Dinner! 2004

[Susan in FL]

Last night, back after several days out of town:

Sausage and pepper sandwiches on baguette, with a light salad (only had 2 lettuces at the Greenmarket) and beer.

Tonight, inspired by Laurie Colwin:

Whole chicken legs baked with lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper.

Polenta with creamy horseradish cheese mixed through.

Broccoli rabe blanched, then sauteed with garlic.

Mixed salad (leaves, red and yellow peppers) with olive oil and oregano vinegar.

Paumanok Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.

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Multicolor night (gotta get a camera!!):

Risotto with chopped rainbow chard stems, made with cheese-rind stock.

Salad of green leaf, baby red romaine, belgian endive, radicchio, red and yellow bell peppers (olive oil and mixed herbs vinegar).

Roederer Estate Sparkling Wine,  wheeeeee!

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Just reading your menus has been mouth-watering, no telling what it will do if you start posting new-camera shots!

I keep a running list of ideas that I get from this thread, and I've just added the polenta with horseradish cheese, risotto with rainbow chard, and the cheese-rind stock for risottos or for whatever.

I love this place.

I split over 4 lbs of clams with my bf, and we had some pork chops as well! Clams were cooked Chinese-style, with lots of garlic, soy sauce, and fermented black beans.

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Steamed clams, I'm assuming... ? What approximate amount of fermented black beans? Thanks in advance, Ling.

[peppyre]

Wednesday night:

Hanger Steak(wasn't the real thing ) done a la Les Halles

Roasted Cauliflower

Pumkin Seed bread with European style butter to mop up sauce from steak. Was sooooo good. I wish I still had the camera.

Last night:

Halibut crusted with finely chopped lemon rind, fleur de sel, pepper, seared to make it crispy. Dungeness crab and black tiger prawns. All dipped in a Beurre Blanc with White wine and tarragon that I let reduce for almost an hour.

It was very tasty. No veggies, I just needed something other than steak for a change.

[Swisskaese]

We have been slurping on chicken soup for the past two days. I am the one that usually makes the chicken soup, but my fiance decided he wanted to give it a try and I have to say that it is as good as mine.

Tonight I made stuffed aubergine:

Served with Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

[johnder]

Man all these pictures of food are killing me. I am resigned to only look at pictures of people preparing food at the moment. Our kitchen is being totally renovated and I am stuck with a microwave and a fridge at this point.

I am so used to cooking dinner 5-6 nights a week I am going crazy. Hopefully sometime in the next 4 weeks we will have our kitchen back and I can start contributing my nights meals as well.

Until them I will just feast on the photos.

[Malawry]

Spice-rubbed pork ribs

Old-fashioned slaw

A big salad with blue cheese dressing

Coffee

[Jinmyo]

Man all these pictures of food are killing me.  I am resigned to only look at pictures of people preparing food at the moment.  Our kitchen is being totally renovated and I am stuck with a microwave and a fridge at this point. 

I am so used to cooking dinner 5-6 nights a week I am going crazy.  Hopefully sometime in the next 4 weeks we will have our kitchen back and I can start contributing my nights meals as well.

Until them I will just feast on the photos.

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johnder, welcome and consolations on your plight.

I look forward to your own descriptions and perhaps photos.

[Behemoth]

Beer batter fried marlin strips, pico de gallo salsa, avocado slices, white corn tortilla and lime squeezed over. Fish tacos are God's way of telling us that, even though we usually act like total idiots, he still basically loves us.

[Susan in FL]

We opted to have Friday Happy Hour Dinner at home on the porch tonight:

Mojitos (here's one in a new Mojito glass... I didn't know there was such a thing as a special glass for Mojitos)

and then Buffalo Wings, the original Anchor Inn recipe; celery and homemade blue cheese dressing, using Maytag Blue; homemade french fries, and sparkling wine.

[Ling]

Susan in FL: yes, the clams were steamed in chicken broth with a few heaping tablespoons of fermented black beans (it contains sugar so I didn't have to add extra to balance the saltiness), soy sauce to taste, quite a few cloves of chopped garlic, chopped scallions and some ginger. I used a cornstarch slurry to thicken.

edit: forgot to add that I also added some ShaoXing cooking wine.

Edited November 13, 2004 by Ling (log)

[percyn]

My take on Surf n Turf

Went to the grocery store to get some ingredients to experiment with for Thanksgiving dinner and I came across this lovely Dry Aged (for 21 days), Prime grade Rib eye. Took a few more steps and saw this gorgeous jumbo lump crab cake (no fillers). So I immediately know what I was having for dinner tonight

It was a bright sunny day, but didn't think the grill would be ideal, as it was 40 F and windy. So I seasoned the steak with some Montreal seasoning and seared it on a cast iron grill-skillet (cross-marks are not that clear in the picture) and placed it in the oven for about 9 minutes, along with the crab (on which I placed a dollop of butter).

I had picked a variety of mushrooms (oyster, shitake, portobello, etc), so I sautéed these with some shallots, and reduced with some demi glace, chicken stock, mushroom stock, zinfandel (what we were drinking), and port (to bring out the sweetness of the shallots).

I also peeled some parsnips and added them to the pan when the steak went into the oven.

The meat was cooked perfectly, if I may say so myself (I always let it rest for about 10-15 min before cutting into it). Unfortunately, the extreme close up pic did not come out clear (wrong setting on camera)

Wine was a 2000 Burgess Zinfandel and a perfect accompaniment.

Cheers

P

Edited November 14, 2004 by percyn (log)

[little ms foodie]

My take on Surf n Turf

Wine was a 2000 Burgees Zinfandel and a perfect accompaniment.

The meat was cooked perfectly, if I may say so myself    (I always let it rest for about 10-15 min before cutting into it). Unfortunately, the extreme close up pic did not come out clear (wrong setting on camera) 

Cheers

P

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mmmmmm! that looks sooooo good!!!

[patti]

My take on Surf n Turf

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Percyn, I don't know which looks more fabulous, the steak or the crab! It all looks absolutely divine.

[francois]

My take on Surf n Turf

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Percyn, I don't know which looks more fabulous, the steak or the crab! It all looks absolutely divine.

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Bonjour,

I'm so impressed, you people all take great pictures... it makes me feel 'technologically challenged'...

This is saturday night, so 'we' are having a nice dinner:

Salmon tartare

Shrimp sping rolls/small green salad

Stuffed chicken/green peas/purée of jerusalem artichokes

Chocolate tart/ frozen coffee hazelnut mousse

A couple of dry martinis and a bottle of beaujolais

Funny thing is that my wife has a gastro, so she is in bed while I had dinner all by myself...which is why I am here writing this...

Francois

[Susan in FL]

First course was a test recipe for David Leite: Apple, Sage, and Onion Soup with Cheddar-Bacon Croutons, by Andrea Immer. It was delicious. I would call it onion soup with apple, sage, and cheddar-bacon croutons, as it was more of an onion soup than an apple soup. It's another keeper. Her wine recommendation was an Alsace white, but we didn't have one and I wasn't up for shopping around for it today, so we had another Symphony, 2002 Lusia Estate, California. It turned out that was a fine choice.

Main course was veal chops, Grilled Polenta with Corn and Parmesan, and a sweet pea salad which didn't make it into a successful photo. I seared the chops in the cast iron skillet, then removed and set aside; caramelized some shallots and garlic in the skillet, deglazed with Port, then chicken stock, then beef stock, all the time reducing; then added back the chops and and coated them with the glazy sauce; and served them garnished with tiny sage leaves and a few drops of the very aged balsamic vinegar. The wine was 2000 Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva, another good match.

[Ling]

I WANT THAT STEAK AND CRAB!!!!!!!!!!

[Behemoth]

Ugh. Day of culinary frustration. First my stock wouldn't gel because I think I did something stupid (thanks Malawry...) and then we were supposed to have a dinner party and our guests cancelled at the last minute

Well, we got a VERY nice dinner for two, at least.

Original menu:

smoked salmon on buttered pumpernikel bread, topped with horseradish cream (horseradish folded into unsweetened whipped cream) and chives

grilled belgian endive halves with vinaigrette & sieved egg yolks

Braised short ribs with turnips and pearl onions

In honor of the yutz with the "first baghdad next france" bumper sticker in the parking lot, two french cheese (delice de bourgogne, St Agur blue) and pear slices

mousse au chocolat

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So we skipped the salad, I only made a couple of the salmon things (you gotta try the horseradish thing if you have't already) , saved the cheese for later and had a little mousse. But mostly, we ate 2 portions of short ribs each, which is a lot. But it was so good. It was actually made last night -- took out the ribs, strained the sauce through cheesecloth a couple of times and then poked a hole in the gross fat layer this morning to pour out the beautiful gravy, sorta like christmas. Really lovely. Oh and French wine (Rothschild 1999 blah blah don't get too excited but it was good).

And now the plus side is I don't have to clean anything up...and I can get some work done.

[intraining]

sounds so good,

but for me it was a special even, roast chicken sandwich with a side of chicken drumstick

i doing pastry module in culinary school and am craving protein damn it

[Rehovot]

Roasted red-pepper, chicken, and parm/mozzarella puff-pastry tart for dinner.

Mmmmmmmmmmmoussaka, the night before, inspired by photos from this thread, last week.

[lovebenton0]

Out to dinner Friday night with visiting brother (great Italian!) so I started the Magyar Gulyas for Saturday's early dinner on Friday (served before he had to drive back to the Gulf Coast early afternoon). Seared beef cubes in paprika/salt rub and simmered long and slow in a stock reduction with purple onions, garlic and marjoram, more paprika, pepper, wine. Today I finished with cubed boiled potatoes and rich sour cream/egg dumplings (silver dollar size patties of dough with a bit of dried crushed rosemary and silver thyme to brighten them). Herbs from the garden. A good soup to warm you on a cold day. No photos, the guys were at it by the time I grabbed the camera, so I gave in and ate instead.

edited for timeframe

Edited November 14, 2004 by lovebenton0 (log)

[Susan in FL]

...and then we were supposed to have a dinner party and our guests cancelled at the last minute 

Well, we got a VERY nice dinner for two, at least.

I hate it when that happens. But you're right, it does make for a nice dinner for two with a lot already done in advance.

smoked salmon on buttered pumpernikel bread, topped with horseradish cream (horseradish folded into unsweetened whipped cream) and chives

.....(you gotta try the horseradish thing if you have't already)

I will try that. Maybe tonight. It sounds good!

[little ms foodie]

Susan, do you have the Immer cookbook? We are attending a dinner on Monday night that she is the guest of, pairing wines with food.

That soup sounds really good!

[Susan in FL]

Susan, do you have the Immer cookbook?

No, I don't... It's in the local Tar-jais store and I've thumbed through it there, but so far have opted not to buy it. Do you have it?

The recipe was supplied as a testing assignment from Leite's Culinaria. It was good... delicious, easy, and very inviting of wine!

[little ms foodie]

Susan, do you have the Immer cookbook?

No, I don't... It's in the local Tar-jais store and I've thumbed through it there, but so far have opted not to buy it. Do you have it?

The recipe was supplied as a testing assignment from Leite's Culinaria. It was good... delicious, easy, and very inviting of wine!

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We will get a signed copy on Monday as part of our dinner!

[Behemoth]

Well, we will clearly be having leftovers today . Here are some pics:

Salmon appetizer:

Short ribs:

[Susan in FL]

Good for you, Wendy!

Behemoth, thanks for following up with the photos. It looks wonderful... wish I could have helped you out with your leftovers. Enjoy!