Dinner! 2004

[VicVegas]

I have copied and pasted this post from another board I frequent. The response was low, so I figured I'd take it from a strategy game forum to one concentrating on cooking. In no way, shape or form am I a kitchen expert. I'm just a guy that likes to muck about with food. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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So, I've now done two amazing dinners in a row at home. I will describe the first one. I bought a 3.3 pound pork tenderloin and cut it into 3 roughly equal sizes. I put 2 in the freezer and soaked one in a white wine (cheap), mustard seed, rosemary, fresh cracked pepper (black, white, green, red) and sea salt marinade. I prepped the meat by stabbing it a dozen or so times on each side, so the marinade would soak in further. I let this soak for 2 days, turning every 12 hours. I skewered (after the bamboo skewers soaked in water for 25 minutes) red bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatos, squash and some dried, shiitake mushrooms that were soaked for 30 minutes in a mixture of water and, Australian red wine (expensive). I peeled and nuked 3 smallish potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes then mashed them up with a mixture of melted butter, milk, 1 egg and the last of my tube of wasabi paste. Oh yes! Can't forget the garlic, fresh cracked pepper, and sea salt. I just used a garlic powder, as we bought a ton of it on sale, much cheaper than fresh garlic. I'm skipping ahead... before doing the skewers and mashed potatoes, I fired up my tiny grill-for-two and made sure to lay down a generous supply of mesquite woodchips (soaked in water for a while) on top of the hot charcoal. I took the pork loin out of the marinade and cut a huge slit on the non-fatty side, into which I put 6 cloves of fresh garlic and about 1/5 of a white onion, chopped into garlic clove sizes. (I couldn't fit any more, as it was a tiny, 1 pound loin. Originally I wanted to put the mushrooms into it as well... but there just wasn't room.) I tied some kitchen twine around the loin to keep the contents from spilling out. That puppy was slapped on the hot, smokey grill and cooked for 20 minutes, then turned over, cooked for another 20 minutes, at which point I put my skewers and green onions on the grill (NOTHING like green onions on the grill) and my mashed potatoes in the oven at 200 degrees Farenheit. When everything was finished we had a feast like no other! We watched 'American Movie' while dining. A movie I had seen before, but appreciated yet again.

So, that is the first of my one-two punch dinner combo. Sorry the picture quality is low. It was quite dark and I couldn't see to focus the camera, and I was using flash. I despise flash.

I noticed that these two dinners that were excellent both had themes running throughout. Now, I've always had a cooking philosophy that deals with tying all the dishes together. Perhaps through using 1 spice in all the dishes (to varying degrees, and naturally with different spice accompaniments). This dish had a theme that involved preparation, as did the second dish which will not be revealed today. This dinner involved soaking. Not only did I soak 2 of the ingredients (mushrooms, pork loin) but also 2 of the cooking implements (bamboo skewers, mesquite wood chips). I believe that due to this, in part, the individual components of the meal meshed together very well. Or maybe that is the hippy in me. :P The second meal involved lots of chopping. Mmmmmm!

vV

www.vicvegas.com

[get in my belly]

:blushthis is my first post and am soooo happy to have stummbled upon this shucker in a pile of oysters im a professional cook and culinar i dont cook at home offten and when i do i go all out . if you spend 100 at the market you can eat very well. the last thing i cooked at home was a chicken and hummus wrap , i went to a local medetaranian market and bought all the supplies these really big flat breads whole wheat sooo good . well cant wait to smack thoughts around with you good people much love

get in my belly

[Jinmyo]

Welcome to both VicVegas and gimb.

[markk]

Stuffed duck neck, cooked just like duck confit, then seared, crisped and sliced.

That looks and sounds great! Can I ask you for ALL the details - what did you stuff it with, where did you get enough duck fat to confit it in, where did you get the duck neck, where did you get the inspiration - all those things?? Thanks!!!

[FoodMan]

Stuffed duck neck, cooked just like duck confit, then seared, crisped and sliced.

That looks and sounds great! Can I ask you for ALL the details - what did you stuff it with, where did you get enough duck fat to confit it in, where did you get the duck neck, where did you get the inspiration - all those things?? Thanks!!!

I am glad you liked it. It was fabulous. The recipe is Paula Wolfert’s from her “Cooking of South West France” book.

The filling was made from duck thigh/leg meat, pork, good liver pate, shallots, and some spices.

I render my own duck fat. I save all scraps and skin pieces from any duck I buy and simply render it down and freeze it.

As for the duck neck, my local Asian market sells whole ducks with neck, head and feet intact. So I buy a whole one and butcher it myself. The neck skin is very easy to remove in one piece from the neck and used like a sausage casing. I also stuffed the thigh/leg skin pieces. Actually if you look at the picture carefully, you’ll notice the slices on the right side are more perfect, these are from the actual duck neck skin, the ones to the left of the screen look a little more rugged, these are from the leg/thigh skin pieces.

Elie

[Susan in FL]

ok, this was dinner a few days ago but I never got to downloading the picture:

Stuffed duck neck, cooked just like duck confit, then seared, crisped and sliced. Served with sauteed potatoes and peppers. So so good, it is worth all the work.

Leftovers made a wonderful lunch cold with crusty homemade bread and Dijon mustard.

That looks good! I had never heard of stuffing a duck neck. I surely would be interested if I had some necks on hand.

I too am posting from a few days ago, but this time I have no good excuse.

In Orlando Friday we stopped at a specialty food store and bought some USDA prime strip steaks for like $26./pound and a good bottle of Stag's Leap Cabernet. We're usually so disappointed in supermarket steaks that we've decided to eat them less often and buy the good stuff. These were wonderful, well worth it. So Saturday night we made them part of a "classic" steak dinner, with snails in a traditional garlic butter sauce cooked in our new snail-mold-thingies as a first course; truffled mashed potatoes and mushrooms with the steak; salad: a wedge of iceberg lettuce with homemade blue cheese dressing, set on top of mixed baby greens and garnished with cherry tomatoes and pine nuts; and to finish off the last bit of that Cabernet, some good chocolate.

Our 4th of July feast was Mojitos, Kobe burgers, various Usinger's hot dogs, sweet corn risotto, coleslaw, green bean and fresh mint salad, and red wine.

Monday's dinner was unremarkable and last night was dinner out. But tonight.... Usinger's fresh brats, grilled!

[hillvalley]

Squashblossoms stuffed with creme freche and salmon caviar

[reesek]

Squashblossoms stuffed with creme freche and salmon caviar

that is freaking gorgeous.

ok - these are from the weekend.

wolfert's roasted scallops with pancetta, chestnuts and mushrooms

and her fruit terrine with almond cream

[Behemoth]

But tonight.... Usinger's fresh brats, grilled!

I am really craving meat right now. It's kind of disturbing. I am stuck with eggs & cereal because I'm trying to clean out the fridge but as soon as that plane lands in Hamburg I am getting a big fat Thüringer bratwurst, dammit!

Reesek, that is a very pretty terrine.

[curlywurlyfi]

a happy weeknight discovery of Ken Hom's recipe for quick-fried pork mince with Thai red curry paste, lots of garlic, lots of chopped basil. served with basmati. Really delicious (I was livid when my dining companion scraped the last of it onto his plate without asking me if I would like any more). Not larb, but really good.

[clb]

a happy weeknight discovery of Ken Hom's recipe for quick-fried pork mince with Thai red curry paste, lots of garlic, lots of chopped basil. served with basmati. Really delicious (I was livid when my dining companion scraped the last of it onto his plate without asking me if I would like any more). Not larb, but really good.

Which book, curlywurlyfi? Is the recipe online anywhere? Sounds fantastic...

clb

[curlywurlyfi]

Which book, curlywurlyfi?  Is the recipe online anywhere?  Sounds fantastic...

clb, it was Ken Hom Cooks Thai and if I can find the instructions I will make it into an Amazon clicky linky. if you like I can PM you the recipe (slightly adapted by me)?

Ken Hom Cooks Thai

(edit to add Amazon link) (I hope)

Edited July 8, 2004 by curlywurlyfi (log)

[Varmint]

An overly busy salad of watercress, cucumber, fava, morel, sea beans and squid with a roasted tomato and garlic vinaigrette. For dessert, peach-raspberry cobbler with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

[clb]

Which book, curlywurlyfi?  Is the recipe online anywhere?  Sounds fantastic...

clb, it was Ken Hom Cooks Thai and if I can find the instructions I will make it into an Amazon clicky linky. if you like I can PM you the recipe (slightly adapted by me)?

Ken Hom Cooks Thai

(edit to add Amazon link) (I hope)

Ooh, a PMd curlyHom recipe would be lovely. Thanks.

clb

[eunny jang]

A weensy 3-pound chicken, roasted in nothing but its own rosemary-stuffed, salted skin. The seasoned bird was put uncovered in the fridge for a couple hours before cooking, which I think really helped dry the surface and crisp the skin.

I made a roasted garlic and red pepper flake puree, and briefly considered slathering it on the chicken for the last few minutes of roasting, but decided I'd rather eat crispy skin. Instead, a couple tablespoons of it were frizzled in oil before adding blanched broccolini spears. Squeeze of lemon; sprinkle of Asiago, green vegetable done.

A generously oiled, winey orzo pilaf with candy-sweet oven baked grape tomatoes, wilted spinach, and shallots.

Later, when no one was looking, I (shame, shame) ate the salty, crunchy scrapings from the roasting pan.

Oh, and I ate the gizzard of the chicken, salted and peppered, as a little treat-for-the-cook snack before my boyfriend arrived.

[Basilgirl]

Johnsonville Smoked Brats with a made on the fly sauerkraut, spicy mustard, little ketchup, celery & caraway seed topping, on buttered toasted potato rolls with Swiss. Wavy Lay's. Sierra Nevadas.

Yum.

[markk]

I saw some beautiful Grouper fillets in the Shop Rite and baked them with slices of lemon and red onion and some fresh herbs and garlic under parchment:

in the pan:

a serving on the plate:

accompanied by roast red potatoes and steamed asparagus:

Edited July 9, 2004 by markk (log)

[hillvalley]

Percitelli (a hollow spaghetti) with sautéed golden tomato, garlic, basil and Parmesan cheese.

[FL Heat]

Have to start somewhere, right?

Pecan-crusted chicken with a drizzle of honey, baked sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon & honey, and a salad of greens, couterier cheese, and pecans, with a honey-mustard vinagrette.

And many thanks to everyone who's posted in this thread. As a long-time lurker, I got so many great ideas for menus & presentations. It's awfully satisfying to have friends say, "That's so pretty!" and then follow that with, "And SO good!"

Diana

[Susan in FL]

Welcome, Diana! Where in the heat of FL are you?

[eunny jang]

a serving on the plate:

accompanied by roast red potatoes and steamed asparagus:

Beautiful!

Last night, I made a pie with the previous night's leftover roast chicken, peas, pearl onions, and some stock I had knocking around in the back of the freezer. Silly thing to make in the middle of summer, I know, but it was what we were both in the mood for. It had a bottom crust of plain pie dough, and a top crust rolled out from my first attempt at puff pastry - it turned out really well, buttery and flaky and crisp.

Roasted cauliflower and garlicky spinach and tomatoes on the side.

We turned the air way, way down and pretended it was winter

[tastykimmie]

bbq country pork ribs and fresh kale washed down with a ice cold brew!!!

[FL Heat]

In St Pete, Susan :) We get over to your side of the coast to visit the boyfriend's family in Melbourne sometimes.

Tonight's dinner was ginger-glazed pork chops and snow peas with garlic. Had to be fast, someone wanted to ride his motorcycle

Diana

[Jake]

In St Pete, Susan :) We get over to your side of the coast to visit the boyfriend's family in Melbourne sometimes.

Tonight's dinner was ginger-glazed pork chops and snow peas with garlic. Had to be fast, someone wanted to ride his motorcycle

Diana

Oooooh, now I know who's brain to pick in the fall! My parents have a place in St. Pete and we're always looking for good food choices when we go down to visit. They're pretty good at being adventurous with us, but let's just say that some of their restaurant picks have left us somewhat nonplussed.

[Jason Perlow]

Pan Seared Sea Scallops in a Beurre Noisette sauce with Mushroom Ravioli and Fresh Spinach