Dinner! 2004

[Pumpkin Lover]

Can't wait to see what you're able to eat tomorrow, Pumpkin Lover   

A bowl of utter sadness, homey.

[Jake]

Can't wait to see what you're able to eat tomorrow, Pumpkin Lover   

A bowl of utter sadness, homey.

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A cheeseburger is always a good remedy for anything that ails one!

[TheFoodTutor]

Don't stay up too late, everyone!

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Apparently, not only have I stayed up too late, but I may have lived too long.

Me, too.

Nice Laurie Anderson reference. It could be you, Squeat. It's a sky-blue sky.

I think I have Pumpkin Lover's bowl of sadness in front of me as well, but since I've also got the hormonal blues, I may need to fill it with some bread pudding or larb or tater tots. I'll think of something and get back to you.

[percyn]

First Course: Caviar with blinis, crème fraiche and boiled eggs.

Actually, I needed to use up some caviar and eggs I had boiled a few days ago (I think I got bit by Little Ms. Foodie's boil-your-eggs bug ). The bilinis were bought from Wegmans - handmade in Russia..simply heat..not bad.

Main Course: Greasy Pizza !! (What a combination with the first course )

Again, had to use up some saucisse de canard, so I cut them into little bits and heated them with the pizza...added a touch of class to maintain the thread with the first course

Eunny, congrats on the new job!! Did you take my advice and enter the food industry?

Cheers

Percy

P.S: I am listening to Anthony Bourdain's "A Cook's Tour" audio CD (multi-tasking) and he is describing his meal at the French Laundry....makes this a very blissful experience....

Edited November 4, 2004 by percyn (log)

[Milt]

Last evening I prepared two dishes from Cooking Light Five Star Recipes. We had Deviled Chicken Breasts - which are bonesless skinless chicken breasts coated with seasoned bread crumbs and simmered in white wine, mushrooms, green onions, and seasonings - covered with a sauce made of the skillet contents (less chicken breasts) plus lemon juice and honey mustard. We also had Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes and Corn which explains itself. I used cheese and garlic tortelloni, frozen whole kernel corn, the rest of our cherry and roma tomatoes, green onion, fresh basil and parmesan.

We enjoyed what is probably our last meal on our deck. It is raining today and the unseasonably warm weather is at an end. We will be back to seasonal norms by tomorrow and the first frost is predicted for the north Georgia mountains by the weekend.

[reesek]

last night was LARB

Monday:

i called it experimental ramen.

it was pretty good. if a shocking display of fusion - fresh egg noodles in a brown miso flavored dashi with fresh water chestnuts, chili paste, chinese cabbage, kimchi, mirin & scallions. topped with salmon & hamachi sashimi. kind of like taking SE asia and hucking it in a blender. i thought it worked though.

[ludja]

It is finally fall in Central TX! Good to have something to celebrate today.

Enjoyed warming up the house with the kitchen humming while preparing Rock Cornish Game Hen with Lemon-Garlic Sauce from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of South-West France.

...

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I hope Paula's Cornish Hen recipe is online somewhere; I don't have the cookbook. It looks so good. If I can't find it, I might be asking you to tell me about it...

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Definately worth getting the cookbook; I've cooked lots of wonderful dishes out of it. I'm pretty sure Wolfert is working on a new edition so you may want to wait for that though...

I had a great dinner tonight that I thought up in my little ole head ; it came out great so I decided to post even though I don't have a digital camera. (It was very pretty too...)

carrot soup

potato gnocchi with speck and zucchini sauce

green salad with lemon vinagrette

The new item was the sauce for the gnocchi. My mom had sent me some wonderful speck (Austrian double or triple cold smoked 'bacon' with plenty of lean. It needs no further cooking to eat and is delectable). Usually I just thinly slice it and eat with good rye bread, pickles, a boiled egg, some cheese, etc.

But for this dish I sauteed up a mirepoix with lots of onions and carrots in a butter/olive oil mix. Then added minced garlic and diced zucchini. A minute before serving I added in chopped parsley and thinly sliced and diced speck, then added in a little heavy cream and allowed it to thicken up a bit, salt & freshly ground pepper. Poured this over the gnocchi and added some freshly grated pecorino. (This would work well with pancetta or proscuitto bits as well).

It is delicious and reminded me in my imagination of something you might have in the mountains of Northern Italy or the southern parts of Switzerland or Austria (i.e. fusion of German and Italian cooking). I thought of Boris_A when eating this!

Edited November 5, 2004 by ludja (log)

[FoodMan]

Moussaka. I know the picture is not much to look at even though the dish was excellent, but I am so glad that my camera software is finally up and running that I had to test it.

[Behemoth]

Moussaka. I know the picture is not much to look at even though the dish was excellent, but I am so glad that my camera software is finally up and running that I had to test it.

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Greek! Heresy! Ha ha Looks very tasty, actually.

We had "grown up" grilled cheese and tomato soup: The soup was chickpea tomato rosemary, the sandwich was prosciutto & taleggio paninni. Looked really cool but I didn't feel like fussing with the camera, especially with the spouse hovering over the stove, waiting to be fed.

Edited November 5, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[designchick88]

Tonight:

Dredged some chicken breasts in flour with some seasonings and sauteed in some EVOO. Removed from pan and made a pan sauce with chopped garlic and portobello mushrooms(hubby's favorite).

Steamed some broccoli, baby carrots etc.

Had a salad on the side.

Wine: Ca d' Solo Big House Red - it's a great wine, very drinkable.

Nothing groundbreaking in the least, but it hit the spot tonight.

[tanabutler]

Can't wait to see what you're able to eat tomorrow, Pumpkin Lover   

A bowl of utter sadness, homey.

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A cheeseburger is always a good remedy for anything that ails one!

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I had a cheeseburger (with organic beef, as I've sworn off all beef unless I know the source to be reputable). It didn't help anything. I am shell-shocked.

Hearing the baby laugh helped so much, though. Babies are so good at the Be Here Now thing.

I didn't take photos of the burgers because, really, they're just pieces of oozing meat.

Edited November 5, 2004 by tanabutler (log)

[SeaGal]

Homemade mac and cheese: baked sharp cheddar and bechamel-type laced with pepper jack cheese and velveeta (I know, it's horrid, but it makes the mac and cheese velvety and creamy), fresh garlic and fresh butter soaked bread crumbs. on top.

Rotisserie chicken

Steamed broccolini with EVOO, lemon juice and kosher salt

Green leaf lettuce w/ green onions, hearts of palm, fennel, cucumber, lemon juice and EVOO.

Jan

[Susan in FL]

Moussaka. I know the picture is not much to look at even though the dish was excellent, but I am so glad that my camera software is finally up and running that I had to test it.

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I love the looks of that picture. Like Behemoth said, it looks tasty. And to quote Tana, pieces of oozing meat... I'll take it.

Jan, I'll take your mac and cheese, too.

[eunny jang]

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes Percy: nah, I'm doing the same old boring technical writing thang.

Really and truly fall weather here. The leaves are almost off the trees Cold, steady rain. All I wanted to do all day was hide somewhere warm and dark and quiet with a big bowl of something rich and my knitting needles.

Short rib carbonnade (kinda)

Meaty shortribs, scrupulously trimmed of surface fat (but the silverskin kept on). Seared with salt; then braised for hours with thin-sliced onions, beer, stock, mushrooms, and bay. Finished with a mustard "crust" - just whole-grain dijon run under the broiler. Over buttered/parslied egg noodles, accompanied by carrots roasted with thyme and some dressed greens.

It always surprises me that long cooking brings out flavors that are impossible to achieve otherwise. I kept tasting the (very simple) stew in the beginning, thinking "this tastes okay, I guess, but it would be good with rosemary, thyme, etc etc". Tasting it after three hours was a revelation: inky, complex flavor, with no seasonings but salt, pepper, and a bay leaf.

It was gooood.

[Smithy]

New Mandoline... 

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What kind of mandoline did you get, finally? And what do you think of it? I'm still trying to decide whether and which one...as we discussed in the mandoline thread...

[little ms foodie]

Looks like Eunny and I were on the same egg noodle kick!

Veal marsala with apples, egg noodles with butter and many different herbs!!

Served with a nice Bordeaux

Cheese course- baked pecorino with wildflower honey and asian pears

[Smithy]

Moussaka. I know the picture is not much to look at even though the dish was excellent, but I am so glad that my camera software is finally up and running that I had to test it.

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Greek! Heresy! Ha ha Looks very tasty, actually.

We had "grown up" grilled cheese and tomato soup: The soup was chickpea tomato rosemary, the sandwich was prosciutto & taleggio paninni. Looked really cool but I didn't feel like fussing with the camera, especially with the spouse hovering over the stove, waiting to be fed.

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My husband has yet to be subjected to my photographing the dinner before we tuck in. Boy, is he in for a surprise! But your dinner sounds excellent.

Why "Greek"? Is it just the white sauce on top, or is there more to the distinction? FoodMan's moussaka looks good, and not at all like mine (except for the white sauce). Mine tends to be obvious layers of eggplant and the tomato-meat sauce. FoodMan, what is in yours?

By the way: if the answer to "why Greek" belongs more properly in the Middle Eastern forum, feel free to answer over there...

[Smithy]

Oh man, while I was asking about the moussaka, little ms. foodie was posting her dinner. It's over an hour to lunch time and I'm already hungry for dinner. With all these gorgeous dinners and writeups and photos, one could easily go without cookbooks if one so desired!

[Basilgirl]

"Monte Cristos" made with leftover roasted chicken breast, rosemary ham, smoked fontina on buttered English muffins, 400 degree oven for 10 minutes on one side, 5 minutes on the other.

Salt & vinegar potato chips

Sierra Nevada and some white wine called Little Penguin or something

[Behemoth]

What kind of mandoline did you get, finally?  And what do you think of it?  I'm still trying to decide whether and which one...as we discussed in the mandoline thread...

To be honest, I was going back and forth about buying one, and then happened to stop by a TJMaxx that evening (to look for shirts, I swear!) and they had a "Norpro" one for $19.99. I figured that way I could see if I find the thing useful enough for me without spending to much money at first -- if I feel like trading up I will just give this one away or whatever. I have to say, it is plenty sharp (I am still a bit scared of it!) and I can see it will cause me to cook a lot of new stuff so totally worth the $19.99 for me. If the blades degrade too quickly I will upgrade. They had a couple of different brands but I was avoiding the v-shaped ones after reading the threads. The blade on this one is not slanted guillotine style, but still works quite well.

[Behemoth]

Why "Greek"?  Is it just the white sauce on top, or is there more to the distinction?  FoodMan's moussaka looks good, and not at all like mine (except for the white sauce).  Mine tends to be obvious layers of eggplant and the tomato-meat sauce.  FoodMan, what is in yours? 

By the way: if the answer to "why Greek" belongs more properly in the Middle Eastern forum, feel free to answer over there...

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Oh, mousakka in lebanon is more like a ratatouille -- no meat or white sauce. I love both, presonally.

[SeaGal]

Pancetta-wrapped trout

And a parsnip/fennel/onion/gruyere gratin that made me wish I could ask myself to marry me

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Mmmmm. I'd love to try this gratin. Would you be willing to tell all?

Jan

Edited November 5, 2004 by SeaGal (log)

[lovebenton0]

For dinner last night -- just good comfort food -- hot and soupy with lots o' cornbread sticks and wedgies. There was rice for anyone that wanted it -- I declined, wanted all that broth staying liquid -- but my mr, the rice addict, and guest each had a big scoop.

Blackeye pea soup with pecan-smoked pork . . . roasted red Anas from the garden, golden sauteed sweet onion and garlic, ginger, beer, smoky pork stock, and healthy splash of apple cider. Served it up with my C&J's Tabasco Sauce for that extra warm touch.

And sour cream/roasted green chili/sharp cheddar corn sticks and wedgies. For dunkin' and munchin'.

I recommend the game hens, so tender and juicy. Sauce is a silky cream/lemon/garlic/chicken stock/Madeira wine infusion that  . . . well it's good to have the lovely hens to put it on because it's too gauche to just drink it. 

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I hope Paula's Cornish Hen recipe is online somewhere; I don't have the cookbook. It looks so good. If I can't find it, I might be asking you to tell me about it...

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PM me if you can't find this, Susan. Your library may have the book and you can source book several places online also. I did, and love it! And yes, Paula's new edition of The Cooking of Southwest France is expected to be out next September.

[reesek]

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes   Percy: nah, I'm doing the same old boring technical writing thang.

Really and truly fall weather here.  The leaves are almost off the trees   Cold, steady rain.  All I wanted to do all day was hide somewhere warm and dark and quiet with a big bowl of something rich and my knitting needles.

Short rib carbonnade (kinda)

Meaty shortribs, scrupulously trimmed of surface fat (but the silverskin kept on).  Seared with salt; then braised for hours with thin-sliced onions, beer, stock, mushrooms, and bay.  Finished with a mustard "crust" - just whole-grain dijon run under the broiler.  Over buttered/parslied egg noodles, accompanied by carrots roasted with thyme and some dressed greens.

It always surprises me that long cooking brings out flavors that are impossible to achieve otherwise.  I kept tasting the (very simple) stew in the beginning, thinking "this tastes okay, I guess, but it would be good with rosemary, thyme, etc etc".  Tasting it after three hours was a revelation: inky, complex flavor, with no seasonings but salt, pepper, and a bay leaf.

It was gooood.

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so, i know this is really pathetic, but i woke up this morning thinking, "did eunny actually make that egg yolk ravioli!?" i came (almost eagerly) into work tasting the creamy yolk on my tongue and stumbled through my login in my rush to see how they turned out. i scrolled through to find these meaty, luscious short-ribs. i can't even be disappointed. all i can think is: HASH. (with poached eggs) it's hard not to be painful jealous of your mad skills, eunny - but thank you for feeding my need to see your work!

i will be satisfying my peculiar egg-obsession this weekend. birthday cocktail party for the boy will include 2 dozen deviled eggs!

[eunny jang]

Mmmmm.  I'd love to try this gratin.  Would you be willing to tell all?

Jan

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I'll spill

It was improvised pretty hastily - 1/8" slices of parsnip, fennel and cipollini onion. The parsnip and fennel were boiled (VERY) briefly in heavily salted water; the onions were caramelized. Constructed like a traditional potato gratin: layered in a buttered dish, each layer starting with parsnip and spread with fennel/onion. The onion/fennel mix dotted with butter, salted and peppered, and sprinkled with just a little gruyere. Finished with some whole milk poured over, more cheese, and stuck in a 400 degree oven with a weight...I sprinkled it with buttered breadcrumbs and ran it under the broiler before serving. You'll probably want to let it rest for a bit before you cut it; mine fell apart, but 5 minutes of rest would have helped that.

Enjoy!

Eunny