun in Tokyo for 17 days! (and the 5th day of sun since the start of summer!)

so I spent the day doing laundry, including airing out the tent and washing and hanging out all the sleeping bags thus I didn't put any effort into dinner

chicken meatballs with satoimo (Japanese taro) and green beans in a dashi based sauce topped with some grated sudachi -- all 3 ingredients were frozen

julienned takuan with shiso and sesame seeds

cucumber sticks with miso-mayo dip

some sushi rice with fake crab, cucumbers, and takuan (leftover from lunch)

2 kinds of hiyayakko (couldn't decide which to do)

--mentaiko (spicy cod roe) with scallions and tamari

--scallions, myoga (ginger bud), with sudachi juice and tamari

3 prepared products

--katsuo-shiokara (bonito pickled in its own fermented guts)

--ika (squid) sashimi with an uni dressing

--mekabu (a type of slimy seaweed) with the eggs from the shisahamo fish

Japanese rice

[helenas]

mamster's pancetta embossed chicken: ( i skipped the step of cooking pancetta separately; just wrapped chicken thighs with it, and left outside for half an hour for gluing pancetta and chicken skin together.

oil-poached pluots salad from sfgate.com this week food section: instead of dressing in the recipe i used the poached oil (with coriander seeds from it for a nice crunch and flavor)

the dinner:

[SethG]

I've considered the pancetta chicken before, but these pictures... I can't stop staring. I must try it.

Anyway, I made shrimp risotto tonight (Thursday).

Incidentally, not with the risotto: had the rest of my Madhur Jaffrey stewed tomatoes and they were much better when they weren't competing with a Thai dish. They were pretty wonderful, actually-- I think they improved in the fridge. The cumin infused everything.

[torakris]

Incidentally, not with the risotto:  had the rest of my Madhur Jaffrey stewed tomatoes and they were much better when they weren't competing with a Thai dish.  They were pretty wonderful, actually-- I think they improved in the fridge.  The cumin infused everything.

God I love those tomatoes.................

[KAPDADDY]

black beans, yellow corn, salsa verde, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, s&p in a warm flour tortilla

frito pie

oreo sundae

[dumpling]

Went over to friends' house, and brought some brie, petits basques, and truffle mousse. My friends provided some delicious crisp grapes. We then had a delicious grilled London broil with beautiful even redness, accompanied by some fresh sweet corn. For dessert we had a tart tatin I made. I was disappointed with the tarte tatin. When I made it last it came out beautifully but I used apples. This time I used pears. The puff pastry really did not become flakey the second time although it had been beautiful the first. I think the pears may have had more water content than the apples. I think it didn't puff beause the toppping was too liquidy. Thoughts?

[Chad]

Tonight: Homemade macaroni and cheese. My wife is out of town, and when I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner tonight my 8-year-old gave the perennial "Mac & cheese" answer. Fine, but we're doing it my way . Real deal macaroni -- bechamel-based cheese sauce w/sharp cheddar and a little gruyere, penne noodles, a hit of cayenne and a little onion, the whole thing topped with buttered panko bread crumbs and baked.

Good for you!!! that's what I would do.

How did the kids like it ?

FM

Well, it wasn't great. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong. The sauce was a little thick, kind of grainy and slightly gummy. Flavor was good, but the dish was a textural horror.

I have a couple of possible culprits.

One, I was in a hurry. I'd forgotten that my 8-year-old's last swimming lesson was last night, so I had to rush despite having everything prepped ahead of time. My 13-year-old daughter was helping in the kitchen so I was explaining mise en place to her. Anyway, I rushed the roux. Butter was too hot, I think and the roux went way past blonde immediately. More of a pecan brown, actually.

Two, I made a paste of the other ingredients with the roux before adding the milk. This is a little backward from usual bechamel technique, but it's worked in the past. I added 1T powdered mustard, 1/2t paprika, 1/2t cayenne, a bay leaf and some kosher salt, made a thick paste then whisked in 3 cups of milk a little at a time. Dunno if this really makes a difference or not. Any experts out there?

Three, also in the interest of time I jacked up the heat on the sauce mixture, trying to get it to a simmer faster than it wanted to go. I may have gone overboard, but as I understand it, roux doesn't begin it's thickening until close to the boiling point. I pulled it off the heat before adding the cheese, but it may have been a bit hot, reducing the cheese to gummy string and liquid fat.

Four, my kids were deeply freaked out by white sharp cheddar. To them cheese must be traffic-cone orange or it's not cheese. So we used the Kroger brand medium cheddar I had on hand just in case. Perhaps this cheese has a weird melting point or just doesn't want to work in a sauce. I don't know. When in doubt, blame the ingredients .

Any insights or advice from the collective wisdom of eGullet?

Chad

[jglazer75]

Last night:

Chicken w/ Honey Mustard Sauce (honey, dill mustard, lots o' butter, leeks and garlic)

Rice.

In retrospect, the rice wasn't a very good idea. Probably should have gone w/ Sauteed potatoes or a pasta (fettucine, maybe??)

Tonight:

Steak w/ Bernaisse (sp?)

Angel Hair pasta

Misc veggies

[Priscilla]

Helena what a beeyootiful meal. Olive oil, for poaching the fruit?

Lessee, last evening Cubanesque sandwiches. Rolls I had made with bacon rendering as the fat component, leftover grilled glazed pork sirloin from the other night, Danola ham, dill pickles, Tillamook "Swiss" cheese, a little mayonnaise. Pressed a bit on the old griddle until meltinization occurred.

Little veg salad of those Belgian teensy peas & carrots that come in a glass jar, rinsed, drained, dressed with a very mustardy grapeseed oil vinaigrette with chopped chives in there.

[beanpod]

Apple Chicken Sauage

Homemade mashed Yukon Gold potatoes with butter, green scallions, horseradish and salt and pepper

Pass the potatoes please!!!