Dinner! 2009

[percyn]

Bruce, what recipe did you use for lamb kheema?

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PercyN, we adapted Madhur Jaffrey’s “ground chicken or turkey with peas” (murghi ka keema), substituting ground lamb and increasing the spices and lemon juice. My long-time favorite, though, is sookha keema from Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking. Actually her safaid keema is quite nice, too. Dang, now I’m hungry for keema again.

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Nice. While kheema is quite tasty with rice, it is even better with fresh roti, especially sookha (or dry) kheema.

[KeystoneNate]

Bruce, that chicken looks great.

I smoked some chicken and ribs a couple of weekends ago, but never posted the pictures. The chicken was brined for a few hours, then smoked. The ribs were dry-rubbed and refrigerated overnight. Nothing too complicated - dried chiles, smoked paprika, brown sugar, dry mustard, star anise, salt, cayenne, maybe some other spices that I can't remember. I pulled them from the smoker a little too early, and they weren't as tender as they should've been. A short steam in a covered pan worked the following evening, not only to reheat them, but also soften them up nicely.

Last night's dinner was a quick soba noodle soup with edamame. Just some dashi, fish sauce, and sliced green onions for garnish.

[Ktepi]

Pizza with ramps and meatballs, about a minute overcooked, but there's only a couple bites where you could tell.

Though whole ramps look nice on pizza, I think it's actually better to chop them up. But this one looked nicer than the pizza with chopped ramps.

[percyn]

Bruce, that chicken looks great.

I smoked some chicken and ribs a couple of weekends ago, but never posted the pictures.  The chicken was brined for a few hours, then smoked.  The ribs were dry-rubbed and refrigerated overnight.  Nothing too complicated - dried chiles, smoked paprika, brown sugar, dry mustard, star anise, salt, cayenne, maybe some other spices that I can't remember.  I pulled them from the smoker a little too early, and they weren't as tender as they should've been.  A short steam in a covered pan worked the following evening, not only to reheat them, but also soften them up nicely.

Last night's dinner was a quick soba noodle soup with edamame.  Just some dashi, fish sauce, and sliced green onions for garnish.

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Nate, that Chicken, Ribs and Soba noodles look scrumptious.

[Prawncrackers]

Have had a lot of friends around so a couple of pan-Asian meals to finish this week off (to really test out the new facilities). A couple of nights ago was some Green Curry, Crab Salad, Chicken Yakitori & Satay, Steamed Lemon Sole, Pak Choy and all the usual dips and things.

and tonight Chicken Rice, Tea-smoked Duck with Shredded Daikon, Lamb Rendang, Prawn & Veg in Oyster Sauce, Fish Fragrant Aubergines, Pickles and of course all the usual dips and things:

(Conclusion: the new kitchen works!)

[David Ross]

I haven't posted here for some time, but I've been viewing all of your wonderful dinner dishes. I've been busy cooking enchiladas over here .

I found these beautiful fresh Pacific oysters at the market yesterday. I thought they would go well with some pappardelle pasta.

I always fry oysters the same way-dusted with Wondra flour that I season with Old Bay and cayenne and then fry them in canola oil in a very ancient electric skillet. (I learned from a Chef that Wondra flour is better than all-purpose flour for frying. Wondra is ground very fine so it makes a crispier outer coating than regular flour).

The sauce for the pasta was reduced cream, roasted garlic, lemon juice, capers and grated parmesan.

[menuinprogress]

We recently made Savory Braised Lamb (shank) with cauliflower from My Bombay Kitchen:

The juices from the shank were great - sticky and richly flavored.

We had a lot more braising liquid left over than we had lamb, so a few nights later we blended it up into a soup. The remaining bits of cauliflower acted as the thickening agent.

With the leftover lamb bits, we made a rolled taco of sorts - adding onion, cilantro and queso fresco.

The original dish was very good, but the improvised leftovers were fantastic. Most satisfying dinner I've had in a while.

[lesfen]

I haven't posted here for some time, but I've been viewing all of your wonderful dinner dishes.  I've been busy cooking enchiladas over here .

I found these beautiful fresh Pacific oysters at the market yesterday.  I thought they would go well with some pappardelle pasta.

I always fry oysters the same way-dusted with Wondra flour that I season with Old Bay and cayenne and then fry them in canola oil in a very ancient electric skillet.  (I learned from a Chef that Wondra flour is better than all-purpose flour for frying.  Wondra is ground very fine so it makes a crispier outer coating than regular flour).

The sauce for the pasta was reduced cream, roasted garlic, lemon juice, capers and grated parmesan. 

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Swoooon!!

[christine007]

Pizza with ramps and meatballs, about a minute overcooked, but there's only a couple bites where you could tell.

Though whole ramps look nice on pizza, I think it's actually better to chop them up.  But this one looked nicer than the pizza with chopped ramps.

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My Lord, that's a work of art!!

After moving (not by choice,) I find myself getting used to having a gas stove for the first time in many years.. I'm finally getting my cook back on, made some muffin bread last night, and I'm doing a meatloaf/mashed potato thing for dinner tonight.

Made beef stew on friday, I'm really, really needing my comfort foods right now!

[Kim Shook]

Flotch - the Pissaladiere is just lovely!

Bruce - that is such good chicken. We haven't had it since last summer - I need to put that on my 'do again' list!

Nate - the chicken and ribs look perfect!

Ktepi - gorgeous pizza - I like the idea of ramps on pizza!

Prawn - lovely meal and I'm glad the new kitchen suits! (pictures, pictures!)

David - those oysters !!! I will be trying the Wondra coating - I love a really thin, crisp coating.

We had some friends over for dinner last night including eG's Zeemanb and his lovely Meredith (there would be pictures of them, too, but the ONE that Mr. Kim took was completely blurry ). The calm before the storm:

Hanging around the kitchen snacks:

Chili Lemon Rice Crackers, Green Bean Crisps, Smoked Oysters & OIives

Apps:

Goat & Fontina cheese puffs w/ black pepper infused local honey:

I think maybe I won't do the slashes next time, it looks kind of gross, but they were absolutely delicous.

Orange-Pecan Salad w/ Paprika dressing:

Beef Bourguignon and Cheddar Grits Cakes:

A shot of the grits cakes:

I put them on a Panini maker and got some nice grill marks.

Sauteed Sliced Brussels Sprouts w/ pancetta:

Roasted Artichoke Hearts:

These were absolutely tasteless. This was a recipe from some old PBS show called 'The Holiday Table'. I've made plain - olive oil, salt and pepper - roasted ones before and loved them, but the coating on these was just a sodden mush, the only crispy parts were just the very edges of the crumbs. Blah.

Bread machine brioche:

I've made this bread a couple of times and I really am happy with it. It's delicious fresh and leftovers make fantastic French toast.

Cheese course:

Cheeses were Supreme Brie, cave-aged bleu, Emmental, white Stilton w/ lemon peel (fantastic) and Morbier les Trois Comtois, the preserves were Rowena's carrot jam, Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse chutney and Pepper Patch Jezebel sauce

Dessert was something that Lisa2K posted on the dessert thread sometime last year I think:

It was a Figgy Apple-Mascarpone Tart with Green Apple Ice and Apple Cider Caramel.

Plated:

This was incredible - a wonderful finale for the meal. The green apple ice was insanely good and possibly the best thing on the table all night. I was really proud to have made it! Thank you, Lisa2K!

[Zeemanb]

Folks, I'm not just saying this to be polite.....but Kim knows some super cool people (not counting MYSELF here), and her perverted Fishs Eddys serving dishes are just a bonus.......but yes, you will be fed well and plentiful, and the laughter that you share with your dining companions has the second benefit of settling your food so you can eat MORE.....

And I'm only waiting until my fiance gets home to break into the leftover beef goodness because I'm marrying the chick......

[meredith h.]

De-lurking to say that zeeman obviously values his safety, since he did indeed save me some leftovers.

Delicious meal, made even more memorable because of great friends. As anyone who read Kim's blog could tell, the Shook house is a perfect reflection of their warmth and hospitality. I'm very lucky that I've managed to weasel my way into their good graces--the benefits are immeasurable.

Thank you again for a great evening!

[suzilightning]

a cold, blustery day with snow showers all day long. just right for this:

and

a spicy black bean soup for me and turkey noodle for johnnybird.

[tkassum]

Had a fun weekend in the kitchen..

We made a roquefort and leek quiche. Crust was as per the Cook's Illustrated Vodka-based pate brisee. Filling was as per Thomas Keller's recipe in the Bouchon cookbook. This turned out beautifully. Quick tip on this - use lots of extra pastry dough! CI suggests that one only use half of the dough per quiche - but to do it properly a la Keller, you need twice as much.

Also have been getting closer to perfection on the margherita pizza. The crust was as per Roberto Donna's formula as seen in a video with Julia Child. Video is here: http://bit.ly/LElD

Finally, my fiancee and I made some wonderful macarons.

Here's a question: are there any good threads on food photography? I am a pretty decent photographer with full-sized objects but so far food has been completely vexing.

[percyn]

Here's a question: are there any good threads on food photography? I am a pretty decent photographer with full-sized objects but so far food has been completely vexing.

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Not to go off topic, but since many people on this forum are probably searching for the same, here are a few links I have found helpful....

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001451.html

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=113382

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-t...oto-studio.html

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/food_pho...hotography.html

[suzilightning]

saturday i was craving shrimp so here was dinner(forgive the steam - it was just out of the oven).

baked shrimp in a chunky tomato sauce with buccatini. this is a definite keeper. nice flavor to the sauce and the shrimp weren't overcooked even though i had to remove the shells for johnnybird. it was supposed to be baked with feta but neither of us really cares for that cheese so i left it out.

[Shelby]

Tkassum-That pizza is making me drool!

Suzi-Those shrimp look really good! I've never tried baking them like that before. I'll have to do that!

A while back we had venison burgers. Bad picture. Good burger.

[tkassum]

Percyn, that's really helpful, thanks

Thanks, Shelby. Going to have a pizza party on Saturday - about 8 people coming over and bringing their favorite toppings. Will photograph and post!

[Domestic Goddess]

Here's what I made that has made me a fan of Bitter Gourd melon (called "ampalaya or amargoso" in the Philippines). The beef is sauteed with onions, garlic, ginger and slices of bitter gourd melon.

Beef with Bitter Gourd (Beef with Ampalaya)

Edited April 17, 2009 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[C. sapidus]

Doddie, do you have a trick for moderating the bitterness of bitter melon, or do you enjoy it as is?

We had a guest Saturday night, and cooked again from 50 Great Curries of India. Younger son was off camping, so he will have to fight me for the leftovers.

Malabar shrimp curry (konju curry): Tomatoes and coconut milk, flavored with fried onions, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and three kinds of chiles. Just before serving I added huge (U-15) shrimp, simmered until the shrimp were barely cooked, and then topped the curry with quickly-fried shallots and curry leaves.

Fragrant rice: jasmine rice with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, salt, and a dollop of ghee. This is my new favorite basic rice.

Green chutney: coconut, cilantro, mint, chiles, garlic, ginger, cumin, sugar, salt, and a squeeze of lime juice, all ground in the Preethi.

Mrs. C turned excess zucchini into “zucchini raita” and grilled spice-rubbed zucchini (not pictured because all disappeared). Viogner and entertaining conversation accompanied the meal. Leftovers for breakfast:

[rooftop1000]

Since it was over 70 here yesterday we invited a few ppl for a regular old BBQ. Cheeseburgers, Hotdogs, Macaroni Salad, and Tossed salad.

I was going to serve potato chips and dip but got sidetracked when the guests arrived with bags from the local Italian bakery. I tossed some of the sliced bread round bread into the toaster, diced some tomatoes and onions into a bowl with grated garlic, last summers pesto, and balsamic. The toast was spread with some leftover riccota and the tomato salad.

Pastries for dessert

tracey

[percyn]

It was 74F here yesterday, so we made some burgers stuffed with aged cheddar, topped with raw cheddar.

Another version topped with A1 sauce and a fried egg - bite style

Sometime last week we made a Chicken Khichdi.

[kayb]

Fried rice, from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything, with fresh English peas, carrots, shallots, water chestnuts, and salad shrimp.

I seasoned with organic (gluten-free) soy sauce, because one child who loves fried rice has a gluten allergy. Is it just this brand, or is the gluten-free variety much milder and sweeter than regular soy sauce?

Today I'm making gyoza, to cook later in the week with the leftover rice.

And one of these days I'll rescue my camera from my child and start taking food pictures.

[Domestic Goddess]

Bruce of the eternal cucumbers - the trick to get most of the bitterness off the bitter gourd melon is to toss the cut slices with rock salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and watch green juice leach out. Dump the bitter melon slices in a colander, rinse with cold water and then squeeze to get rid of more juice. The bitter melon is now ready for cooking (or for making into a salad). The thinner the slices, the less bitter it is, too.

[nickrey]

I've had the Nobu Now cookbook for a while and decided to do a dish comprising grilled salmon, deep fried baby spinach leaves garnished with finely chopped spring onions and salmon roe. The sauce was a ponzu sauce with clarified butter. This photo shows the dish prior to applying the sauce.