Dinner! 2004

[spaghetttti]

What went into the pineapple casserole? I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain about it, but that could be because of too many apple martinis yesterday.

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Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about those apple martinis! Not that I imbibe, but they sound so intriguing!

We got the The Pineapple Casserole recipe from one of Paula Deen's shows.

[Dani Mc]

Turkey w/prosciutto and hazelnut butter crust

accompanying gravy

Potatoes gratin w/blackfoot mushrooms

stuffing (or as we call it-'crack'. that shizzle is guuuuuuud).

haricort verts (should've been haricort verts w/roast shallots and fennel, but I didn't buy enough shallots. oh well)

apple pie w/vanilla ice cream (from the Baking In America cookbook by Greg Patent).

[percyn]

Celebrated Thanksgiving last night with 14 family members gathered 'round.  We had so much to be thankful for.  I was particularly grateful that after 25 years, my first attempt to roast a turkey again came out pretty well.  Did the mixed herbed butter under the skin and basted the 22 pound turkey faithfully every half hour, maybe overkill, but I was really anxious  ---- the dreaded dry turkey.  It came out  flavorful, juicy  and moist.  The pan drippings made excellent gravy!

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Looks really good Yetti...good job !!

[percyn]

Wednesday's dinner - Fillet (could not find hanger steak) w/ Demi glace cognac cream sauce, mushrooms and huge jumbo shrimp

[spaghetttti]

Looks really good Yetti...good job !!

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Wow, you've really made my day, thank you so much. Coming from you, Percy, the master, I'm truly flattered by your kind compliment! I always look forward to your breakfast & dinner photos, and Wednesday's dinner looks absolutely smashing! When may I come over?

I nominate you for a foodblog, hopefully very soon!

[Susan in FL]

For Thanksgiving we had:

A long walk on the beach, which I mention as food related because is was the first time since Hurricane Jeanne that we have been able to drive onto the beach and park, and at dinner that was added to the many things we gave thanks for.

Olives

Crackers, and anchovy & garlic dip (cream cheese, anchovies, garlic, Worchestershire sauce, and cream)

Tastings of Chicken Liver Mousse (recipe from Saveur), and cannellini bean puree, made ahead for the weekend

Russ had beer and I had a Passion Daiquiri (Rum, passion-fruit juice, lime juice, and sugar) as pre-dinner drinks.

Oysters on a nest of steamed savoy cabbage and cream sauce in the shells, baked, and then topped with a dollop of caviar

Sparkling wine

Pan-roasted squab

Mashed potatoes with minced carrots and leeks

Sausage and oyster dressing

Roasted shallots and parsnips

Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic vinegar

Michel Picard Beaujolais Nouveau

Pumpkin pie with sweetened and whipped Lewes Dairy cream. The cream was another food Russ brought home from Delaware and it is just the best... not ultra pasteurized.

Some other random shots from yesterday's pictures...

(I wanted to try a Jason-style photo. )

[Susan in FL]

Spaghetttti, that is a beautiful photo of your turkey, and shows how perfectly cooked and delicious it must have been. Wow!

I nominate you for a foodblog, hopefully very soon! 

I have been encouraging (begging) Percy to get on the blog list.

Percy, I'm on the lookout for your Thanksgiving dinner post.

[Malawry]

Yetti, I agree your turkey looks fantastic.

Apple martinis: My aunt made them. Combine some Rose's Sour Apple cocktail mix and Stolichnaya vodka in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain. Quaff. It's like adult Kool-Aid. Nothing exciting but we liked them.

My family is unabashed about the coffee and the alcohol--lots of both, and the only question is when we switch from one to the other and when we switch back. Happy hour started around 1pm yesterday.

[bleachboy]

Congratulations, Yetti!

I, too, hosted my first Thanksgiving yesterday, for fourteen. Turkey brined and deepfried turned out succulent, although it was not my first time to deep fry a turkey.

However, the event in general was so successful that my wife and I have been declared the new annual Thanksgiving spot! The family was getting too big to all fit into my grandmother-in-law's house.

Everybody brought a couple of dishes, so I won't even begin to try to list them all -- I only got to try about 1/3 of them. There were at least 30 dishes available, including turkey and ham, three types of stuffing, two types of potatoes, fried fish, fried onion rings, corn fritters, etc. About the only constant was the rolls.

[Ling]

Wednesday's dinner - Fillet (could not find hanger steak) w/ Demi glace cognac cream sauce, mushrooms and huge jumbo shrimp

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Are you up for a blog soon? I would definitely be very interested in seeing you do one!

Hanger steak is difficult to find in Vancouver too. Chef Neil (he owns a steak restaurant called the Hamilton Street Grill and is also an egullet member) ordered it for his restaurant from his supplier and offered to let us buy some at wholesale prices. Maybe if you have connections with a local chef, he could get some in for you?

[peppyre]

Dinner last night was Beef Bourguinon from Les Halles. Wow! I must say that it was damn tasty! Served with mashed potatoes and some red wine.

[Malawry]

A big salad with veggies, grilled chicken breast, turkey bacon and caesar dressing

Quick-and-dirty tomato soup. Finished with half and half 'cause we were out of cream. (This is not recommended.)

2001 Stone Creek zin

All the turkey disappeared at lunch.

[Dana]

Such awesome pics!!!

Malawry - I'm interested in the 5 onion dip. I'm an onion nut. Can your elaborate?

[Susan in FL]

Dinner photos turned out terrible tonight, but the food was great. The starter was the Chicken Liver Mousse we made yesterday. We made four ramekins of it, and if I had any doubts before, they are gone now. I love goose liver and duck liver, but have never been fond of chicken liver. This is a different story, but then again, how can 1 1/2 cups of butter mixed with anything be bad... It's creamy and silky smooth and tastes so good. I tore the recipe out of a Saveur magazine and I don't know what month's issue it was, so if anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

With the pate' we had Beringer's Nouveau.

We were going to have Carpetbag Steaks but instead had Russ's creation of thin slices of steak wrapped around raw oysters, seared. With that was homemade fries -- they were deep fried in this oil we keep using over and over (straining in between uses); a salad of mixed baby greens, grated cucumber and radish, cherry tomatoes, and fried rounds of goat cheese.

With that we drank 2002 California Black Madrone Vineyards Syrah (yum).

[Suzanne F]

- All the greens and the tiniest of turnips from a bunch of Japanese turnips --plus the leaves from a bunch of carrots, braised in the cooking liquid from a piece of smoked pork butt (purchased I have no way to smoke ) (various vegetable waters from the freezer plus a jar of onion confit).

- A can of black-eyed peas, doctored with some of the final cooking liquid and a large dollop of Chinese chili-garlic paste.

- Leftover rice-orzo-celery pilaf.

----In other words, Greens, Beans & Butt

The eternal HWOE salad with artichoke-shallot dressing

Beer

(Cornbread or biscuits would have been nice, but as it was, we were stuffed, with plenty of leftovers.)

[Jake]

Dinner photos turned out terrible tonight, but the food was great.  The starter was the Chicken Liver Mousse we made yesterday.  We made four ramekins of it, and if I had any doubts before, they are gone now.  I love goose liver and duck liver, but have never been fond of chicken liver.  This is a different story, but then again, how can 1 1/2 cups of butter mixed with anything be bad...  It's creamy and silky smooth and tastes so good.  I tore the recipe out of a Saveur magazine and I don't know what month's issue it was, so if anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

With the pate' we had Beringer's Nouveau.

We were going to have Carpetbag Steaks but instead had Russ's creation of thin slices of steak wrapped around raw oysters, seared.  With that was homemade fries -- they were deep fried in this oil we keep using over and over (straining in between uses); a salad of mixed baby greens, grated cucumber and radish, cherry tomatoes, and fried rounds of goat cheese.

With that we drank 2002 California Black Madrone Vineyards Syrah (yum).

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Please post the recipe, Susan. I haven't been happy with the last couple I've had.

The steak and raw oyster sounds interesting, how was it? Would you do it again?

[NulloModo]

The steak and oyster thing sounds right up my alley... I would love to hear details about how that was prepared.

[Malawry]

5 onion dip:

Brunoise equal parts shallots, leek whites, regular yellow onions, red onions

Slice a bunch of scallions into razor-thin chiffonade ribbons

Stir all into a mixture of 2 parts sour cream:1 part creme fraiche

Salt the hell outta it

Let it rest overnight

And then try to keep your mitts off of it until serving.

NOTE: Chives are good if you want six onions.

[percyn]

Yetti, Susan and Ling,

I am truly flattered by your compliments and request for a blog . It has been a while since 3 wonderful ladies have "begged" me for anything , so how can I refuse .

However, my hesitation to blog stems from the following facts:

1. I usually work from 8am - 7:30pm and do not get much time to cook at home on weekdays. I enjoy cooking when I have time off or on the weekends and have been know to travel to different continents, just to try a restaurant.

2. My wife has food allergies, and I try to make something that she enjoys as well, which excludes fish, certain vegetables, etc.

3. I have the week between Christmas and New Year's off and can blog at that time, but I was planning a trip to NYC or Paris or Miami.

4. After reading Susan's Foodblog and Little Ms Foodie's Foodblog (I have many more to discover), how can I compete?

Don't get me wrong, I am interested in blogging, but want to share a great experience with fellow eG members, so I want to find the right opportunity to do so. I am planning a trip to Thailand, France and maybe Portugal next year, which may also be good blog opportunities.

BTW, how do I know the blog schedule and get on it?

Cheers

Percy

P.S : If you are interested in my pseudo-blog from a recent trip to Dallas, check it out here.

[percyn]

Susan,

At your request, I am posting what we had for Thanksgiving dinner, but between playing the roles of chef and host, I did not do a good job of playing a playing the role of photographer

Drinks - Champagne, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Foley Pinot Noir.

Appetizers - Salami (Sopressata) and Cheese (Mantalban, roaring 40s, Amish smoked chedar, champagne infused cheese) plate, Mini quiches, taro chips, etc.

Dinner

Main Course

- Turkey (14 lbs - brined and infused with a bouquet garni of rosemary, thyme, tarragon, etc). Not sure if it was the brining or the convection oven, but the skin turned out to be really crispy (reminded me of Peking duck) and excellent, while the meat was still succulent. Personally, I would have let the turkey rest 10 more min so that the meat was even more juicy, but the guests were getting hungry.

- Prime Rib (4 lbs - infused with garlic cloves, reasoned with fleur de sel, kosher salt, cracker pepper and Montreal seasoning)

Sides (Forgot take individual pics, so need to settle for sloppy pic of food on plate)

- Scalloped potatoes

- Green bean casserole

- Candied Yams with pecans and marshmallows

- Turkey Gravy

- Cranberry jelly (wife likes the canned stuff) and homestyle cranberry relish (my style)

- Stuffing with shitake, morrell and mousserons mushrooms (which I brought back from France this summer - dried or course, and they gave an excellent earthy flavor to the stuffing). I then decided to place it them into a muffin pan and bake individual size stuffing portions, which also gave the stuffing a nice outer crust, which I like.

Desserts -

Traditional Pumpkin, Apple and Pecan pies. Ordered from a French baker as I did not have the oven space or time. My next kitchen will have double ovens...heck make that 3

Not as well planned or executed as Yetti's feast, but it filled us up . Still want me to blog?

Cheers

Percy

P.S : Edited to remove fat-fingered text

Edited November 27, 2004 by percyn (log)

[spaghetttti]

Still want me to blog?

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Yes!

Please!?!

[Susan in FL]

Please post the recipe, Susan.  I haven't been happy with the last couple I've had. 

The steak and raw oyster sounds interesting, how was it?  Would you do it again?

The steak and oyster thing sounds right up my alley... I would love to hear details about how that was prepared.

I'll include the changes we made in this recipe, from Saveur:

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Makes 3 1/2 cups

Bill Neal learned how to make this silken, old-fashioned pate from Judith Olney, Richard Olney's sister-in-law and herself a cooking teacher. Later, it became a staple at the Neals' Chapel Hill -area bistro, La Residence. A small tureen of the creamy mousse was delivered to every table, accompanied by crunchy French Bread.

1 cup chopped onion or shallots [We used shallots]

1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature

1 lb. chicken livers

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 tbsp. brandy or cognac [We had neither in the house and used about half that amount red wine]

Pinch of nutmeg [We used a couple gratings of fresh]

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

French bread or crackers

1. Saute the onions in 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat until translucent. Add chicken livers to the onions and saute until they are cooked through but not overdone, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

2. Put into a food processor the onions, livers, mustard, brandy, and seasonings. Process the mixture until thoroughly pureed. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups softened butter in fourths, pulsing briefly after each addition. Spoon the mousse into an attractive small tureen or into ramekins and chill until solid (at least an hour) before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired and serve with sliced French bread or crackers.

***

Yeah, Jake, we will do the oyster and steak thing again. We used thinly sliced round steak and all he did was roll two or three oysters, lined up, in the beef until there was just an overlap, cut it, secured with toothpicks, and repeat. He salt and peppered the outsides, and in ghee/clarified butter, seared one side and then the other in a cast-iron skillet. It was probably not more than 4 to 6 minutes totaled and they turned out about medium. You can see them cooking to the doneness you like. Then we served them on very warm plates. We wanted the oysters to be just hot but not cooked through, and it worked for that.

We talked about using other cuts of steak and I would like to try a "better" cut sometime. It's the thinness that was important for ease of rolling these things up.

BTW, how do I know the blog schedule and get on it?

Percy, you would contact Soba to get on the list for for blogging and let him know your need to schedule it in advance for a particular time... He can probably tell you some weeks that are open. Some blogs are planned for certain times, and others come as a surprise to a blogger who is on the "waiting list ".

[Susan in FL]

Thanks, Percy!! It all looks and sounds wonderful. With the variety you served, it must have been appealing to all. The stuffing sounds delicious and I love the idea of muffin portions. I'll do that the next time I make a dressing. And, I want to try seasoning a prime rib as you did.

What an inspiration you are! ...YES, I still want you to blog. Please!?!

[Chufi]

I have enjoyed reading about the Thanksgiving Dinners, makes me wish we had that holiday!. Nothing grand like that happening over here though.. just some comforting winter meals.

yesterday: lentil stew with home made oatmeal rolls (and some avocado salad in the background)

today:

"shepherd's pie" baked potatoes, green cabbage braised with bacon and caraway:

[suzilightning]

***

Makes 3 1/2 cups

Bill Neal learned how to make this silken, old-fashioned pate from Judith Olney, Richard Olney's sister-in-law and herself a cooking teacher. Later, it became a staple at the Neals' Chapel Hill -area bistro, La Residence. A small tureen of the creamy mousse was delivered to every table, accompanied by crunchy French Bread.

1 cup chopped onion or shallots [We used shallots]

1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature

1 lb. chicken livers

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 tbsp. brandy or cognac [We had neither in the house and used about half that amount red wine]

Pinch of nutmeg [We used a couple gratings of fresh]

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

French bread or crackers

1. Saute the onions in 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat until translucent. Add chicken livers to the onions and saute until they are cooked through but not overdone, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

2. Put into a food processor the onions, livers, mustard, brandy, and seasonings. Process the mixture until thoroughly pureed. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups softened butter in fourths, pulsing briefly after each addition. Spoon the mousse into an attractive small tureen or into ramekins and chill until solid (at least an hour) before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired and serve with sliced French bread or crackers.

oh, my gawd. the original recipe was the one taught me back in 1977-8 when i was cooking in restaurants. only difference was that we didn't have food processors so it was food mill and beat, beat, beat with the wooden spoon. served in the crocks with crackers, wafer thin sliced red onion and hard boiled eggs

i made and served this for our wedding reception 22 1/2 years ago.

edited to say i want those turkeys

Edited November 27, 2004 by suzilightning (log)