Dinner! 2011

[rarerollingobject]

SO many good meals here..I wouldn't kick any of them out of bed. As they say.

Love it all, just looking at this thread makes me remember why I love food, and food people, so much.

As for me, it was more stuffing around with pomelo, this time with prawns, vermicelli noodles, mint, cashews, fried crispy shallots and garlic, the requisite lime/fish sauce/chilli and palm sugar dressing, and thinly sliced roast duck that I crisped up again under the grill just before 'garnishing' the salad with it.

[SobaAddict70]

I don't know how much lobsters cost in the US or wherever, but in Australia lobsters are stupidly cheap when they're $55 per kilogram at retail. Our lobsters also don't have claws large enough to extract much meat from. And the ones in the local fishmongers always tend to be large. If I wanted to spend $70--by the time I get a lobster and other ingredients--on a meal I'd go to a restaurant.

A 1 1/2 lb. lobster from Citarella cost $12 last week.

It depends on vendor and season.

[ChrisTaylor]

The life of kings.

[Kim Shook]

We are trying to eat down the fresh food that we have before we leave for England on Friday. Dinner tonight was salad:

And omelets:

Mr. Kim’s with bacon, onions, cheese and siracha.

And mine:

With just bacon and cheese and a side of hash browns.

I’ve begun to notice how ‘junky’ my pictures always are. The best light in the house (at least at dinner time) is on the island and it is always piled with stuff. In the edges of my pictures there is always a book or a cellphone or an ashtray (lovely) and tonight piles of English and Euro coins. I really need to tidy things up before I get the camera out. Maybe one of those tri-fold screens to give a blank background for the food to stand out? I have the most cluttered pictures on eGullet .

[dcarch]

Kim, Have you gotten a new camera? I have noticed a significant improvement in your picture qualities.

(the dishes are not bad either )

dcarch

[Country]

Hardshell lobsters in Maine are going for around $6.50 pound retail.

Oops. This is in reference to lobster prices on last page.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Country (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Pix have improved, Kim. The difference "before" and "after" is noticeable.

Tonight:

Spring vegetable risotto (asparagus, ramps, upland cress), garnished with mint leaves.

2009 Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Gris

I'll have the recipe posted later.

[djyee100]

...In the edges of my pictures there is always a book or a cellphone or an ashtray (lovely) and tonight piles of English and Euro coins. I really need to tidy things up before I get the camera out. Maybe one of those tri-fold screens to give a blank background for the food to stand out? I have the most cluttered pictures on eGullet .

Actually, I like the random backgrounds in your pix. I think they give the pix personality. The coins are charming. The cellphone...well, that's a common item in our lives, isn't it? Maybe move away any items that you feel are less than picturesque, and keep taking your style of pictures.

Those omelets look perfect. Have a fun trip in England!

[butterscotch]

[Prawncrackers]

Kim your pics look great to me too, no reason to do anything drastic. Just stick it on the table and take a quick photo before it gets cold, it is Dinner! after all. Enjoy dear Blighty, I shall be on the other side of the world to you still as I'm off to the Orient tomorrow.

[Kim Shook]

Thank you everyone for the reassurances (and the compliments)! Not a new camera, but I've been trying to be more careful with lighting and perspective lately.

And that note? Thats what we've taken to calling the 'Death Note' -it's a list of things that Jessica needs to know, just in case .

Well, dern, Prawn - I was gonna slip up to Birmingham one afternoon ! Have a great trip.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Kim Shook (log)

[kryptos1]

Oh, the food you guys post here! I just finished eating and now I'm hungry all over again!

Tonight I did a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with sichuan peppercorns. This was my first attempt to velvet the chicken prior to stir frying and I am so happy with the result. No more clumped chicken! And DH declared the dish a keeper.

That looks great! I recently discovered sichuan peppercorns when looking for an authentic kung pao like recipe. Really like the flavor and have used it in other dishes like roasted phesant/chicken with thyme. By random chance I stumbled across a cooking show featuring suchuan peppercorns and was utterly jaw dropping appalled at what he did! He took a plate of crushed sichuan peppercorns and completely coated a steak thick with them! I am not sure how that steak was editable and feel sorry for those who tried it.....their mouth would be numb and the taste would stick with them for a week.

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/everyday-exotic/szechuan-peppercorn2/index.html

[dcarch]

rarerollingobject, I just bought a pamelo. You dish of pamelo with prawns, etc. is very interesting. I think I will copy you. I may add an idea of my own. I may add sautéed pamelo rind.

Kim, thanks. The sauce for the duck was honey mustard. Many well made dishes. In particular the omelets. I was following the “Best Scrambled Eggs” thread. I think yours is the best.

robirdstx, lovely grill marks on the rib eye steak.

SobaAddict70, thanks. Beautifully photographed delicious flounder and asparagus. I just used up my ramps. I will have to get some more to try out your Spring vegetable risotto.

------------------------

Duck breast, sous vide cooked to medium. Black garlic flavored.

Wild rice (real wild, not farmed) with crab meat.

On Daylily stems sauté in duck fat.

dcarch

[ChrisTaylor]

Fried chicken. I followed, mostly, the Ad Hoc recipe although I finished the chicken pieces off in the oven--I was concerned that due to their size, the crust would burn before the meat cooked through to the bone.

[robirdstx]

Kim Shook said:

robirdstx – the crust on that chicken marsala is beautiful. And I love your hummus moat!

and

Robirdstx – I like your ‘moatless’ hummus and Mr. Kim would adore the addition of sirachi. Must remember that.

Thank you Kim. The Chicken Marsala is one of our long time favorites from 365 Ways To Cook Chicken. I think I made it for the first time in 1977 or 1978. The hummus is a new thing for me to make but it will be made again soon. Enjoy your trip to France and England - can't wait to hear all about it!

dcarch said:

robirdstx, lovely grill marks on the rib eye steak.

Thanks dcarch, but I must give credit to hubby as he did the grilling that night. Your rack of lamb for Mother's Day looked fabulous!

Dinner last night was Linguine alla Carbonara.

[robirdstx]

The Chicken Marsala is one of our long time favorites from 365 Ways To Cook Chicken. I think I made it for the first time in 1977 or 1978.

Realized my error too late to edit the original post. Should have typed 1987 or 1988, as the book was published in 1986.

[SobaAddict70]

Broiled salmon.

Probably the only thing that went right tonight. Was supposed to have been salmon with creamed leeks and ramps. The leeks got burned because I left the stove unattended while talking to someone at the door. And the cream was a week past its due date. Back to the cooking drawing board.

[rarerollingobject]

dcarch - your food is just so beautiful..architectural AND straight up delicious-looking. That duck! And your lamb rack from a couple of days before..astounding.

ChrisTaylor - nice chicken. Very good crust.

robirdstx - I can just imagine how silky that carbonara must've been..

Soba - sorry, but hehehe..nice to know I'm not the only one that sort of thing happens to!

Dinner for me was fennel sausages and roasted grapes:

Roast cauliflower with sharp cheddar:

And a simple green salad:

Edited May 14, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[Jenni]

Delicious Kerala meal tonight. From left to right:

Parippu curry - moong dal with fresh coconut paste and seasonings

Achinga payar mezhukkupuratti - dry long bean dish with coconut slices

Mathanga vanpayar erissery - pumpkin and red bean in thick fresh coconut gravy

Pavakka theeyal - bittergourd in "burnt" (e.g. dark roasted) coconut gravy

Nenthrakkaya kalan - unripe plantain in coconut-yogurt gravy

Plus rice and pappadam.

So good, if I may say so myself. Beautiful spicing and lovely fresh coconut in every dish!

[rarerollingobject]

Incredible meal, Jenni! Particularly like the sound of bittergourd in darkly-toasted coconut gravy..mm.

Here, twas curry laksa, with prawns, tofu puffs, chicken and egg noodles. Apart from the spice paste, the best part was a base of very prawn-y concentrated prawn stock I've been stashing in the freezer for weeks, just waiting for the dish that will make the most of it.

[suzilightning]

i have to figure out how to use my new camera and get a new computer that will let me post pictures...i want to play, too.

we are getting ready to head down the shore to our place so i will have a working grill to play with - though rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the whole week we are down there. oh, well - i can still grill and smoke in the rain.

the yucky weather started here yesterday so i did one of my fallback recipes - beef stew. 2 1/2 hours after browning the meat and shallots and popping it into the oven was a meltingly soft stew. served with some green beans and some almost stale bread instead of potatoes to soak up the gravy.

currently a pound+ of shrimp are chilling in the bouillon they cooked in - a jasper white recipe for retro shrimp cocktail. will have it with some white wine. a simple pasta with garlic and oil for dinner.

i also did an apple and blackberry crumble last night and the remains will be dessert tonight with cool whip for john and some lemon greek yoghurt for me.

[kayb]

As usual, gorgeous meals, everyone! I've been on the road all week so no cooking, but I did have the absolute best meal I've had in years Friday night, at Murphy's in Atlanta -- my very first duck confit. I am now on a mission to learn to make duck confit. I will report.

[Dejah]

Pictures of a couple of meals lately:

Seems roasted cauliflower is a popular way to encourage eating this veg. served with Shake 'n' Bake BBQ chicken:

Roast Pork Loin with dry rub:

Crab stuffed mushrooms:

Chipotle-Cheddar-Guinness Meatloaf:

[mgaretz]

Last night we had folks over for dinner and I made crab cakes, cole slaw and fries - everything home made except the fries. Didn't snap a picture.

Tonight I made steak, salad and pasta in olive oil with peas:

(Sorry about the quality of the photo.)

Normally I wouldn't post this at all, but the pasta was home made low carb pasta made with carbalose flour, egg and pinch of salt. It was very good for low carb (about 4 gr net carbs per serving).

[Pierogi]

...

Chipotle-Cheddar-Guinness Meatloaf:

...

Ohhhh, good God.....any chance of a recipe on that? I literally just finished dinner, and would eat a slice of that in an instant....*droolie face here*