Dinner! 2007

[eskay]

I was at a barbeque basically all afternoon today, so I wasn't prepared to eat an actual dinner, but my roommate was making soup and she opened the cupboard and there was peanut butter on there, and a lightbulb went on in my head.

So I made peanut and celery soup (you know, like ants on a log...but liquid. And without the ants). The celery...wasn't really there, unfortunately. I was using up the last of a head that was just past the point of where I'd want to eat it raw, so I might try again with more celery/something else. Would celery seed or celeriac add more of that "celery" flavour? I've never used either.

It was pretty decent tasting though. I added curry powder and cayenne pepper to it, and the peanut butter gives it a richness that means I think I'll be eating smaller size servings

No pictures because it's not particularly photogenic.

[KristiB50]

I made the Thai-Lao Grilled Chicken with Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce and the Spicy Cucumber Salad from Hot Sour Salty Sweet with Jasmin Rice.

The marinade was a paste of coriander, black pepper, garlic and fish sauce with some additional fish sauce.

The dipping sauce is red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic and salt.

I grilled one big breast half and BF and I split it. Very tasty!

I know I know my pictures are blurry! I don't know how I did that

But here it is anyway. Maybe I should start uploading photos before I eat

I also need to get out my other dinner plates since I've photographed these so many times

Edited July 9, 2007 by KristiB50 (log)

[C. sapidus]

Continuing to cook mild for house guests, we grilled five-spice chicken thighs, sliced cucumbers, and made a green salad. Jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, and nuoc cham dipping sauce/salad dressing were hiding out of the (blurry) picture. I made the five spice powder this morning, and it tasted so much better than store-bought. The nuoc cham featured our first garden chiles of the summer – Santa Fe Grande and Thai Hot Dragon.

[David Ross]

Tonight I actually had leftovers that turned out really good. I had some 'Posole' in the freezer. I made it with grilled pork tenderloin and yellow hominy as the main ingredients in the soup. It really froze well. Then tonight I made some steamed rice and added all sorts of Mexican spices and finished the rice with diced tomato and green onions. Not bad for leftovers.

[Chef Bradley]

Cooked a huge batch of boiled peanuts Im HOOKED on those little things!

And, while I was at the stove, made a couple jars of Sambal cuz I ran out. I love to use that stuff in marinades and stir fry.

And, made the wife and I a couple pizzas that came out AWESOME! I find that if I let the dough proof slowly over night in the fridge, I get a chewier crust.

[Kim Shook]

Hello, all! I am rather intermittently surfing again. The child is home (and graduated from college and employed – oh, joy!) and I am using her computer when I can, but I don’t want to junk up her computer with my pictures so I’ll post them when we get our computer back. But I am getting caught up on this thread so I thought I’d pass on some comments!

Percy – your burgers on 6/9 are the very quintessence of ‘burger’

Shal – happy birthday! And, as always, an invitation to any gustorial (is that a word?) gathering given by you would be the most look forward to occasion that I can imagine!!

“Potato Flavoured Butter” cracked me right up .

Bueno: your carbonara reminds me that I want to do this soon. What a great comfort food!

Shaya – Happy birthday to you, too! Both of your gnocchi dishes looked fantastic! I especially liked the “nekkid” ones ! I also loved the veal on 6/28 – the chop looked especially delicious.

Ann - I am so sorry to hear about Stetson. My parents have shelties and they are just some of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. We had to have our baby girl (14 year old kitty), Banshee put to sleep last month. It has been hard to come back from it.

Doddie – that pork pot pie looked luscious!

Bella – that proscuitto/mozzarella thing sounds fantastic. I do a similar thing with proscuitto and goat cheese to top a salad. These are then sautéed. I do mine ahead of time and then microwave them slightly to warm just before serving. It helps with that pesky last minute serving problem !

Tarelki – that shrimp/artichoke dish looks completely swoony. I’d love to have the recipe, if you wouldn’t mind pm’ing me!

Bruce – so sorry to hear about your dog. It has been a bad summer for egullet pets, Ann, you and me all in the past month.

Wendy – we almost never have cocktails – especially at home (no reason really – weight, diabetes, gastric bypass and general laziness ), so I always have my vicarious cocktail time with you. It makes me feel very glamourous .

Lucylou – BF’s lasagna looks fantastic and I am definitely making port brownies.

LittleLea – your duck breast and pears is just gorgeous! Welcome – that is quite a debut!

David – your bouillabaisse is fantastic looking. I would have loved a crack at just the juice and some of that bread to sop it up with !

Chufi – those egg stuffed meatballs are marvels!!!

Marlene – good grief! Everything that you posted on 7/4 looked wonderful! It is hot as the hinges of hell here in VA and I am craving beef stroganoff ! Bleu cheese deviled eggs are just genius!

I have missed egullet more than I would have thought this past month. I have been cooking, but somehow by not sharing the results with everyone of you, something was missing from the experience. I hope that I can get my computer up and running soon and can get my pictures organized so I can do a big monster photo post!

Kim

[Domestic Goddess]

Thanks Kim Shook!

Tonight was Baked Ziti night. Hubby was so happy.

And dessert was banananana bread 2 ways (plain and chocolate)...

[Shelby]

Cooked a huge batch of boiled peanuts Im HOOKED on those little things!

And, while I was at the stove, made a couple jars of Sambal cuz I ran out. I love to use that stuff in marinades and stir fry.

And, made the wife and I a couple pizzas that came out AWESOME! I find that if I let the dough proof slowly over night in the fridge, I get a chewier crust.

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Your pizza looks heavenly!

Tell me about your peanuts! How do you make those???

[Chef Bradley]

Tell me about your peanuts!  How do you make those???

On this recipe, I bought a 2 pound bag of green unroasted peanuts and rinsed them very well, then let them soak in cold water for about 30 minutes, then boil in fresh water for about 6 hours adding 1 pound of salt per gallon of water. I prefer kosher salt and I had to add a couple gallons of water throughout the boiling process because of evaporation.

After that, you can eat them hot (which is the best way IMO) or put them in airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze them for future noshing

[Shelby]

Tell me about your peanuts!  How do you make those???

On this recipe, I bought a 2 pound bag of green unroasted peanuts and rinsed them very well, then let them soak in cold water for about 30 minutes, then boil in fresh water for about 6 hours adding 1 pound of salt per gallon of water. I prefer kosher salt and I had to add a couple gallons of water throughout the boiling process because of evaporation.

After that, you can eat them hot (which is the best way IMO) or put them in airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze them for future noshing

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I'm DROOLING thank you!

[wattacetti]

Ever get the impression that you're repeating yourself for all the wrong reasons, and that your food's getting boring or (worse still) cliché? I did.

After spending just a few too many days in the chain restaurant wasteland that is the strip of New Jersey right across from Philadelphia, I finally had some time to myself and decided to see if I remembered how to cook. Hit La Mer, Gidney's, Atwater Market: couldn't find some things that I wanted (e.g. big quail, short ribs), found some other ingredients that looked okay, cracked out the knives and got to work.

Cumulatively 11 plates with no significant disasters. I was generally happy with the taste of everything I made and the plating of all but one item but when I started reviewing the photos, I was immediately struck with a sense of "been there, done that".

So, my question is: what are you doing to break out of a rut?

"Green Stuff"

Fresh peas, fresh fava and snow peas with marinated ikura. I think that this was one of only two things that I had not made in any previous incarnation, but I think that I've seen something similar at Guy Savoy.

Tuna spoon

What to do with tuna trim and leftover peas? Also included onion, radish, mirin, piment d'espelette.

Clam salad

Littleneck clam on a salad of savoy cabbage slaw, radish and red beet, with a mirin and pineault de charentes dressing. The other thing I had not made previously. Tasted pretty good, though I think I would use cherrystones (perhaps low-temp poaching in sake/dashi as I saw on feature on Nishiki).

Tuna two ways

One piece of tuna painted with mirin before sticking on the black sesame, then hit with the blowtorch. The other marinated straight in shoyu, sake and mirin. I liked my plating, but I've had this before at a lot of places.

Seared scallop with citrus gelée

Sitting on braised spring onions with an orange/fond blanc sauce. Tasted good, but I think this was probably the most uninspired thing I cooked (I believe I insulted the scallop).

Vanilla butter-poached prawns

Served alongside more savoy cabbage slaw to cut away some of the effects of the butter. Had not made this before (so that makes three), but then I realized I saw this already on Top Chef (ah - the subliminal effects of television).

Scallop tiradito

I've done how many of these? In hindsight the only difference here was using meyer lemon and orange juice as the acids.

Littleneck clam and quinoa risotto

First time I've used this grain, but ran it with a standard application. Has an interesting texture and a nutty aftertaste that didn't quite mesh with the clam. I'd use quinoa again, but the risotto is… beige.

Pan-seared halibut with pea and potato mash

Not shown, as this was one ugly plating. Elements were individually okay, but collectively ho-hum.

Fig-glazed pork tenderloin with potato and rapini

Cooked the tenderloin very well, and everything else was okay, but it's like a photocopy of a lot of tenderloins I've cooked in the past. There wasn't enough "fig" in the sauce.

Angus bavette with mashed potato

At this point, I couldn't think of what else I could do with this, so it went to the meat and potato format that I've met with at the chain restaurants.

[percyn]

Wattacetti, I would be happy to be "bored" by dishes like these everyday ;-)

[Shelby]

Wattacetti, I would be happy to be "bored" by dishes like these everyday ;-)

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Geez, me too! I think it looks fabulous.

[wattacetti]

Wattacetti, I would be happy to be "bored" by dishes like these everyday ;-)

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It's not a question of being bored, but rather the sense that I've lost creativity.

I've realized that being on the road is a significant detriment:

- crappy Internet connections means no lurking in the dinner forum or on Tastespotting,

- a limited per diem and travel cycle makes interesting eating a challenge, and

- being away means not having the opportunity to play around with food

[Bueno]

It's not a question of being bored, but rather the sense that I've lost creativity.

←

Maybe in relation to what you feel you're capable of (and we don't know that yet -- you possibly don't know that yet), but to people that live outside your world (ie. us) please take our collective word for it when we say that your food not only is creative, but it's beautiful and skillfully prepared with an adept hand. I'm sure it tastes lovely as well. Experimenting is fun, and it breeds growth - but you've got a lot to be proud of. So while you wait to feel inspired again (and it'll happen), rest easy in the fact that what you've already achieved is more than some will ever manage.

[rockdoggydog]

Wow great meals everyone! Haven't really had anything to add in a while

Tonight was pan seared halibut with sautéed spinach and morel cream sauce, made with some morels I inherited yesterday.

Rocky

Edited July 10, 2007 by rockdoggydog (log)

[Ted Fairhead]

Hello, all! 

Shal –            gustorial (is that a word?) gathering

Kim

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Gustatory or even gustative would be the adjectives to use. Tut-tut; all that expensive education!

Ted

[little ms foodie]

Tonight was pan seared halibut with sautéed spinach and morel cream sauce, made with some morels I inherited yesterday.

Rocky

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YUM!!! that is so right up my alley!!!

wattecetti your food looks wonderful and your commentary made me laugh!!!

last night we started with TallDrinkOfWater's special mojitos- these aren't your ordinary sweet drinks!

then he made spicy shrimp with chorizo, grilled broccoli and a nice salad

Edited July 10, 2007 by little ms foodie (log)

[David Ross]

Tonight was pan seared halibut with sautéed spinach and morel cream sauce, made with some morels I inherited yesterday.

Rocky

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YUM!!! that is so right up my alley!!!

wattecetti your food looks wonderful and your commentary made me laugh!!!

last night we started with TallDrinkOfWater's special mojitos- these aren't your ordinary sweet drinks!

then he made spicy shrimp with chorizo, grilled broccoli and a nice salad

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Could we be so fortunate to have the Mojito recipe? It's going to be really, really hot this weekend and I bet a cool Mojito is going to be in order!

[MiFi]

Cape Breton (N.S.) Lobster Boil

Aspy Bay Oysters to Start - taken just steps from where they were shucked

Two Dozen Main-a-Dieu Lobsters

Only one thing left to do now!

[Prawncrackers]

Only one thing left to do now!

Yup, and that's call me!!!

[s_sevilla]

I was at a barbeque basically all afternoon today, so I wasn't prepared to eat an actual dinner, but my roommate was making soup and she opened the cupboard and there was peanut butter on there, and a lightbulb went on in my head.

So I made peanut and celery soup (you know, like ants on a log...but liquid.  And without the ants).  The celery...wasn't really there, unfortunately.  I was using up the last of a head that was just past the point of where I'd want to eat it raw, so I might try again with more celery/something else.  Would celery seed or celeriac add more of that "celery" flavour?  I've never used either.

It was pretty decent tasting though.  I added curry powder and cayenne pepper to it, and the peanut butter gives it a richness that means I think I'll be eating smaller size servings

No pictures because it's not particularly photogenic.

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I little fresh coriander would help bring out some of the celery flavor as well, but I would definitely go for the celery root instead of the stalks. You could also use the leafs in your sachet to flavor the stock.

[Chufi]

rocky, that morel cream sauce looks heavenly.

wendy, I LOVE the way the shrimp are hugging the chorizo slices! what a cute idea. Now if only I could get my hands on some decent chorizo...

[little ms foodie]

rocky, that morel cream sauce looks heavenly.

wendy, I LOVE the way the shrimp are hugging the chorizo slices! what a cute idea. Now if only I could get my hands on some decent chorizo...

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Klary can you not even order it?? This is the brand we used to order online but now my grocery carries it!!

LaTienda

[TallDrinkOfWater]

Could we be so fortunate to have the Mojito recipe?  It's going to be really, really hot this weekend and I bet a cool Mojito is going to be in order!

←

This isn't an unusual mojito recipe by any means; I mostly just choose ingredients carefully and make sure not to make it too sweet.

2 oz añejo rum (I use Appleton V/X)

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

scant 1 tsp demerara sugar

6-8 spearmint leaves

Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum

soda water

garnish: mint sprig

Place mint leaves in the bottom of a sturdy mixing glass (or shaker). Add sugar and lime juice. Muddle the leaves gently against the bottom/side of glass; the goal is to squeeze out some essence, and let the rough sugar abrade the leaves a bit, but not to shred them. Add the rum and stir briefly to combine. Remove the mint leaves.

Add ice to shaker/glass and shake for ~10 seconds. Strain into chilled collins-style glass. Add ice cubes -- the bigger the better. Drop in one of the squeezed-out lime shells. Top with an ounce or so of soda water. Float a couple of teaspoons of Demerara 151 on the top by pouring over the back of a spoon. Add a mint sprig and straw; enjoy.

Actually, the size glasses we have are perfect for making this a 1.5x recipe (3 oz rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1.5 tsp sugar, etc.), but the standard size drink is what I have listed.

I've found prefer the añejo rums to silver/white (unaged), however, be careful, as "gold" rums contain sugar and would make this way, way too sweet.

Rather than using generic soda water, it might be worthwhile experimenting with one of the Dry Soda products for a flavor twist, though it's possible the flavors would be overwhelmed by the rum and lime. If trying those, though, I'd reduce the granulated sugar a bit. I think any sort of other normally-sweetened soda would be too much.

[edit: fixed typos]

Edited July 10, 2007 by TallDrinkOfWater (log)