Dinner! 2005

[Dominicana]

A week or so ago I asked for some help in finding rooster on the UWS. Here are a few rookie shots of the finished product. We served it with white rice and tostones.

If I could do over I would have stopped the guys in the live poultry place from quartering it for me. It looked like they did it with a baseball bat. Other than that it was amazing and we enjoyed. I hope my professor likes the dish as much as we did.

Right out of the oven, still in the pot. It smelled awesome.

oops forgot the flash

erk, got flash and shiney meat!

More poultry project coming soon!

Edited November 13, 2005 by Dominicana (log)

[Mooshmouse]

In cleaning out the memory stick for my camera, I came across this photo of our (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner that I had forgotten to post.

Turkey, roasted garlic mashed potatoes with an obscene amount of butter and cream, the requisite carrots and brussels sprouts, *Deborah*'s cornbread stuffing and asparagus (I know, I know, out of season, but I had a craving). The only thing that's missing from the plate is my cranberry sauce to which I had added a bit of grated lemon zest. My original post about our annual joint cooking process can be found here. Wine pairing was a bottle of 2004 Township 7 Sauvignon Blanc and a glass or three of my Uncle's homemade red.

And then there was last night's dinner, the inaugural stint of cooking for company in our new kitchen.

Herbed pork roast (done in the crockpot as my oven was in the process of being hooked up that afternoon), an encore of the roasted garlic mashed potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, sautéed mushrooms and applesauce.

*Deborah* raided her parents' wine cellar and brought over these two bottles. The Gundlach Bundschu 1997 Merlot wasn't bad: a bit past its prime, but not bad. Unfortunately, the Girardet 2002 Grand Rouge was pretty horrendous. Ian and *Deborah* worked through a few glasses each, but I wisely left well enough alone as Ian's feeling a bit worse for wear this morning.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Mooshmouse (log)

[Jake]

Well, we've been in the middle of renovations for what seems like forever so dinners have been few and far between. (Think semi-cold pizza in one hand, and a paintbrush in the other!)

However, last Thursday (I think) we grilled some beef ribs, panfried some fingerling potatos in duck fat and had some sort of veg that didn't make the photos.

Last night we got home late after visiting my new baby niece. We had planned to go out but were both too tired so we did some shopping on the way and ate this with some nice wine the other half opened....a cab/shiraz of some sort.

On the platter, starting at 12 o'clock and going clockwise: foie gras pate, black figs, a Quebec sheeps milk blue, 24 month aged proscuitto, chevre noir, a three year old Quebec goat cheese, grapes, Le Migeron de Charlevoix, cows milk cheese from Charlevoix region of Quebec and some smoked duck. Served with baguette and water crisps.

Currently having a nibble of figs wrapped in proscuitto and drizzled with a bit of honey and a drink while the other half indulges in Nascar. One of the dogs was very interested in the plate....

Dinner to come later...

edited to fix photo size thanks to Mooshmouse.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Jake (log)

[percyn]

Time to start thinking about holiday pot luck menus, etc so I decided to make an appetizer of

Parmesan Crisps with Asian Pear and Serrano Ham (no Prosciutto in stock)

First bake the parmesan in discs

Once it melts, let it cool for a minute and shape into cones.

I haven't had a good steak in a while, so I got this Prime dry aged angus from the freezer

And whisked up sides of these gorgeous baby purple potatoes, shitake mushrooms and some shrimp

Baby Arugula salad, with one of the parmesan crisps in it

And the main course

[Jake]

Finally got around to dinner tonight! We had provimi veal entrecote (as described by the butcher, isn't he getting french!), with a demi glace/wine/garlic/rosemary reduction, rosti, sugar snap peas and roasted tomato. My apologies for the quality of the photo.

[Susan in FL]

First was a Cointreau Cosmo.

We brined Porterhouse steaks! I bought them on sale cheap because they looked pretty. Because they were supermarket steaks and so inexpensive, I didn't expect flavor. The experiment turned out great. A better texture was sacrificed, but it was worth it for the improvement in taste. The 2003 Earth, Zin, & Fire Front Row Zinfandel from Lodi was good, too.

A closer look at the salad (and our new plates I found at a thrift shop) :

We finished up our wine dipping Biscotti in it for dessert.

[little ms foodie]

last night we house sat for the 'rents up at their island home. We started by making rice gruyere balls while our post roast braised....

pot roast in the pot

and on the plate with buttered herbed noodles

we had this with an awesome WA wine, Mark Ryan Dead Horse ( a bordeaux style red)

for dessert we followed Chufi's recipe for chocolate pear tart....oh my, this is a keeper!!

Thanks Chufi!!!

Edited November 14, 2005 by little ms foodie (log)

[Daniel]

Wow gorgeous stuff everyone..

Well yesterday I went to the Italian Market in the Bronx so we have just been living high off the hog.. I really just was so happy to be able to really experience the market with my new found cooking skills...

We started out with an assortment of meats, cheeses, and things.. Basically, I told the counter guy at Mikes Deli I was serving dinner for eight people and wanted to have a meat and cheese spread to start.. There were three of us tonight.. I figured I would live off it for a week or so..

Right going counter clockwise.. Mortadella,salami,prosciutto,bresola.. On the either side is sliced sweet dried sausage, in the middle is spicy sopressata.. All these meats are incredible.. Some of the best you can get.. The sopressata was spicier then a commercial brand would ever market.. THe plate under the platter is fresh ricotta salata.. Amazingly creamy..

We also had fresh olives, aged provolone, anchovies in vinegar, big hunk of aged parm..

Parm and provo..

Next fileted and deboned a bunch of fresh sardines I got at the market near bye..Dipped in flour and cayenne.

For pasta course I had made ravioli with some of the fresh ricotta Mikes Deli makes.. With a butter sage sauce and some fresh grated parm on top.. It was rich and I tried to really just appreciate the ricotta..

For fish course I put a branzino in a salt crust.. Baked it for about 20 minutes.. Fileted it and served.. It was absolutely delicious.. The crust really added a moistness and awesome flavor.. Had the fish stuffed with garlic and lemon.. Salt crust was a mixture of six eggs whites and a cup and half of kosher salt.. Slather on both sides stuff with lemon slices and garlic.. Do it immediately..

Done when it looks like this:

Meat course: Provided and wrapped by the expert butchers over at the Arthur Avenue Market ..

Pork wrapped in pancetta stuffed with spinach, cheese,roasted red peppers and love.. Outstanding..

Booya

Booya booya...

One last shot..

Bought this seedless baby watermelon.. Added some seeds with balsamic reduction.. Working to the best of my price range..

Made Alice M. ultimate chocolate flourless cake.. Pic to come..

Edited November 15, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Grub]

Salmon in phylo dough, baked potato fan, mixed veggies and a hollandaise sauce:

Chicken saltimbocca with pan gravy, and potatoes au gratin:

Macchi Fry Koliwada (Battered fried fish, from Mumbai) with Bihari Aloo Ka Bharta (Mashed potatoes of Bihar):

Kashmiri lamb chops

The last two dishes from Monica Bhide's Beginners Guide to Regional Indian Cooking.

[prasantrin]

I know this doesn't compare to what many of y'all are cooking up, but tonight I had a craving for pancakes and sausage.

The sausages are an American brand licensed by a Japanese company--I can't remember the name, but they're the closest to American breakfast sausages at about 50% of the price! (less than Y300 per box of 8, while frozen Johnsonville sausages are about Y900 for 16). And that's cheese melted into my pancake--white cheddar, though it got nicely orange after crisping up a bit. Those knife holes are so the melted butter and maple syrup ooze all the way through the pancake.

Sorry for the link--pictures from my camera can't be downloaded to my computer right now (can't figure out why) so I could only get them onto webshots.

[I_call_the_duck]

These all look great.

Yesterday, I butchered a pumpkin and made a big vat of pumkin soup with lots of ginger. Had a nice bite to it, and I'm sure it'll be better today since the flavors were able to blend overnight. To garnish, I roasted the seeds with a bit of olive oil, curry powder, and salt. The end result looked pretty, but haven't had the courage to post any pictures up here yet.

[Basilgirl]

Friday night: garlicky white pizzas, one with anchovies on half for the Basilman, tapenade and capers on my half; the other with red peppers and prosciutto put on before baking so it got nice and crispy

Saturday night: spaghetti with turkey meatballs and a sauce from our homegrown tomatoes with chicken stock and red wine

Last night: Cook's Illustrated French onion soup - I don't know what I did, but it definitely belongs to the Regrettable Food thread - so salty even I couldn't eat it. Blech. I used Better Than Bouillion chicken and beef bases and I must have put too much into the mix. The Basilman thinks I did it on purpose because I was mad at him. Well, I was a little mad at him - but I told him I don't deliberately sabotage my food.

[Chufi]

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Oh my I want those! could you tell me about them? are they made from risotto?

Thanks Chufi!!!

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that looks so good. It's a great tart isn't it? But.. the recipe is not mine, it's from Anne Willan of La Varenne Cooekry School.. I got the recipe from Good Food magazine. I could never devise a recipe like that

edited to add my own dinner..

strips of turkey breast, in the wok with lots of ginger, garlic and onions.

Added shii take mushrooms and bokchoi.. sesame oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds.

Served over soba noodles with a big dollop of kochujang on top.

Simple, fast, good.

Edited November 14, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[deensiebat]

matzoh ball soup -- vegetarian version with homemade broth, noodles (okay, spaghetti), leeks, parsnips, carrots and celery.

(sorry for the megaphoto -- still trying to figure this out)

Edited November 14, 2005 by deensiebat (log)

[little ms foodie]

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Chufi, the little balls are made of risotto with gruyere and parma and herbs but for whatever reason they weren't as flavorful as I expected them to be. They were good but not great. Food & Wine oct 05 recipe.

Sorry, I know the tart recipe was developed by another but I did take all your advice and I got it from you so I will alway's referr to it as Chufi's pear tart!

[M. Lucia]

Simply a big bowl of braised brussel sprouts and chestnuts with some good whole wheat bread.

It was my first time preparing fresh chestnuts (the store was out of bottled) and I have to say it was a lot easier than I anticipated. That said, I do have one unhappy thumbnail.

dessert: pistachio-pomegranate meringue tarts with figs and orange-flower cream

[Daniel]

Still living off the bounty provided by Arthur Avenue.. Tonight we had a salad with red peppers, and that great ricotta salata.. We cooked up spicy and fennel sausages we bought there in a san marzano and onion sauce.. I made fresh spaghetti, and had left over Alice M. flourless cake from...

I am all about this cheese..

Fennel and spicy sausages.. Really good..

Fried the sausages 3/4 added it to the pot of boiling san marzanos and onions, garlic.. Let simmer.. Then made my own spaghetti, cooked it and combined.. Added way too much of that awesome parm cheese.. A typical over sauced, over cheesed, amazing American Italian Style.. Nice several glasss/bottles of Peppoli Chianti... Ready to take on my pigs head later..

Re-heated some of the roast from last night..

Left over flourless Alice M. cake.. Still just as good..

Edited November 15, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Dominicana]

Daniel, my god you eat well.

Final stages of the taste testing for my school poultry project. The family officially begged for pork after this weekend.

I have got to figure out how to use this camera.

First up was a jerk chicken kabob with mango and peppers and onion. So good but since I am the only spicy food eater I think we will tone down the marinade next time. It was serious 5 alarm stuff.

Next was a simple ala minute chicken with mushroom pan gravy...my husband (NYC Mike on this site) the carnivore started to look chickened out at this point.

Lastly, and thankfully, the children ate this one after we sampled for notes and taste. A stuffed roasted hen with mushroom duxelle.

Edited November 15, 2005 by Dominicana (log)

[Alinka]

Salmon glazed with brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and rice vinegar, served with vegetable stir-fry and brown Basmati:

[Mooshmouse]

We had a chicken-rice casserole last night, with asparagus and buttery peas and fruit salad.  All the lovely roasty bones and skin and clingy bits are in the pot now with celery and carrots and onion, melding into a lovely broth for the addition of noodles for lunch.

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Rachel, sounds like two perfect comfort food meals in a row. Mmmmm.

Salmon glazed with brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and rice vinegar, served with vegetable stir-fry and brown Basmati...

←

Dang! I read your post after coming home from cooking class and got hungry all over again!

Speaking of cooking class, here's the menu and photos from last night's final instalment of NWCAV's Serious Foodie course:

• Classic Cream of Roasted Butternut Squash and Parsnip/Potato Soups
  Wine Pairing: Dancing Bull 2004 Sauvignon Blanc
  
• Seared Ribeye Steak in a Wild Mushroom/Red Wine Reduction Sauce
  Accompanied by Roasted Vegetables en Papillote and served over Blue Cheese Polenta
  Wine Pairing: Mission Hill 2003 Shiraz
  
• Ricotta-stuffed Pannetone, French Toast Style
  

[Chufi]

Butter braised chicken with couscous

Fennel in spicy tomatosauce (with garlic, raisins, cinnamon and fresh coriander)

[suzilightning]

well, if johnnybird ever solves the problem that has come up at work...

starters are a blue stilton, cashire meadows cheshire cheese, some crackers and a pear

main course will be a white bean and kale soup with parmagiano reggiano

romaine salad with avacado, black olives, red onions and a vinaigrette

garlic bread

if he doesn't make it home the starters will become the dessert with a glass of port

[M. Lucia]

Rachel, those pistachio-pomegranate tarts were actually a way of using up leftovers. I had pistachio meringue disks in the freezer and a pomegranate in the fridge. I picked up some figs when I saw them in the store and I whipped some cream and added some orange-flower water since I had a sort of Middle Eastern theme, and dessert was served.

As for tonight's dinner, it has a little story:

I have all this pomegranate I've been trying to use up, and there's this recipe for Khoresh-e Fesenjan I've been wanting to try but I never get around to it.

So I'm doing some research today reading the riveting "Social Life Under the Abbasids," and there is a whole chapter on cooking. Of course, I have to read it, and it even has recipe guidelines from 9th century Baghdad. And it describes a dish of meat cooked in pomegranate and walnut sauce (ie khoresh). So I knew I had to make it.

I chose to make it with duck, but it can also be done with chicken. It's basically duck breasts stewed in a pomegranate-walnut sauce. It was soooo good, even better than expected.

Served with my favorite chelow rice.

Ok, I admit it, I'm a total nerd and I might be taking my research a little too seriously, but it was fun.

[Megan Blocker]

Tonight was pork tenderloin roasted with onions and some gorgeous organic apples I picked up at a farmers' market over the weekend. On the side, some long grain and wild rice.

And, for dessert, some chocolate-covered pretzels my friend Aimee brought me!

[Jake]

I've been too busy to do much cooking the last couple nights so we've had quick and easy meals.

Last night was a grilled 40 day aged Delmonico, medium rare to rare, pan fried polenta rounds with parmesan (by request) and a green salad with a creamy buttermilk dressing and one of our last tomatos that had to partially ripened indoors.

Tonight had to be something warm and comforting as it has been cold, dreary and absolutely pouring rain all day. So we had wiener schnitzel, spaetzle with butter and broccoli rabe blanched and sauteed with garlic, olive oil and chiles. It tasted much better than the picture looked.