Dinner! 2011

[ScottyBoy]

Never had a lobster roll, I always see pictures and TV with then and drool... 7.99 for lobster in chinatown right now hmmm....

[pastameshugana]

Today, I made baked Reubens, minus the sauerkraut, which I sauteed with apples and served on the side. The process starts with Triple Rye Bread from Bernard Clayton's New Book of Bread, and after its first rise, instead of shaping into two loaves, it gets rolled out about an inch thick on parchment. Spicy mustard is slathered down the center, and layered atop that are corned beef and baby Swiss.

KayB - This is the 2nd time I've seen this idea here on EG - and both times it's made my heart stop.

I owe Mrs. Meshugana big time (leaving to Romania next week after just being in Russia), so I think this'll make it on the menu this week to help 'pay' for my absence...

[Kim Shook]

Blether - yes to fresh ginger, which I love and never have any trouble with. Yes, also to a ready-made garam masala. I'll check the ingredient list when I get home! As far as cooking with it, it is added to the pan after the chicken in browned and cooked at medium with the other spices for a couple of minutes, then tomato sauce is added. Thanks so much!

Kay - yes, that rueben strudel looks delicious, but I just have to tell you what LOVELY hands and arms you have!!! I always love pictures that show folks actually doing things and that one now a favorite!

percyn - I love that bucatini - it's one of my favorite pastas and your sauce looks wonderful. Of course, I'd maim people for one of those

[Keith_W]

kayb ... OH MY GOD!!! Suddenly this ham and cheese sandwich made with supermarket bread I have in my hands seems so unappetizing

[kayb]

Thanks for the nice words on the baked Reubens, y'all (and, Kim, on my hands! I'm blushing! At least my manicure was fresh...)

Newly-out-on-her-own daughter came by tonight, and took the leftovers with her -- lunches to carry to work all week. Now I have to come up with something to carry to work all week for lunch....

[Norm Matthews]

Fall is here and we had a good Southern dinner of ham and ham shanks-not shown- collard greens and navy beans. Corn bread also not in picture.

[ScottyBoy]

Yes please...

[MiFi]

Last burger of Summer

Linguine & Clams w/roasted tomatoes - Melissa Clark, NYT

Beef burgundy w/creamy polenta

[percyn]

Lobster Bisque & Grilled Cheese

Porterhouse Steak

Surf 'n Turf - mashed potatoes w/lobster demi glace red wine sauce, mushrooms and broccolini

Edited September 28, 2011 by percyn (log)

[ScottyBoy]

Dang percyn, you've been kill' it.

[Genkinaonna]

Mifi-I love love love all of Melissa Clark's recipes! Her cookbook is one of my "go to" books whenever I need some culinary inspiration.

Percyn- That. Meal. Looks. AMAZING!

I made a riff on the Deconstructed BLT and Egg salad from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan tonight. It's my French Fridays with Dorie assignment for the week, and for once, I didn't actually have to go buy anything, I used up a bunch of little bits and pieces from the fridge and pantry.

It was supposed to have country bread croutons, I made some of out of a croissant that had been getting progressively staler on the counter...and I did poached eggs instead of hard boiled, just because I like them better that way. And instead of the mayo you're supposed to dot the eggs with, I used some (very decent for store bought) Trader Joe's refrigerated hollandaise I had hanging out after making eggs benedict the other day. All in all a highly successful salad.

[EatNopales]

Mrs Nopales planned to prepare some child friendly comfort food with local high quality ingredients last night but due to scheduling changes it wasn't going to happen... so I volunteered to cook it which got two looks in quick succession... first a "but you only cook Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian etc.," why are you interested... then a "I don't trust you to not screw it up look"

After she retrieved the mashed potatoes from the toaster oven where they were being kept warm.. I heard a "I have never seen mashed potatoes so fluffy" I showed her.

It is sad to me when people don't value their own traditions, it is nearly impossible to find a quality comfort meal in Wine Country because the local petty bourgeoisie are too busy with their pallid caricatures of Italian, French or Spanish cuisine to slow down & pay respects to their traditions .... I like traditional American comfort food... and when utilizing great ingredients with care it makes for great eating.

Everything (except for the corn flakes & seasonings) were produced within 25 miles of our home (well to be fair the chicken is "Grocery Free Range" not real Free Range so I don't know where the feed was grown.... but potatoes, carrots, english peas, butter, chicken... all from Sonoma County

[kayb]

It is sad to me when people don't value their own traditions, it is nearly impossible to find a quality comfort meal in Wine Country because the local petty bourgeoisie are too busy with their pallid caricatures of Italian, French or Spanish cuisine to slow down & pay respects to their traditions .... I like traditional American comfort food... and when utilizing great ingredients with care it makes for great eating.

Agreed. A recent meal, which I didn't photograph or blog about, was meat loaf, purple hulled peas, carrots, and mac and cheese. Other than the pasta, which was Barilla in a box from the supermarket, the cheddar (Wisconsin) and Velveeta (wherever they make Velveeta!), and the bread crumbs in the meat loaf, everything was from within 50 miles of where it went into my oven or onto my stove burners.

And I thoroughly enjoyed it and I expect will have leftovers tonight.

[C. sapidus]

We had some nice meals this week, but no pictures.

Monday: Grilled tuna steak with red wine, caper, and olive sauce; bread; salad

Tuesday: Spaghetti carbonara; buttered peas with basil; salad

Wednesday: Garlicky shrimp over spinach linguine; salad

Tonight: Grilled chicken marinated and basted with a puree of garlic, shallots, scallions, habanero chile, bell pepper, fresh thyme, parsley, celery, S&P, soy sauce, and lime juice. Bahamian rice and "peas" with bacon, onion, chile Poblano, garlic, fresh basil, thyme, tomato paste, lime juice, and a touch of sugar. Green salad.

[threestars]

Now that looks yummy! I'm thinking of chicken for tonight...

[Kim Shook]

Norm - that Southern ham, beans and collards dinner looks amazing! Gorgeous ham. It looks so moist. How do you cook it - mine tends to dry out a bit.

MiFi - oooooh - beef burgundy on polenta - what a great idea!

percyn - you eat more lobster than anyone I know. I am extremely envious!!

Genkinaonna - I love, love, LOVE the look and sound of that salad and that you made it from on-hand stuff. Thanks for the TJ hollandaise tip - I am hollandaise-impaired - mine tastes good, but is the consistancy of mayo!

EN - is that cornflake chicken fried or baked? Because I've never seen oven baked 'fried' chicken that looked that good.

Bruce - that is a GORGEOUS crust on your chicken!

Not doing much cooking lately - too busy prepping for a family BD party tonight and other bits and pieces. I did make dinner the other night:

Huge pork chops from the Belmont Butchery, topped with an apple, Calvados and raisin concoction – also green beans and croissants.

[Shelby]

JNash, I've made potato cakes from cooked (generally leftover) potatos all my life. Not sure I see the point in baking them first; I always just fry mine, like croquettes. They're excellent with a little green onion added in.

PaulPegg, the carrot soup sounds astounding and looks even better. I can just taste the carroty goodness.

Today, I made baked Reubens, minus the sauerkraut, which I sauteed with apples and served on the side. The process starts with Triple Rye Bread from Bernard Clayton's New Book of Bread, and after its first rise, instead of shaping into two loaves, it gets rolled out about an inch thick on parchment. Spicy mustard is slathered down the center, and layered atop that are corned beef and baby Swiss.

The sides are cut into diagonal strips, which are then wrapped over the top in a basketweave type pattern.

Weaving completed.

Egg wash....

And kosher salt.

The finished product, oozing goodness.

Kay, this is amazing.

That would make me skip horse racing...and that takes a lot lol.

[Shelby]

Last burger of Summer

Linguine & Clams w/roasted tomatoes - Melissa Clark, NYT

Beef burgundy w/creamy polenta

Oh that burger and oh those clams. Great looking.

[EatNopales]

Norm - that Southern ham, beans and collards dinner looks amazing! Gorgeous ham. It looks so moist. How do you cook it - mine tends to dry out a bit.

MiFi - oooooh - beef burgundy on polenta - what a great idea!

percyn - you eat more lobster than anyone I know. I am extremely envious!!

Genkinaonna - I love, love, LOVE the look and sound of that salad and that you made it from on-hand stuff. Thanks for the TJ hollandaise tip - I am hollandaise-impaired - mine tastes good, but is the consistancy of mayo!

EN - is that cornflake chicken fried or baked? Because I've never seen oven baked 'fried' chicken that looked that good.

Bruce - that is a GORGEOUS crust on your chicken!

Not doing much cooking lately - too busy prepping for a family BD party tonight and other bits and pieces. I did make dinner the other night:

Huge pork chops from the Belmont Butchery, topped with an apple, Calvados and raisin concoction – also green beans and croissants.

Kim... indeed that is baked chicken. All Purpose flour to coat the chicken, Milk + White Vinegar + Paprika + Cumin + Dijon for the bath, ... straight up crushed corn flakes + salt (no butter or other fats) for the outer crust, sprinkling of Parmesan once the pieces were on the cookie sheet.... 425F for 20 minutes, then 375F for 35 minutes

[Norm Matthews]

Hi EatNopales. The ham was a butt end city ham which means it was cured and fully pre cooked, so it only needs warming through. I just glazed and basted it with a glaze of apple cider, brown sugar, dijon mustard, honey, and (real) maple syrup. Sometimes I use apricot jam and gluten free tamari instead of apple cider. The glaze was cooked down to thicken a little. The ham was then roasted it at 325 @ 8 to 10 min. per pound and an internal temp of 140. Cook to 160 if the directions say cook before serving.

[Norm Matthews]

Yesterday we had leftover ham salad which Cassie and Charlie request every time I make the roast ham dinner.

Leftover Ham Salad

2 C. Left over baked ham, diced very small


4 hard boiled eggs, chopped


1 C. mayonnaise


1/2 C. chopped romaine lettuce ribs only. 


1/4 C. chopped sweet onion


1/4 C chopped dried apples


Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve on bread or alone on a bed of romaine lettuce leaves.

[Keith_W]

Here are a couple of pictures from another dinner party last night.

Modernist mushroom omelette from Modernist Cuisine. You can read more in the thread Cooking with MC - link here:

Applewood smoked chicken, breaded chicken sausage, vegetables. The chicken was brined as per the Thomas Keller recipe, then dried in the fridge for 48 hours. It was smoked as per the "beer can chicken" method. Result was a crisp, flavourful skin, intense smokiness, a tender and juicy breast, and well cooked thighs.

This was the first time I tried this innovation - I chilled the breast with ice prior to cooking. Breast needs to be cooked to 65C, the legs need to be cooked to 75C. In the past, I have tried wrapping the breast in foil to stop them from overcooking. But now - I allow the chicken to come to room temperature prior to cooking, but for 20 mins prior to going into the oven, I chill the breast with ice in a zip-lock bag. This method is noticably superior to any other method I have tried - without having to resort to the Cooking Issues Bionic Turkey method. Here is a pic of the chicken breast chilling under some ice:

[deensiebat]

I made this Concord grape focaccia for book club potluck dinner. And I'll probably make it again tonight. Hello, obsession!

Edited October 1, 2011 by deensiebat (log)

[rotuts]

Wow! what a fantastic focaccia and link

i never thought of fruit in focaccia and that rosemary looks interesting.

ill try this soon and might use other fruits, bluberries, rasp. etc

many thanks!

[Genkinaonna]

When's your book club? I'd read whatever you want for a piece of that foccacia!