Dinner! 2004

[torakris]

Friday dinner

sanma (saury pike) simmered for over an hour so that the bones become soft and are able to be eaten. This was delicious beyond words..........

turnip pickles with yuzu and konbu (kelp), these are homemade

turnip greens sauteed with miso, sugar and sesame oil, this is eaten like furikake

shirasu (baby sardines) cooked with a little soy and mirin and a handful of sesame seeds, this also was eaten like furikake

eryngii mushroom soup, kombu broth with soy and mirin for seasoning with green onions and white pepper

Japanese rice

[Mayhaw Man]

Sushi of various sorts made with ingredients fresh from the Gulf. Tuna came off a boat in Venice, LA last night. Crab came out of lake Pontchatrain this morning.

It is my oldest birthday and we usually go out for sushi, but he asked me if I would make it for him (I was honored and thrilled, believe me a teenager asking if you would do anything besides give him money is a thrill). I made a ton of rolls (I like sashimi best and ate a bunch, but the boys like rolls and they are filling so I don't mind doing it and I have all the gear as a friend picks it up when his ship is in Japan).

Spicy Tuna Rolls

Tuna Sashimi

Crab and Tuna Dynamite Rolls

Spicy Crab Crunchy Roll (I made tempura asparagus so I could have crunchies)

Big, Giant Roll with lots of stuff

Smoked Salmon from Norway in a roll with avacado and salmon roe

I still can't get pictures to load to egullet, so just go to the image station page below if you want to see my work

Birthday Meal

[torakris]

Mayhaw man

that sushi looks delicious!!

[Mayhaw Man]

Mayhaw man

that sushi looks delicious!!

Torakris,

It may seem funny to the both of us, but the tuna I used is the same stuff (literally) that you could go to that giant fish market in Tokyo and buy in the morning. Almost all of it is shipped out of Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans (if it is deemed worthy by the Japanese guys tha hang around and buy it) and overnighted to Japan. Some beautiful yellow fin comes out of the mouth of the river this time of year.

I love making that stuff. It is somehow very satisfying and sho nuff good to eat

[Susan in FL]

Mayhaw Man, I enjoyed your post and the photo. Nice! I have an appreciation of one's children, especially when they're teenagers, requesting something like that, instead of money LOL.

Yesterday my son turned 25. I still love it when he visits now and requests some of my "signature dishes." I also love it that he doesn't ask for money anymore.

Just want to mention to you, too, Torakris, that I always look forward to reading your dinner posts, and everybody's. I really like this thread. Thanks!

[Mayhaw Man]

Mayhaw Man, I enjoyed your post and the photo. Nice! I have an appreciation of one's children, especially when they're teenagers, requesting something like that, instead of money LOL.

Oh no, don't misunderstand. He IS a teenager. He definitely asked for money.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, lovely cheese souffle, made with sharp Irish cheddar in a new-to-me Villeroy & Boch souffle dish.

(I can't remember the last time I made a souffle in something other than the perfection of my pale-pink glazed Emile Henry souffle dish, but I just acquired this V&B one and thought I'd take it out for a spin.) The V&B performed adequately, but there's just something mysterious and wonderful about that Emile Henry clay.

On the side the last of the beet greens braised in cream. Frenchy-french baguette. The dread Korbel Brut rose.

[Malawry]

Crisp and Juicy chicken from the expanded Rockville location, extra sauces (spicy of course)

Salad

[Susan in FL]

Mayhaw Man, I enjoyed your post and the photo.  Nice!  I have an appreciation of one's children, especially when they're teenagers, requesting something like that, instead of money LOL.

Oh no, don't misunderstand. He IS a teenager. He definitely asked for money.

I'm with you... I should have said, "besides" asking for money, in place of "instead" of asking for money.

The intention for Thursday's dinner was sliced cabbage and leeks, sauteed in goose fat, seasoned with savory, salt and pepper, with roasted chestnuts thrown in at the end, to go with pan broiled pork chops. However, I got the bright idea of shaking on some coarse ground pepper rather than freshly grinding it, and the lid was not on tightly, and the whole can fell into it. It would have been so good, but it was inedible. So we ate the pork chops and then ordered a pizza delivery.

Yesterday I bought a new pepper grinder. Last night we ate out. Tonight my husband is going to make Steak au Poivre!

Edited January 10, 2004 by Susan in FL (log)

[SethG]

Friday night:

Maddhur Jaffrey's chicken in onion sauce,

fried egplant triangles with Indian spices,

and basmati.

I love this thread too, Susan in FL. It's my favorite. I get to post what I'm learning about and see so many more experienced people's ideas.

[SiseFromm]

Roasted Whole Red Snapper with Lemon and Herbs

The Japanese/Hawaiian market Marukai in Costa Mesa carries a stunningly beautiful selection of fresh fish, including whole and sashimi-grade. The Blue Fin Toro looked like it would have melted in my mouth, and at $60 per pound, I would expect it to. I picked up a couple of bright-eyed Snapper, cleaned them, stuffed the cavities with herbs and lemon and roasted them whole with generous glugs of spicy olive oil. Very rustic.

[torakris]

Saturday Dinner:

pork and garlic-onion sausages braised with sauerkraut

potatoes and onions roasted with duck fat (I wated to cook these a little longer to get them more crunchy but the kids were starving )

garbanzo beans and carrots with a blue cheesse dressing (leftover from 2 nights ago)

Russian black bread (homemade ) with lots of onion and caraway

[zennenn]

Last night I made

braised chicken from A New Way to Cook - wonderful. I used thyme and juniper berries, sherry and pinot grigio.

egg noodles

roasted cauliflower and broccoli (thank you EGullet!!)

pear and cranberry crumble

This was a dinner I brought to the home of good friends who just had their first baby. They were thrilled to not have to cook, and it was wonderful to see the baby.

I find this thread to be an inspiration, too.

Edited for really bad grammar, and it's not much improved.

Edited January 11, 2004 by zennenn (log)

[bloviatrix]

Last night/shabbat dinner was:

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Chicken slathered in dijon mustard, dredged in seasoned bread crumbs and baked

Kasha Varniskes

Sauted Green Beans with garlic and toasted sesame oil

Red Grapes

Cotes du Rhone to drink

Today, shabbat lunch for 3 was a hearty meal for freezing weather:

Spinach salad with a tomato vinagrette

Short-Ribs braised in an ancho chili coffee sauce

Kasha Varniskes

Savory Pumpkin Pie

Chocolate Mousse

Alfasi Valle de Maule Merlot '01 (Chile)

[jackal10]

My Birthday. Duck four ways (Atkins friendly)

Duck pate (foie gras, duck, shallots) rolled in savoy cabbage leaves

Champagne

Consomme Viveur (upmarket Borscht - duck, beetroot, celery, with parsley and onion quenelles)

Leg and thighs boned and stuffed served on wilted salad with confit tomatoes, mushrooms, caramelised apple slices, aged balsamic

1996 Nuit St George, Bernard Ambroise, Cuvee Veille Vignes

Duck breast roasted, with Rumtopf fruits jelly, roasted cauliflower, sprouts, carrots, onion cream

Lemon Syllabub

Molten Chocolate Fondant, Mocha cream anglais

2000 Paradise Ranch Okanagan Merlot Icewine

Cheese

Coffee etc

I've taken lots of photos etc but *@!* image gullet won't now let me upload them, saying I have too many....help!

Edited January 11, 2004 by jackal10 (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Jackal10-Wow. What a meal and belated happy birthday to you. Best wishes for the coming year.

Saturday Night-Birthday dinner for twelve 14 year old boys, all of whom spent the night. It went very well and we only had one pucture wound (a hand, minor, no stitches required) and a broken finger (my 11 year old, playing with the big boys has it's price ). Mostly they just watched stupid movies and acted cool. If I hear the word "dude" in the next 24 hours I am going to hurt someone. It is the single most overused word in the 14 year old dialect. "Dude, I can't stand you saying Dude anymore, Dude!"

Pork Ribs (low and slow over pecan) 4 1/2 hour cooking time. Tender and delicious

BBQ'd Brisket (not Kreuz Market, but really good) Cooked for 6 1/2 hours on pit

Pomme Frites (fried outside on my swell frying set up in order to keep from messing up whole kitchen)

Crunchy Cole Slaw (trite I know, but really good and the kids eat it)

Chocolate Pound Cake with Coca Cola Chocolate/Pecan Icing (hey, what can I say? It was a kid request. They love that stuff)

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (custard based, whole bean vanilla, none left, it was awesome)

Edited because I still can't type

[Marlene]

Tonight will be simple. A beef fondue, with a crisp green salad. Maybe french onion soup. And something chocolately made with my belgian chocolate. Probably a mousse.

[joiei]

for tonite, a simple beef stew and spinach salad with a garlic yogurt dressing

[Priscilla]

Wow your duck four ways was just sumptuous, Jackal, and I will add another belated happy b.d. MM, I think your bbq menu was simply world class.

Last evening, nostalgia reigned. Homemade fresh pasta, wide ribbons, not papardelle-wide but wider than most fettucine, with gorgonzola cream sauce very slightly changed over the years from Marcella Hazan's archetype in her first book. Really good -- there is nothing like fresh pasta.

Lovely big old chopped salad, a dish which for me has strong associations with the cuisine of 15 years or so ago -- cucumber, tomato, onion gentled in milk, blanched skinny asparagus, the pale hearts of three beautiful heads of Romaine, and mortadella with pistachios instead of the proscuitto or salami one'd see in the aforementioned past. All chopped to size, less than 1/2" but nowhere near 1/4". Nice olive oil/lemon vinaigrette with a touch of mustard. A treat! Maybe I ought get nostalgic more often.

Frenchy-french skinny ficelles from the Vietnamese baker, salty Kerrygold butter.

Yet more Rosemont Grenache/Shiraz, earning its modest keep.

[torakris]

Sunday dinner:

a handful of pistachios and some water,

the kids had Mac and cheese

we had a huge buffet lunch and wasn't really hungry......

[Jake]

Osso buco

fresh pasta

sauteed spinach

Served with a 1993 Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina

[hillvalley]

Meatball in tomato sauce over polenta

Homemade chicken soup

[Jinmyo]

Soft poached quail egg on a salad of Chinese black moss and escarole with sauteed chanterelles and porcini.

Wild mushroom bisque (much cream) with frizzled leek strips atop.

Seared scallop with poblano cream on a spoonful of somen noodles.

Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, turnips, carrots, and onions topped with salmon roe.

Shattered chicken thighs (roasted with an ancho rub, pulled off the bones) with caramelized red cabbage.

Cheese course (mostly chevre) with garlic tuiles.

edit:

Forgot about the green chile oil spattered around the opening salad.

Edited January 12, 2004 by Jinmyo (log)

[Marlene]

Oil based beef tenderloin fondue, with onions, peppers and tomatoes for cooking as well. Crisp salad with balsamic vinigrette dressing, baked potatoes, french bread with parmesan garlic dipping oil.

Dessert, individual chocolate babycakes.

[suzilightning]

jackal - one word - wow

tonight - after 5 hours in the cold doing a christmas bird count had

organic, free range capon roasted

salad of red and green leaf lettuce with pink grapefruit and a vinagrette

roasted yam

roasted melange of broccoli, asparagus, white turnip and yukon gold potatoes

friday was bread, blue cheeses, salad and potato soup

saturday was the beef with orange flavor from the latest cooking light - modified with more grand manier, honey, water chestnuts and asparagus tips