Dinner! 2007

[David Ross]

The Dungeness Crab bisque is great on its own as a soup or used as a sauce, like I did for Salmon. I am also using it as a pasta sauce. Just toss it with hot pasta like a linguine or spaghetti. The Dungeness crab has lots of sweet meat and is pretty big. It is very easy to crack and pick out the meat. There is lots of meat in the body of the crab. It costs about $3.99 per pound here in the Northwest for a fresh crab that is sold steamed and in the shell. But if you buy it already shelled and picked over, it is about $20 per pound and you get a little 8oz. plastic tub of crab.

[trufflelover]

Soupe au pistou doesn't have any basil in it?

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ooh, yeah the pesto went on at the end

[meredithla]

I don't know how everyone puts such fabulous meals on the table on a consistent basis. The stars have to align at my house to a) plan the dinner ahead of time b) actually have all the ingredients in the house to make it and c) remember to take a picture before it's eaten.

I've been living vicariously through all the dream meals: Ann_T, Bruce, Blissful Gourmet & many others--such beautiful photos and wonderful fare!

Last night...seared scallops with blood orange vinaigrette with a side of homemade mac n cheese for the little muggles.

[Marlene]

In a weak attempt to get away from meat for one night, I made a savoury souffle. Bacon, white cheddar and green onion souffle,

Served with the extra brioche loaf I'd tucked into the freezer last week. Defrosted in a low oven, then sliced and toasted.

Dessert was the cinnamon rolls I made from Bread Baker's Apprentice today:

[lovebenton0]

friday night... oven-fried fish and chips with a little experimental no-knead light wheat sourdough bread

red grapes for dessert

monday night... soft tacos with turkey and corn tortillas

marlene... souffle looks great, but those cinnamon rolls are gorgeous. love that book.

edited to add comment

Edited February 27, 2007 by lovebenton0 (log)

[Ann_T]

Thanks Bruce.

Diane Beautiful Popovers.

Wendy What a marvelous dinner from start to finish.

Ann: What are those delectable little puffs next to the fish? They look great.

Blissful Glutton, those are Parisienne Potatoes.

Tonight's dinner: I had a friend over for dinner. BF made braised pork shanks with corona beans in a marzano sauce. The shanks were incredibly tender and had wonderful flavor. Paired with a Las Rochas 2001.

I keep coming back to look at this pork shank. Makes my mouth water.

Dessert was the cinnamon rolls I made from Bread Baker's Apprentice today:

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Marlene I'd love one of your cinnamon buns for breakfast. YUM!!

Lovebenton, and now I have a craving for Mexican.

Diner food at our house tonight. Buttermilk fried Chicken. I've been craving fried chicken since I saw Kim's picture last week.

[Marlene]

Ann, your fried chicken always looks so good. Mine never looks like that. and two of my favourite vegetables as well!

[Kim Shook]

Blissful Glutton - I bought cherries tonight - I'll be making the crisp tomorrow.

Marlene - the souffle looks heavenly (meatless and bacon - fantastic ) - but those cinnamon buns ! I have requested that book from the library today & I can't wait to get it!

Ann - I love the idea of onion rings with the fried chicken! The is some restaurant somewhere that cooks sliced (but not battered) onions in the fat with the chicken & I've always been intrigued by that.

I have managed to re-injure my hand that I had the surgery on - so what I cook depends heavily upon Mr. Kim's kindness! Tonight started with olive tapenade (store bought, but dern good) on crostini:

Then we had Ina Garten's Shrimp Salad on potato rolls, baby cucumbers & Alexia oven fries (surprisingly good!):

Shrimp salad bite:

[Octaveman]

I've been searching for a drop dead delicious version of Mongolian Beef and I think I've found it.

[purplewiz]

A couple of dinners from the past week or two:

A tom kha gai-alike soup. I admit I used a spice packet because finding fresh lemongrass and the like around here is futile. I used regular bok choi, dried shiitake, and chicken, and it was delicious.

Grilled bratwurst, acorn squash with butter, splenda, cinnamon, and chipotle, frizzled cabbage.

Individual ham, onion, and cheddar quiche on a biscuit crust. I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them. I need to adjust the crust a little, but it served the purpose of sealing up the bottom quite admirably.

Lower Valley Carnitas from "The Border Cookbook", my newest cookbook acquisition. It's a collection of recipes and history of cooking along the US-Mexican border. I realized that not only did the recipes look delicious, I knew where to find pretty much all of the ingredients for them!

These carnitas differ from the ones I've made from Jaymes' Mexican carnitas recipe in that they are rubbed with a spice paste, and no liquid is added during the braising step - they braise in their own liquid. At the end, 1/4 cup of milk is added to promote browning. They're utterly delicious in a different way, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of the border cuisine from this book.

Marcia.

[Marlene]

Individual ham, onion, and cheddar quiche on a biscuit crust. I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them. I need to adjust the crust a little, but it served the purpose of sealing up the bottom quite admirably.

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I've got those individual springform pans! Can you elaborate on how you made these?!

[little ms foodie]

Shrimp salad bite:

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I make this for summer picnics! It's great don't you think?

thank you everyone for all your nice comments, my MIL also let me know that she really loved everything which is very nice.

tonight started with side cars and truffle popcorn

then a nice little green salad

then Shells with Artichoke Cream and Smoked Chicken

which were very good but they need a bit more pasta water to smooth out the sauce obviously

[fryguy]

Seared salmon, carrot/ginger puree, parsley/lemon pesto, roasted fingerlings.

[purplewiz]

Individual ham, onion, and cheddar quiche on a biscuit crust. I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them. I need to adjust the crust a little, but it served the purpose of sealing up the bottom quite admirably.

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I've got those individual springform pans! Can you elaborate on how you made these?!

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I made only one this time, so I kind of winged it !

For the crust for one, I did a biscuit crust using 2 tbsp Bisquick, 1/2 tbsp butter, and 1 tbsp milk. I would have liked a bit more crust and a bit stiffer dough, so next time I would probably use 3 tbsp Bisquick and 1.5 tbsp milk. I spread it around the bottom and baked it for about 10 minutes at 350F until it was set but not browned.

I diced up 1/4 of a small onion and sauteed it in the other 1/2 tbsp butter until soft and browned, then put that on the crust. I diced up two slices of deli ham and sauteed until lightly browned. These went into the pan, along with a small handful of shredded cheddar - 1/3 cup maybe? 1/4?

The quiche mixture was 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper. This made slightly too much with the amount of filling I put into the pan. If I was doing two quiches I'd do 3 eggs and 3/4 cup milk split between the two, or for one I'd probably cut down the amount of milk. (I'm sure heavy cream would have worked, but I was out!)

It was baked for about 1/2 hour at 350F, or until a knife came out clean.

I let it rest for about 5 minutes, then ran a knife around the sides before opening the latch. The crust didn't release from the bottom as cleanly as I would have liked given all the butter in it, so I'd probably grease the bottom next time.

Given that I did a lot of guesswork on this, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, both with the texture and the presentation. I'm sorry I don't have a more precise recipe!

Marcia.

[pups224]

I've been searching for a drop dead delicious version of Mongolian Beef and I think I've found it.

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Your beef looks delicious. I would love to jump into the picture and eat it. Would you care to share the recipe?

[Kim Shook]

I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them.

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Marcia, I have a good recipe that uses these:

Red Pepper Jelly Cheesecake

Kim

[Octaveman]

Sure. There were so many recipes on the net and with as many variations too that I tried over the years and made what I consider the best version to date. I actually made a version of M.B. the night before and not liking how it turned out I made it again with several modifications. Both my wife and I feel it was the best we've ever had. Hope you enjoy it.

Mongolian Beef

Main Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Flank steak, thinly sliced

4 Tbl Garlic, minced

2 tsp Ginger, grated

3 bunches thin Green Onions cut into 2" pieces

1.5 tsp Sechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (or more to taste)

6 whole dried red peppers (or more to taste)

2 cups oil + 4 Tbl oil seperated

Marinade:

2 egg whites

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 Tbl dark soy sauce

2 Tbl Shaoxing rice wine

Sauce:

5 Tbl Hoisin sauce

2 Tbl soy sauce

2 Tbl Bean sauce

3 Tbl brown sugar

1 Tbl white vinegar

1 Tbl Sesame oil

3 Tbl water

Slice flank steak into thin slices about 1" to 2" long. Put into zip lock bag and throw in cornstarch. Shake bag and make sure each piece is lightly coated. Add more cornstarch if needed. Put meat into bowl and add egg whites to coat. Then add other ingredients to coat. Let set for about an hour.

While meat is marinating, cut onions, mince garlic and grate ginger. Put Sechuan peppercorns in a small pan and toast over medium heat until frangrant. Let cool and grind to a powder.

Once meat is done marinating, add two cups of oil to wok and heat to 325-350*. Add individual slices of beef to hot oil in batches. I had about 6-8 slices going at a time. Let it flash fry to 30 second until the sides get brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. When all beef has been fried, remove oil and wipe down the wok.

Put wok back on stove and heat to desired temp. Add red peppers, garlic and ginger to wok and quickly stir for 10 seconds then add green onions. Continue to stir-try for about a minute then add fried beef back to wok. Before starting to mix, dust beef with ground Sechuan pepper. Give a quick stir to combine and heat ingredients in wok then pour sauce over everything. Quickly stir to coat and remove to plate.

There should be very little to no sauce left over. The meat should be nicely coated just like the pic of the final dish.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Octaveman (log)

[Marlene]

I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them.

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Marcia, I have a good recipe that uses these:

Red Pepper Jelly Cheesecake

Kim

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I'm so glad you like that recipe! It's one of my favourites to serve as an app. I think you're right and just about any jelly would work well, it just depends on whether you want heat or sweet I think. I like the red pepper jelly because it gives a nice sweet/spicy balance to the mix.

[Kim Shook]

Sure.  There were so many recipes on the net and with as many variations too that I tried over the years and made what I consider the best version to date.  I actually made a version of M.B. the night before and not liking how it turned out I made it again with several modifications.  Both my wife and I feel it was the best we've ever had.  Hope you enjoy it.

Mongolian Beef

Main Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Flank steak, thinly sliced

4 Tbl Garlic, minced

2 tsp Ginger, grated

3 bunches thin Green Onions cut into 2" pieces

1.5 tsp Sechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (or more to taste)

6 whole dried red peppers (or more to taste)

2 cups oil + 4 Tbl oil seperated

Marinade:

2 egg whites

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 Tbl dark soy sauce

2 Tbl Shaoxing rice wine

Sauce:

5 Tbl Hoisin sauce

2 Tbl soy sauce

2 Tbl Bean sauce

3 Tbl brown sugar

1 Tbl white vinegar

1 Tbl Sesame oil

3 Tbl water

Slice flank steak into thin slices about 1" to 2" long. Put into zip lock bag and throw in cornstarch. Shake bag and make sure each piece is lightly coated. Add more cornstarch if needed. Put meat into bowl and add egg whites to coat. Then add other ingredients to coat. Let set for about an hour.

While meat is marinating, cut onions, mince garlic and grate ginger. Put Sechuan peppercorns in a small pan and toast over medium heat until frangrant. Let cool and grind to a powder.

Once meat is done marinating, add two cups of oil to wok and heat to 325-350*. Add individual slices of beef to hot oil in batches. I had about 6-8 slices going at a time. Let it flash fry to 30 second until the sides get brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels. When all beef has been fried, remove oil and wipe down the wok.

Put wok back on stove and heat to desired temp. Add red peppers, garlic and ginger to wok and quickly stir for 10 seconds then add green onions. Continue to stir-try for about a minute then add fried beef back to wok. Before starting to mix, dust beef with ground Sechuan pepper. Give a quick stir to combine and heat ingredients in wok then pour sauce over everything. Quickly stir to coat and remove to plate.

There should be very little to no sauce left over. The meat should be nicely coated just like the pic of the final dish.

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Thanks so much for posting, Bob! I know that Mr. Kim will love this! Now, about me - just how hot is this? Because I am a very sensitive Supertaster. Do you think that I should cut back on the peppers? How much? Because I really want to be able to eat this luscious looking dish!!

[Kim Shook]

I'd picked up these lovely little individual springform pans awhile ago, and I'm always looking recipes that use them.

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Marcia, I have a good recipe that uses these:

Red Pepper Jelly Cheesecake

Kim

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I'm so glad you like that recipe! It's one of my favourites to serve as an app. I think you're right and just about any jelly would work well, it just depends on whether you want heat or sweet I think. I like the red pepper jelly because it gives a nice sweet/spicy balance to the mix.

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Marlene - we love this stuff! I don't think I have ever used a recipe so much or been so glad that a recipe was posted! I make it a lot and everone who tastes it loves it. Mr. Kim & Wildchild request it a lot - even for tailgating! I had a cranberry/horseradish preserve at Thanksgiving that was amazing in this! Thanks, again for posting this originally!! Kim

[Octaveman]

Hi Kim, I didn't think it was hot enough actually. If you wanted you could remove the dried red peppers but I'd keep the sechuan peppercorns in and reduce to 1/2 teaspoon before grinding (about 4-5). These peppercorns are not hot per se but do lend a nice flavor. With the recipe as is I didn't think the sechuan peppercorns were overpowering at all. YMMV.

One thing you could try is instead of toasting/grinding/adding them, add them whole to the oil before you start the second phase of the process (after frying the beef). Let them cook at medium heat for about a minute to infuse the oil then remove the peppercorns. Don't want to burn...just get them to sizzle a little while stirring. This would give the dish some flavor without the peppercorns being added. These peppercorns actually have more of a numbing affect rather than adding heat. I love the flavor they impart in Chinese food and use them frequently.

Please let me know how it turned out for you.

Cheers

[Marlene]

Octaveman, that just went on my list to try!

Tonight was garlic parmesan crusted chicken with parmesan hash browns and peas because Ann reminded me how much I like them.

and flatbread I made today from Bread baker's Apprentice.

[Ann_T]

Marcia.

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Marcia I love pork carnitas. Looks delicious. I'll have to check out that cookbook.

Marlene Dinner looks great. Peas are my standby when I haven't gone out to pick up anything fresh. They just seem to go so well with mashed potatoes and gravy. The only frozen veggie I keep on hand.

I owe you a thank you. I kept going back yesterday to look at your cinnamon rolls. Couldn't resist baking them today. I had some white chocolate sauce leftover from the weekend so I mixed it up with some powdered sugar to drizzle over the rolls.

[Nishla]

We made dinner for a few friends the other night. Also, I got a new camera, so hopefully better photos from now on, but I'm still trying to get used to it!

Started with some chili:

Beef, red beans, a little tomato, a mix of ancho, chipotle and arbol chilis, lots of garlic and onion, beer and lime.

Then the potato/chorizo/egg dish from the Tapas cookbook. We made the eggs over easy instead of fried in olive oil (too much splashing last time).

Warm spinach salad with bacon, blood orange and champagne vinegar:

Pan roasted chicken with mango salsa and crispy skin. The salsa was really spicy with just one serrano pepper!

Edited February 28, 2007 by Nishla (log)

[Kim Shook]

Tonight was leftover shrimp salad, leftover "Spanish" orzo, a nice new salad I tried with butter lettuce, sectioned oranges, candied walnuts, marinated red onions and balsamic vinagrette. Dessert was The Blissful Glutton's amazingly delectable and wonderously easy Peach-Cherry Crisp. Just.like.crack.