Dinner! 2008

[David Ross]

For the Fourth I had to have a big, fat steak-but I had to cut it to my own personal tastes first!

Last year I started a topic about "Supermarket Steaks vs. Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe." Part of our discussion was related to how supermarkets steaks tend to be cut too thin for my tastes.

I prefer a thick piece of meat because it gives me greater control during cooking in terms of the "doneness" of what I want in the finished steak. In my book, a thicker steak is a more juicy steak with far more "beefy" texture than you'd find in some 1/2" pansy of a steak.

The butcher will usually cut steaks to my specifications, but I honestly don't always make a concious decision ahead of time to drive out of my way to the one reliable, old-fashioned butcher shop in the area.

So that leaves me with what I call the "ultimate" option in terms of cutting steaks-to do it myself from a large cut, (if I find a good one at the supermarket)-in this case I cut steaks from a prime rib.

Let's start with a 6lb. Rib Roast, USDA Choice Grade-

Cutting the steak between the ribs-

A "thick" slab of American beef on the Fourth of July. Now that's just about the perfect cut-

Grilled on the Weber over charcoal and mesquite hardwood. Served with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and New Potato Salad tossed with Marjoram Mayonnaise, Haricot Verts and Kalamata Olives-

Medium-Rare and juicy. This was the moment when I said "God Bless America!"-

[Tri2Cook]

Medium-Rare and juicy.  This was the moment when I said "God Bless America!"-

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We have those in Canada too, eh.

Seriously though, looks good.

[RAHiggins1]

Thai Hot and Sour Prawn soup with Pan Fried Dumplings

(I did not make the dumplings)

Shrimp Curry with Jasmine Rice

[C. sapidus]

tri2cook and lisa2k, y’all are too kind.

RAHiggins1 – mmm, looks good. How did you make the shrimp curry?

Two kinds of tacos tonight – hashed crab with capers (click), and Swiss chard with onions. Toasted chile guajillo salsa, crumbled feta cheese, and setas a la vinagreta (shiitake mushrooms with carrots in herbed vinaigrette).

[Daniel]

Todays my bday, miss A made me a red velvet cake with lemon peels..

The under bite scared off evil spirits.

Edited July 7, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[pam claughton]

I made a chili out of 4th of July leftovers, a few grilled steaks and burgers and since I was too lazy to go get all the ingredients, did my own version of a recipe that intrigued me because it called for Bittersweet Chocolate chips. I didn't have those, but did have a good cocoa powder....It came out so well that I blogged the recipe...and that's saying something because my poor food blog has been sadly neglected this past year.

Great way to use up cookout leftovers though, I'd make this again definitiely.

www.efoodie.typepad.com

Pam

[Alinka]

Steak.

And cooookies (oatmeal raisin).

[Shelby]

I see some great steak pictures along with yummy tacos and seafood up there! Makes me drool as usual!

Our 4th of July spread:

Smoked pork roast

Smoked chicken and habanero sausages (the placement of the sausages by my husband could have been, ehem, a bit better )

I'm sure somewhere in the Declaration of Independence it states that it's mandatory to have deviled eggs on the 4th......

Macaroni and cheese!

And for dessert, I soaked strawberries in balsamic vinegar for a while. Then I whipped up cream with a touch of vanilla and sugar. Tore up some angel food cake and brushed the pieces with Grand Marnier and layered it all--really yummy!

[Megan Blocker]

Shelby, I love the quick trifle! I'm curious - how did the balsamic work with the Grand Marnier?

[Shelby]

Shelby, I love the quick trifle!  I'm curious - how did the balsamic work with the Grand Marnier?

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I loved it! I only soaked the berries for about 20 minutes, so it wasn't strong at all. Using a brush to dab the Grand Marnier on made it not too overbearing , also.

[Kim Shook]

I am just enjoying all the food here. I declared that I was going to cut down on all the elaborate cooking, but I have hardly cooked at all recently. Lots of pizza, cereal and foldover cheese sandwiches at the Shook house lately. We have been dealing with Mr. Otis, who's vet says he may be getting a bit senile and is getting up at 3am wanting attention and breakfast . We are the walking dead just now.

Bruce - the ribs are just gorgeous!!! I have some crock pots ones in the fridge that we are going to eat tomorrow night and they looked pretty good until I saw YOURS !

David - the razor clams look so good. What is the flavor like? And I had Mr. Kim drooling over my shoulder at your steak. Thanks for the damp arm!

Daniel - Happy Birthday! The pizza looks great - top and bottom!! (I love the bottom especially - no one ever gets the bottom done enough for me!). Mr. Underbite is some sweetstuff !!!

Shelby - I wish I'd been at your house for the 4th!! Smoked chicken and pork, sausages, mac n cheese and those dear little parfaits <faint>. Well, we did have devilled eggs, at least !

[judiu]

I am just enjoying all the food here. I declared that I was going to cut down on all the elaborate cooking, but I have hardly cooked at all recently. Lots of pizza, cereal and foldover cheese sandwiches at the Shook house lately. We have been dealing with Mr. Otis, who's vet says he may be getting a bit senile and is getting up at 3am wanting attention and breakfast . We are the walking dead just now.

Oh, poor Otis and poor Shook household . Almost as bad as a new baby. Hope all is a bit better!

[Daniel]

Hey thanks Chufi and Kim.. It was a great bday weekend.. Reality quickly hit when I had to wake up at 600 am to get to the airport and work a 12 hour day on my bday,..

[Shelby]

I am just enjoying all the food here.  I declared that I was going to cut down on all the elaborate cooking, but I have hardly cooked at all recently.  Lots of pizza, cereal and foldover cheese sandwiches at the Shook house lately.  We have been dealing with Mr. Otis, who's vet says he may be getting a bit senile and is getting up at 3am wanting attention and breakfast .  We are the walking dead just now. 

Bruce  - the ribs are just gorgeous!!!  I have some crock pots ones in the fridge that we are going to eat tomorrow night and they looked pretty good until I saw YOURS   !

David  - the razor clams look so good.  What is the flavor like?  And I had Mr. Kim drooling over my shoulder at your steak.  Thanks for the damp arm!

Daniel  - Happy Birthday!  The pizza looks great - top and bottom!!  (I love the bottom especially - no one ever gets the bottom done enough for me!).  Mr. Underbite is some sweetstuff !!!

Shelby  - I wish I'd been at your  house for the 4th!!  Smoked chicken and pork, sausages, mac n cheese and those dear little parfaits <faint>.  Well, we did  have devilled eggs, at least !

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Thanks Kim! It's not gourmet for some...ok for most but I love a good home cooked meal.

I, too, have a dog that's going a bit senile. His name is Sam. I feel your pain (hug)

[Alinka]

Chufi

Hi Klary! I missed you all too... Talking about food, looking at the photos of food, reading descriptions of food .

[Prawncrackers]

I've not cooked a Japanese meal for nearly a year. So when i found some nice big prawns in my freezer i thought bingo! Tempura, Inside-out Roll & Miso Soup:

[RAHiggins1]

I've not cooked a Japanese meal for nearly a year.  So when i found some nice big prawns in my freezer i thought bingo!  Tempura, Inside-out Roll & Miso Soup:

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Glub! Glub! That prawn needs rescueing from your misoshiru! No worries, I'll handle it! Om nom nom nom..

Edited July 11, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[C. sapidus]

Kim – You are very kind. I hope all is well with Otis – those furry critters do weasel their way into your heart.

Dan dan noodles from Land of Plenty. Stir-fried baby bok choy with garlic and chiles; stir-fried bean sprouts with scallions, both from Cradle of Flavor.

[David Ross]

David  - the razor clams look so good.  What is the flavor like?  And I had Mr. Kim drooling over my shoulder at your steak.  Thanks for the damp arm!

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Thanks! I would describe the flavor of Razor Clams as the most intense clam flavor you can find. I think of the flavor of bits of clams in clam chowder, then multiply and intensify that by about 50 times and you have the "clam" flavor of Razor Clams. That's why I love them-they are so flavorful and in my opinion the essence of clammy flavor.

There is much debate about the best way to cook Razor Clams. Most tell you to barely cook them or they will get tough. I would agree with that statement--up to a point. I like a combination of "just-cooked" and "a bit chewy" in my Razor Clams.

In the Northwest, our Razor clams are pretty large. Two clams are a nice serving for each person. There are about 6-8 clams per package. We always have them either fresh or frozen in our local seafood market. I buy the Pacific Seafood brand. They come cleaned and ready to go.

To start, I soak the clams in milk for about 30 minutes. Then they get dredged in seasoned flour. Then dipped in an egg wash. Finally, I dip them in some sort of breading. In the case of the photo I posted, I breaded the clams in Corn Flake Crumbs. I wouldn't use Corn Flake Crumbs again. They gave the clams a nice crispy coating, but were too sweet for my taste. Next time I'll stick with fresh white bread crumbs or panko.

I fry them in canola oil (I like the mild-flavor of canola oil), in a non-stick, large frying pan. I use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil. I start frying the clams when the oil gets to about 325, (just short of deep-frying temperature). I only fry them for about 2 minutes per side, maybe less.

The belly of the clam is fatty, while the other muscles of the clam are more thin. If you don't fry the clam long enough, the belly will be basically raw. I fry the clams just to the point where the belly is cooked through, yet the other muscles are a bit more done. That's fine with me because I like the play of soft belly vs. the more chewy texture of the other muscles of the clam.

Thanks again for your kind comments about the clams and that slab of Ribeye!

Edited July 12, 2008 by David Ross (log)

[David Ross]

Dan dan noodles from Land of Plenty. Stir-fried baby bok choy with garlic and chiles; stir-fried bean sprouts with scallions, both from Cradle of Flavor.

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Do I see bits of minced pork in your noodles?

Your food is always--quite simply--delicious! Thank you for sharing your joy of cooking with us.

[Daniel]

Nothing crazy.. Hung out and had a really nice Pouilly-Fuisse.. Bought these oysters from Canada.. The name escapes me.. Small and buttery..

Citarella had some really nice fresh Sardines..

A little salt, a little Olive Oil a shot of Chili Oil..Would have been great with a little spaghetti and some toasted bread crumbs.. However, the seafood was just there for the wine.

Edited July 12, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[C. sapidus]

David, thank you very much for your kind words. Your own joy of cooking shows not only in your lovely and inventive meals, but even more so in your eagerness to answer questions and share your extensive knowledge.

Yes, that was ground pork with the noodles. Based on your description of razor clams, I need to see if they are available around here.

Anyway, tonight we made Mom Leuang Neuang’s famous satay from Thai Food This is probably my favorite satay. We made half with chicken breast and half with beef filet (which was on sale).

Cucumber salad and nuoc cham from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Bean sprouts, mint leaves, Thai basil, more cucumbers, and jasmine rice.

[Lupinus]

I've been on a bit of an Asian kick this weekend. I get these occasionally and start throwing things together into probably less then authentic but hopefully tasty stir fries.

Tonight was stir fried chicken breast, veggies (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, baby corn, and bok choy). For sauce I used 6 parts soy sauce, and one part each oyster sauce and a black bean and garlic paste, a few drop of chili infused sesame oil for flavor and a bit of warmth rounded off the sauce.

Served it with rice noodles that had been cooked and then tossed with a little sesame oil.

Authentic? Dunno. Tasty? Very.

[milgwimper]

Man everything looks so good...We had BLT's today. YAY! Fried up some german bacon, walnut bread, lettuce, and roma tomatoes with cracked pepper, spicy mustard and mayo. I cried when I realized I forgot to take pictures, but man that was so delicious. I love summer!

[Priscilla]

Last evening, the same thing that's been on the menu two or three times a week for weeks now, and no pall evinced, or even in sight: Wild sockeye on a very hot griddle, super crispy skin, very moist interior, landed atop fabulous farmer's market salad -- sometimes spring mix, sometimes romaine, or tender redleaf, or merveille de quatre saisons, dressed usually with olive oil-whatever vinegar appeals but occasionally honey-mustard or creamy teriyaki. Cold pink wine; varies, but has consistently been French, this summer. Ciabatta from the Japanese French baker, or in a pinch Lee's Viet baguette.