Dinner! 2004

[helenjp]

Birthday dinner menu selected by now-12 year old son:

Lamb chops on rocket leaves (now sheep are definitely prey I decided after one stood on my foot and was either too stupid or too evil to get off. At least a cow will move if you yell and twist its ear...).

Packet gravy (big luxury here, saved for grand occasions!)

Green beans

Roast potatoes served with tarako-butter (salted cod roe mixed with softened butter)

"Runway Birthday Cake" -- almond torte with grated chocolate and finely ground coffee, baked in a loaf pan and layered with a little raspberry jam and a chocolate ganache, and covered with a soft white chocolate ganache; runway markings marked on with a chocolate pen (refering to my work books -- I translate aviation safety material), and topped with a chocolate Airbus A310 brought back from Schiphol airport!

Oddly, younger son chose an all-Japanese menu, though similarly old-fashioned, for his birthday a couple of weeks back.

[torakris]

Had a very busy Sunday, finally got a round to planting my cranberry bushes and I also pulled my yuzu, sudachi and kumquat trees out of their planters and put them into a nice sunny part of the backyard. I also finally pulled down the remains of my various tomato and pepper plants......

THEN I tackled the kids bedroom and ended up with 3 bags of trash, so I wasn't really in a mood for cooking dinner.

Chicken wings simmered in a rice vinegar-soy-sugar-garlic-ginger sauce with hard boiled eggs, burdock root (gobo) and broccoli, served a top Japanese rice

I did find time to make some double chocolate cookies for dessert though....

[GordonCooks]

Our Bi-Monthly Sunday Dinner party had an Asian Flair

"Egg Three ways"

Egg Drop soup Shooter with Shitakes and Oxtail broth

White Truffle Egg Custard with caviar

Liquid Egg yolk wonton over oxtail ragout and sage brown butter

Seared Scallop over Cucumber Salad with Fennel and Apple

Strawberry Balsamic Gelatin

Chilean Sea Bass with Black Bean Sauce over buckwheat noodles

BBQ Pork Tenderloin over Hot Asian Slaw

Lemon Coconut Rice pudding with macadamia brittle

Wine Notes Here

Edited February 9, 2004 by GordonCooks (log)

[bleudauvergne]

I cannot believe how wonderful the above food looks! Scallops!! What's that sauce? Fish with black bean sauce. Hmmm.

Last week I had some chinese students over to make dumplings in a belated New Year celebration. This got me thinking about ravioli, the kind you find in Italy. So the other night I had some sausages in the fridge, and went to les halles looking for ricotta. The Italian supplier said it was a cheese I would have to special order since it comes fresh. So I went through the fromagiers and chose a soft fresh chevre instead. I tried the sausage, chevre, some spices including a mix of paprika, spanish pepper, oregano, salt & pepper, and a dash of nutmeg (none hot) with wilted fresh spinach in flat ravioli wrappers made from my jiaozi dough recipe (water and flour). They turned out nice. My husband suggested trying exactly the same thing using a soft sliced Italian ham like spek or parma. I am on a mission tonight to get some.

-Lucy

Edited February 9, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[GordonCooks]

I cannot believe how wonderful the above food looks! Scallops!! What's that sauce? Fish with black bean sauce. Hmmm.

Which one? The black bean sauce?

I use fermented black beans with a little chicken stock, dashi, fish sauce, onions, and simmer it with some pork and reduce it. Remove the pork and food process it. I use it like a condiment because it can be pretty overpowering.

[Toliver]

Last night:

Buffalo thighs (instead of wings) using two different hot wing sauces I had in the cupboard (a New Year's resolution to use up the sauces and condiments I have bulging forth from my cupboards). One was a Justin Wilson Wing Sauce which is similar to the well known Tabasco recipe wing sauce and the other was Stubb's Wicked Chicken Wing Sauce which is more barbecue sauce-based. I marinated the the thighs in two different Ziploc bags then roasted the chicken. I thought the Stubbs was the far better sauce and had more of a "kick" to it.

Accompanied by roasted cauliflower and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

[tastykimmie]

Last night was a wonderful dinner party with my daughter and her significant other:

bbq ribs, medium well steak, fried chicken, fried chicken livers, brussel sprouts, greens, corn, mashed taters/gravy, meatloaf (not too good)

After eating that food, i barely watched the Grammys!!

[laurel]

Another ski trip, to Mt Hood, Oregon. Dinner for 19:

Culturally Ambiguous Wrapped Food:

Wrappings:

Corn, White Flour, and Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Lettuce Leaves

Nori

Spring Roll Wrappers

Fillings:

Homemade Smoked Salmon

Hoisin Chicken

Sauteed Shrimp

Marinated Tofu

Homemade Queso Blanco

Black Beans

Beer Braised Mustard Greens and Kale

Roasted Squash, Parsnips, Cauliflower, and Broccoli

Falafel

Hummus

Homemade Yogurt

Shredded Cabbage

Avocado

Cucumber

Pico de Gallo

Peanut Sauce

Thai Basil

Arugula

Cilantro

Rice

[Susan in FL]

Last night, Chincoteague oysters three ways...

Raw, dipped in white wine-vinegar-shallot-black pepper sauce

Steamed, dipped in melted Lurpak and Plugra butters (we did a taste comparison)

Baked, after shucking and placing the oyster on a bed of steamed savoy cabbage in the shell, and covering with a reduction/cream sauce made from the liquor, and after baking topped with golden whitefish caviar

[reesek]

mediterranean...whatnot.

composed plate - chunk of feta with garden oregano, roasted and marinated peppers (garlic, shallots, balsamic & rice vinegar, olive oil, serrano chilies & pepper) carmelized onion & roasted cauliflower cous cous, braised white beans, tuna with olive oil, lemon, salt and parsley.

to drink a barossa shiraz. i'm in love with barossa.

[torakris]

Hate to follow all of these gorgeous meals...

Monday night:

I found a gorgeous block of Japanese beef at an incredible price so I seared in in my griddle pan, till it was still 90% raw then I thinly sliced in and placed it on a bed of finely julienned daikon and topped with ponzu, voila! beef tataki

A miso soup with various root vegetables, daikon, carrots, gobo and konnyaku and chopped Japanese leeks eaten with some yuzu-koshou (green chile and yuzu paste)

Japanese rice

[Jason Perlow]

Chicken Marsala with rice "a la roni" style and mesclun salad.

[Jinmyo]

Very broad fresh egg noodles with petit pois (from frozen), assorted diced peppers, lemon, and garlic confit.

Tomato bisque with a parmesan crisp.

Sautéed rapini with Romano beans and black-eyed peas marinated in balsamico and mirin.

Black and green olives and Lebanese cucumber slices in lime and sage.

Crostini with melted tallegio.

(Vegetarian fare for 35)

[adoxograph]

Shrimp Gumbo (roux, file) on rice, with a crust of sourdough for mopping up.

I'm starting to notice distinct correlations between "Today's active topics" and my dinner plans.

Although I'd love to have your leftovers for dinner tomorrow, Jinmyo. :)

[Susan in FL]

Hate to follow all of these gorgeous meals...

Your meals always look and/or sound wonderful! Please don't feel bad about following anything.

I am happy to have the opportunity to share my successes in the kitchen on this thread and post the pictures, and I thank you all for that. Photographing food is a new fun thing for me.

Tonight I had the best outcome ever for cooking involtini or braciole. I used Marcella's recipe for Involtini di Vitello from Marcella Cucina. I took some photos of the work in progress. With it I served a side of pasta aglio e olio and a salad of cucumber, tomatoes, sweet onions and kalamata olives over mixed baby greens.

[Toasted]

I'm just going to add this so that people like me who aren't good cooks all the

time won't be afraid to post.

Well, I burnt the hell out of dinner and had to order out pizza again!

I was going to make a wonderful pasta dish with toasted penne

and broccoli but I burnt the penne and then the garlic and even the

broccoli because I didn't put enough water in the pot.

The pizza came, the kids ate it and now they're finally in bed. I have

all the pots soaking in the sink.

Sucks to be me.

[Jake]

I'm just going to add this so that people like me who aren't good cooks all the

time won't be afraid to post.

Well, I burnt the hell out of dinner and had to order out pizza again!

I was going to make a wonderful pasta dish with toasted penne

and broccoli but I burnt the penne and then the garlic and even the

broccoli because I didn't put enough water in the pot.

The pizza came, the kids ate it and now they're finally in bed. I have

all the pots soaking in the sink.

Sucks to be me.

We've ALL done it at one time or another. I popped a roast chicken with herbs and lemon in the oven last week. Went downstairs and started doing some work, got involved in a couple phone calls for same. 2 HOURS LATER -- remembered the damn chicken (could smell it burning by now!) so much for dinner. Ended up with cheese, bread and a lot of wine.

[pcarpen]

monday: grilled veggie cuban sandwich.

inspired by the veggie cubano at chez henri in cambridge, MA. grilled zucchini, eggplant, red onions, roasted red and yellow peppers, swiss cheese, and what truly gives it that zing, cornichons and yellow mustard. brushed with olive oil (instead of the traditional butter) and pressed on our panini press.

[Priscilla]

What a lovely string of meals.

Last evening, crab cakes with meat from Saturday's cracked Dungeness. A judiciously considered hit of minced jalapeno in there along with the usual suspects, and panko on the outside.

Served hotly on beautiful butter lettuce from the guy at the farmer's market who sometimes has butter lettuce among his varieties, with teriyaki mayonnaise drizzled over.

The dread Korbel Brut Rose sparkling.

[flybottle]

Late Monday Night: wildly inauthentic Chicago dogs. Note the conspicuous absence both of tomatoes and of poppy seed buns.

[sequim]

Late Monday Night: wildly inauthentic Chicago dogs. Note the conspicuous absence both of tomatoes and of poppy seed buns.

mmm, forgot to mention that weirdly green relish they put on too. I miss Chicago dogs.

[Toasted]

monday: grilled veggie cuban sandwich.

inspired by the veggie cubano at chez henri in cambridge, MA. grilled zucchini, eggplant, red onions, roasted red and yellow peppers, swiss cheese, and what truly gives it that zing, cornichons and yellow mustard. brushed with olive oil (instead of the traditional butter) and pressed on our panini press.

That looks so good. Did you use the panini maker to grill the veggies?

I've been told you can do that.

[torakris]

Tuesday dinner:

sort of a take on the chicken and rice recipe form Best Recipe, but I used Basmati rice, swordfish (instead of chicken) and added lots of black olives and lemon juice.

dessert:

chocolate mint ice cream bars

[Rachel Perlow]

I put my recipe for Chicken Marsala in RecipeGullet.

Also, I entered my recipe for eggplant cutlets that I make to use in Eggplant Parmesan or Moussaka.

[Susan in FL]

Pasta with red clam sauce made from fresh chowder clams, garlicky, using pancetta in the base

Caesar salad

Chianti