Dinner! 2005

[Susan in FL]

our dinner, only 1 course  :

chicken pie with parsnips, portobella's, and carrots. Flavored with lots of fresh thyme. It was delicious but the inside was a little bit too runny.. should have made it into a pot pie instead.

←

Thanks, Chufi.

By the way, I was going to make some comments about the wines, but I wasn't sure how much interest there might be here. Maybe I'll do that on the Wine Forum, but if anyone has any questions, please ask.

Talk about impressive! ...Chufi, you did all that, even making the dough? That is awesome.

[Eden]

our dinner, only 1 course  :

chicken pie with parsnips, portobella's, and carrots. Flavored with lots of fresh thyme. It was delicious but the inside was a little bit too runny.. should have made it into a pot pie instead.

beautiful pie chufi. Apprently yesterday was my turn in the pot pie department

Organic chicken, taters, lightly caramelized carrots & onions, peas, and zucchini, all in a very nice gravy if I do say so myself (we had a fresh batch of chicken stock yesterday that had particularly rich flavor...) under puff pastry (pepperidge farms), and since it was made in a round dutch oven, I baked the little puff trimmings on the side & we used them as extra dipping bits in our pot pie - yumm!

followed by home-made chocolate and coconut ice creams

[Chufi]

...Chufi, you did all that, even making the dough?  That is awesome.

←

well, actually, the pastry did not turn out so good.. it was a simple shortcrust but I was absentminded while making it and added too much water, so it ended up a little tough.

I love making pastry though, to me it is like magic

[jackal10]

12 for lunch

Minor crisis since the Aga had stopped working. They do if you forget to order the fuel, so this was cooked in the outside wood fired brick oven.

Chopped goose liver

Apple and Tallagio Pizza

Roast goose

Potato onion, sage apple and wild mushroom stuffing; apple sauce

Roast beef (wing rib of Dexter), since a goose doesn't go far. Jus

Micro pumpkins stuffed with he stuffing for the vegetarians (v.good http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/613/1)

3 sorts of roast potatoes (Nicola, Pink Fir and Blue)

Roast cauliflower, butternut squash, elephant garlic

Runner beans; baby brussel sprouts; carrots

Mozart (Chocolate, apple, cinnamon Pierre Herme's recipe for The Cooks Book)

Apple Charlotte

Caramel Cream

Cheese (Stilton, aged cheddar, Tallagio), sourdough baguette, oatcakes

Champagne

1996 Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Zind Humbrecht

1996 Nuits St George Bernard Ambrose VV

2000 Paradise Ranch Merlot Icewine

[sugarcookie]

I made this for a late lunch, actually. Red curry kabocha squash soup.

[dockhl]

Micro pumpkins stuffed with he stuffing for the vegetarians (v.good http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/613/1)

←

Jackal~

Sounds delicious ! I tried to access that recipe with no luck. Is there another way to get it?

Thanks~

Kathy

[suzilightning]

wow - that meat looks absolutely, positively .... words fail me

last night was a quickly thrown together quiche with some asparagus tips and asiago along with a salad that had some of johnnybird's one(and only so far) heirloom brandywine tomato on it. dessert for him was a piece of blueberry crumb pie from the farmer's market - loaded with vanilla toffuti and cool whip

tonight was five-spice duck breasts with caramelized quince from Cooking Light. the breasts had been marinating for two days in some of the quince poaching liquid, ginger and garlic. seared and finished in the oven then set to rest while sauteeing some cubed quinces in some reserved pan drippings. added some sliced green onions and plated with some romaine lettuce, roasted asparagus and garlic and a dressing of sherry vinegarette. Helena Ranch cabernet with it. johnnybird won't touch the skin so i removed it and will make lardons with some of the duck fat later . he don't know what he's missing

[Megan Blocker]

I took a long walk around the city today and made sure to stop by Eli's on the way home for some arborio, so I could make risotto! Why? Celebrating the first day when the temperature did not rise above 60. I know, I'm weird.

Dinner was risotto with chicken, peas and basil. On the side, a tomato and red onion salad, dressed with some torn basil and a little balsamic vinegar. In the glass (and the risotto), Salmon Run chardonnay, made right here in the great state of New York!

Risotto:

Salad:

Edited October 10, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Daniel]

Foie Gras with poached egg and cream finished with truffle oil: Made some rolls with left over brioche dough..

FRISEE AUX LARDONS- From the Les Halles Cookbook..

It looks horrible due to the chicken liver dressing combined with a poorly lit room and a direct camera flash.. What a great salad though..

Chocolate Souffles:

Edited October 10, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Megan Blocker]

johnnybird won't touch the skin so i removed it and will make lardons with some of the duck fat later     .  he don't know what he's missing

←

He's a sucker! Enjoy those lardons, though - his temporary loss is everyone's gain, eh?

Gorgeous souffles, Daniel - I especially love the shot of the oozy custard. Yum!

Edited October 10, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Shalmanese]

The cheesemonger had a wheel of delightful perinoco studded with truffles which I just had to have.

So I made some fresh pasta tossed in a bit of brown butter, salt and just a dab of pepper and then topped generously with truffled cheese. Mmm... the taste of it was fantastic and it's an incredibly economically affordable way to revel in the taste of truffles.

Not as good as the real thing obviously but for $2 a plate, I'm not complaining.

[SuzySushi]

Heartfelt sigh.......

Nothing as fancy as any of you this weekend. We went to a friend's for a tempura party. I brought yakisoba and prepped veggies (kabocha, green beans, eggplant fans, carrots, bell pepper). We tempura-ed the veggies and shrimp just before serving them to the hungry crowd!

Dessert was ice cream and a peach pie brought by another guest.

No pictures because I misplaced my digital camera -- then found it while driving home (darn! I'm carrying entirely too much stuff in my handbag).

[jackal10]

Micro pumpkins stuffed with he stuffing for the vegetarians (v.good http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/613/1)

←

Jackal~

Sounds delicious ! I tried to access that recipe with no luck. Is there another way to get it?

Thanks~

Kathy

←

Its not a recipe, but a seed catalogue for a new experimental micro-pumpkin from T&M. I shall give them garden room again next year.

These punmpkins grow about 3-4 inches across, but many to a plant. You cut the top off, scoop out the seeds, stuff, and microwave for 5 minutes.

The stuffing was about equal parts of crushed boiled potatos, onions softened in butter, wild mushrooms, a few sage leaves, salt and pepper, and bound with an egg.

http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/pix/m/seeds/6/613.jpg

Edited October 10, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[Susan in FL]

I took a long walk around the city today and made sure to stop by Eli's on the way home for some arborio, so I could make risotto!  Why?  Celebrating the first day when the temperature did not rise above 60.  I know, I'm weird.

Dinner was risotto with chicken, peas and basil.  On the side, a tomato and red onion salad, dressed with some torn basil and a little balsamic vinegar.  In the glass (and the risotto), Salmon Run chardonnay, made right here in the great state of New York!

Risotto:

Salad:

←

Looks delicious as usual, Megan! And it seems as though your pictures are getting better and better..... Are you by any chance getting hooked (like I am) on food photography?

The cheesemonger had a wheel of delightful perinoco studded with truffles which I just had to have.

So I made some fresh pasta tossed in a bit of brown butter, salt and just a dab of pepper and then topped generously with truffled cheese. Mmm... the taste of it was fantastic and it's an incredibly economically affordable way to revel in the taste of truffles.

Not as good as the real thing obviously but for $2 a plate, I'm not complaining.

←

I love that cheese, and I never thought of using it on pasta like that. Yum. ...Next time I buy some, will do!

Daniel, sensational menu! Looks wonderful, as always.

[Daniel]

Hey thanks Susan, that was some meal you had the other night..

Megan, I think you might have a photo studio in your apartment, complete with umbrellas... Your shots are always really nice, what camera do you use.. The biggest light source in my place at night is normally candles and I end up killing my food with the flash..

Edited October 10, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Susan in FL]

Last night, one course , we ate our first Smart Chicken, which I first heard about in this thread. We roasted it the Marcella way, with two lemons. Still on a celery root kick, we had a lentil and celery root salad with it.

[Eden]

Still on a celery root kick, we had a lentil and celery root salad with it.

That sounds & looks like a wonderful combo! any speacial seasonings?

Wow everybody's dinners today are really inspiring - I have to go get some of that truffled cheese!

[racheld]

I stand in awe. I practically genuflect.

Wow and WOW!!!

All of Y'all have just outdone yourselves. EVERYBODY take a bow. One hearty applau from the Heartland!!

Susanna, your courses could draw in the jaded French Laundry devotees in droves, tingling their tastebuds and kick-starting their ennui-blunted appetites. Just marvelous. Not to mention beautiful and amazingly presented.

Daniel---you ain't just a good driver in search of a sandwich. I've been meaning to comment on the chocolate cake---I call those "sloopy" cakes, sort of a cross between loopy swirls and a generous hand with the sloppy application that just goes way beyond artfully-applied fondant or preciously-presented perfection. It pointed up the accessibility of it, the touch-a-finger-and-lick temptation that brings memories of my Mammaw's best cake and my favorite birthday and the candy bar that I shared on the porch with that cute guy in sixth grade. Just beautiful. And all your other dishes...you have a great gift.

And Megan of the glorious salads---I love looking forward to what you're doing next.

And so with Rooftop and chufi and LMF and all the rest of you photo-mavens and wonderfully cuisinically-talented people...You've MADE my MONDAY.

I've gotta learn to use some of these cameras Chris is acquiring. I coulda had a Mercedes by now.

Great work, everyone!!!

rachel

[Basilgirl]

Biba Caggiano's white bean soup - I added fresh rosemary and sage, a little hot pepper flakes & red wine vinegar

Homemade foccacia with rosemary, sea salt & garlic slivers from No Need to Knead

[Daniel]

Thank you racheld, you really are such a sweet person.. And you definately need to get those cameras to work over there..

[Megan Blocker]

Thank you all for your very kind words! Now to answer your questions!

Susan: Yes, I am totally getting into photographing my food! It's actually getting to the point where I think about what will and won't look good "on film" when planning dinner - eek! But it's so much fun! This thread has really inspired me to make each meal a treat for the eyes and the stomach. Kind of like your amazing Pinot Noir meal the other night...wowza.

Daniel: OK, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but...I'm gonna do it anyway. I don't have umbrellas (I'm not that crazy!), but I have a tree-type lamp left over from my college dorm days, and I adjust one of the spotlights to light my food before I photograph it. I started out just doing it in my kitchen (where, thankfully, I have incandescent and not fluorescent lighting), but I had the same problem with the flash that you do. So, now I just plate it and stick it under the lamp for a minute! I have yet to do this when anyone is over...we'll see if I can stand to look like an obsessive weirdo (which I most definitely am, about many things) in front of anyone. I'll keep you posted.

As for the camera - I'm not sure. It's a hand-me-down from my mom, who just never used it. I'll take a look when I get home tonight and let you know what it is.

[Megan Blocker]

Thank you racheld, you really are such a sweet person.. And you definately need to get those cameras to work over there..

←

Agreed! Let's see some Rachel-food!

[mhadam]

Friday -- polenta with brie and pine nuts

Saturday -- coconut and peanut curry with edamame/peas/paneer over Trader Joe's curry soba noodles

Sunday -- steak with Megan's vermouth caper sauce, acorn squash (stuffed with brown sugar/nutmeg/cinnamon/grated ginger/walnut mixture) and horseradish mashed potatoes. A very strong flavored meal that together balanced perfectly.

[Chufi]

Bibimbap for the bibimbap cook-off

[little ms foodie]

I was away for a girls weekend and when I came home hubby had made Guiness stew and soda bread with raisons. YUM!

Susan I am not familar with either of your PN's and would love to hear about the differences. I was actually in north willamette tasting some new OR pinots.