Dinner! 2013 (Part 2)

[Baselerd]

Awesome stuff people.

Here's a dish I put together (inspired by the Modernist Cuisine's Pea vine salad): Crispy goat cheese, glazed green pea salad, cinnamon pea jus, pickled lemon, cured radishes, lemon puree, and ginger foam.

The crispy goat cheese was made by incorporating some Wondra flour, lemon juice, and salt with some chevre. It was then dehydrated at 115 F for about 25 minutes and pan fried.

The cinnamon pea jus was made by blending fresh peas with cinnamon infused water. This was strained, and then added to a mint-infused chicken jus (the jus was light on the chicken, with an emphasis on the veggies to make for a lighter flavor).

Edited April 4, 2013 by Baselerd (log)

[Kim Shook]

Bruce – that ga ro ti sounds and looks great. I went searching for a recipe and hope to try it soon. The quiche is also calling my name!

Ann – thank you! Your halibut meals always make me hungry. I saw that Whole Foods had some last time I was there and I think that I’ll be buying some soon. Glad to see you posting!

Soba – everything is lovely, but that bread pudding and apple dish is stupendous! And I would give a LOT to know that I was having those poached shrimp for dinner tonight.

dcarch – thank you! Gorgeous prime rib. I’ll take mine rare, please! Are those potato cakes on the plate with the meat? Questions – did you cook a baking dish of them and then cut out the circles? They look so crisp! Did you sauté the circles separately?

Steve – I love fattoush and yours looks perfect. And that po’boy has me drooling. I wanna go back to NOLA!!!

Easter dinner was a group effort this year. I did the pre-meal snacks – Rachel’s ‘Paminna’ Cheese, assorted relishes, cream cheese & pepper jelly and gougères:

Mr. Kim smoked the lamb and ham:

I didn’t get a good picture of the lamb sliced. In order to serve it hot, and for him to be able to go to church Easter morning, he smoked and sliced it on Saturday. I gently reheated it with some lamb stock on Sunday in a slow cooker. It still tasted incredible, but lost its lovely pinkness!

My mother made the mint sauce (according to my English Aunt’s recipe) and I made the gravy for the lamb a couple of weeks ago with some neck bones I found at Whole Foods. I am really thrilled with this whole ‘make the gravy ahead of time’ thing I’ve developed. I love not having to devote the time to it last minute and I think that the gravy is actually better. Making it ahead of time, you have the luxury of letting it simmer for a long time and allowing the flavors to really come together and intensify.

My MIL did her fabulous devilled eggs:

Always Jessica’s first request for Easter.

Our honorary nephew did a wonderful creamy fruit salad with berries and oranges and grapes:

His mom, Lisa, did green beans (no picture) and her delicious mac and cheese:

I did a broccoli and cauliflower au gratin:

It ended up being mostly cauliflower – in the future, I need to remember that, with broccoli, when you trim off the stem you end up with about HALF the weight you started with!

A green salad with my dad’s paprika dressing, Marlene’s bleu cheese and croutons:

Sour cream potatoes:

And Michael Ruhlman’s buttermilk rolls:

God, these were good. I baked them on Tuesday and froze them. You would never have known it. They were delicious and the perfect texture. I made them about half the size called for - it made twice as many and they were a good size for the meal.

My friend, Lisa and I provided the desserts. She made her incomparable pound cake with all kinds of berry toppings. Also huge strawberries with chocolate to dip them in. By the end of the meal I was beat, so I missed getting pictures.

I did a cake and almond-stuffed coconut dates:

The cake was Coca-Cola cake with coconut extract instead of vanilla and a new recipe for IMBC that called for meringue powder instead of egg whites. It worked beautifully and everyone loved it. The filling is some coconut curd that I found in the store:

The dates were done with something that I’d never heard of before – coconut powder. It was very fine and dry and perfect for the task. We found it at the new Indian grocery near us.

Tuesday night was Easter leftovers for dinner. Salad:

Hot lamb sandwiches:

My favorite way to serve leftover meat and gravy!

“Veg” plate :

Mac and cheese, devilled eggs, broccoli & cauliflower au gratin and sour cream potatoes.

Last night was more Easter leftovers:

Rolls, fruit salad, mac & cheese and ham.

[rotuts]

fabulous devilled eggs

love all kinds and eat 'um faster than I can make 'um

[dcarch]

Kim, Wow! what a feast for Easter!

Regarding my potato "cakes", I have a few molds that I use to compress them into square or round shapes. It takes a few seconds to make.

dcarch

[SobaAddict70]

keith -- that chicken ... oh myyyyy ....

fp -- i'm afraid we're still in the grip of winter here (was 34 F this morning)

patrick -- nice lamb soup

steve -- i do love a good po'boy

baselerd -- i might steal that concept for the future

kim -- thanks for the kind words. i love deviled eggs.


tonight:



spring lettuce salad, dijon vinaigrette

it doesn't look like much, but trust me, a lightly dressed, well-made green salad is a thing of beauty.

as for the vinaigrette, i like these proportions:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

minced shallots and herbs, optional.

it's a classic for a reason.


next:



chicken with olives and pine nuts

recipe: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/896



chicken with olives and pine nuts; broccoli rabe, with garlic and lemon; steamed rice

broccoli rabe: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cime-di-Rapa-Fritte -- i reduced the amount of garlic called for by 75%, and added in the juice of 1/2 lemon before service. more garlic is not necessarily better.

btw, the chicken was Murray's (first time for me), and while it compares favorably to USGM-sourced chicken, i prefer birds from Quattro's. maybe it is because i am spoiled or set in my ways. however, if i can't get to USGM, then this will be my #2.

[basquecook]

Simple fried chicken for the little one last night. Soaked for a day in seasoned milk. I like to fry my chicken at 325 to 330. I kick the oil up to 355 when i place the room temp chicken in. But, then bring it down to 325. Exactly 12 minutes and it's perfect.

From the milk, i dip it in seasoned flour. Salt, a lot of black pepper, then white pepper, a little mustard powder, a little cumin, cayenne, paprika.

Press it hard into the flour

So easy, with such great results.

Edited April 5, 2013 by basquecook (log)

[Keith_W]

mm84321 - thank you!

Frogprincesse - beautiful looking cavatelli, and home-made to boot. Must have been quite an effort!

Steve Irby - I would kill for those rolls!

patrickarmory - that Ottolenghi book is on my wishlist. You make it look desirable.

Baselerd - stunning dish and stunning photography!

Kim Shook - great looking dinner. Those buttermilk rolls look the business.

Anyway this was dinner tonight - John Dory with watercress puree, peas, and clams. John Dory was sous-vide'd at 47C for 35 minutes. The clams were steamed with white wine, shallots, and garlic - with the leftover jus incorporated in the watercress puree.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Keith_W (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Frogprincesse - beautiful looking cavatelli, and home-made to boot. Must have been quite an effort!

Thanks Keith. Actually cavatelli may be the easiest pasta to make. You just need a little cavatelli machine (see details here in the Fresh Pasta thread). You can make a large batch and they freeze extremely well. I was introduced to his technique by a local chef, Ryan Johnston.

I am salivating over your John Dory (Saint Pierre as it is known in France). I love this fish. I have a rule that I must order it when I see it on a restaurant menu.

Dinner last night was inspired by a couple of beautiful local halibut fillets, plus the Meyer lemons and green garlic I got in my CSA.

Halibut with Meyer lemon salsa and green garlic champ (recipes from Suzanne Goin - see the Lucques thread for more details about the halibut)

The night before we had leftover lamb shanks (another Suzanne Goin recipe - see here) and I made the green garlic champ that night. Served with lamb jus and tapenade.

Edited April 5, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Steve Irby]

Keith_W beautiful plating on that J Dory

FrogPrincessse that salsa on the halibut has me drooling

Baselerd what a beautiful photo

[mm84321]

Chilled pea soup, ricotta and mint

Morels cooked in vin jaune

[patrickamory]

Fantastic meals everyone!

Kim - that is an INSANE Easter spread. Leftovers for days??

Soba - the salad looks gorgeous actually. It's the time of year when I start longing for food like that

basquecook - I've bookmarked your fried chicken post. Do you totally submerge? Do you turn it? And do you cover it a la Laurie Colwin?

Keith, buy the Ottolenghi, you won't regret it! It's a beautifully produced book too, stunning photos not just of food but of the city, the markets and the people. And... the John Dory on peas looks lovely

Baselerd, love the halibut and Meyer lemon. So we can still get Meyer lemons? I need to make a new batch of preserved lemons before they go out of season... storebought just doesn't compare.

[mm84321]

Light chocolate cream, hazelnut praline, citrus mousse

[Kim Shook]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments and responses!

Soba – lovely salad! And I agree completely. I love all sorts of wild and complicated salads, but the sine qua non of salads is just what yours is – simple and lightly dressed (I would add not icy cold, but that might just be me).

basquecook – I love your fried chicken leg and wish I had a couple in front of me right now! They look perfect.

Keith – what an utterly beautiful dish (I mean the food, though you know how I feel about those glass pieces !).

Elise – your halibut looks so lovely. I am determined to finally make some this season and that preparation sounds heavenly. I have some lamb shanks braising on my stove right now and I’m really in the mood for them after seeing yours!

Patrick – yes, lots and LOTS of leftovers. We sent tons home with our guests, but I still am going to have to stock the freezer with some sliced ham (smoked ham freezes REALLY well).

mm – oh, my. That chocolate and hazelnut sweetie sounds and looks so amazing.

Dinner last night:

My mother brought us some beef stew. Served with Michael’s rolls.

[basquecook]

Thanks, Kim.

Dinner last night:

Started with marinated shrimp in ginger, scallion, garlic sauce. Cooked in sesame oil, then added butter, soy sauce, shaoxing cooking wine, more scallions.

Pre-cooked. They were big shrimp.

Then we made a smoked trout salad. Dressing was a red wine dijon. Poached egg and rye toasts

Homemade pasta with bay scallops, peas,guanciale with lots of tarragon tossed in.

Pasta was 12 egg yolks.

Plated:

Duck breast with roasted brussel sprouts tossed in sriracha honey. With a simple Anson Mill polenta.

Fun time last night. Miss A and I arrived home at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, did a shop and had dinner ready by 630.

I like this photo our prep station

Edited April 7, 2013 by basquecook (log)

[basquecook]

Fantastic meals everyone!

Kim - that is an INSANE Easter spread. Leftovers for days??

Soba - the salad looks gorgeous actually. It's the time of year when I start longing for food like that

basquecook - I've bookmarked your fried chicken post. Do you totally submerge? Do you turn it? And do you cover it a la Laurie Colwin?

Thank you Patrick. I have a deep fryer built into my counter top. So, when i am home and it's just a few pieces, I just toss the chicken into the deep fryer. It has an electric temperature gauge but, the heating element comes from the bottom so, if left unturned it would burn one side. That is also why I kick up the temp to 355, so the element doesn't have to do too much work once the chicken is thrown in. I turn every three minutes or so. It would most likely be easier using a large enamel cast iron pan because it would be more even heating. You wouldn't have to turn the pieces or be so concerned. But, then you would have a large steaming pot of hot oil to deal with while, I just put the cover back on and let it cool.

Edited April 7, 2013 by basquecook (log)

[Kim Shook]

Dinner last night:

Braised lamb shanks w/ caramelized onions and orzo w/ Parmesan & asparagus.

[Keith_W]

Frogprincesse: that halibut looks good enough for Jehovah! (Not blasphemy)

mm84321: no truffles? Again!?!?!? Looks gorgeous all the same. FWIW I went to my cookware shop trying to buy the same plates that you have. No luck!

Kim Shook: thank you! I know you like those glass pieces, but most of my friends seem to prefer the simple white plates, which cost 1/2 of what those Nachtmann glass pieces cost me. So - dinner tonight was plated on a simple white plate BTW amazing spread you put out there.

Dinner tonight: crown roast of lamb. It was slow roasted in the oven with a rub made from coriander seed and garlic powder. I think it is a bit dangerous posting this with all the professional chefs on this board, with my amateurish tourne carrots and fluted mushrooms. It was served with a lamb red wine jus (not pictured):

[patrickamory]

Steamed asparagus, General Tso's chicken and Yangzhou fried rice.

[MikeHartnett]

patrickamory, that General Tso's looks delicious. Is that a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe?

[C. sapidus]

Chicken stir-fried with lemongrass and chile, from the ever-reliable Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Red bell pepper, shallots, curry powder, fish sauce, cilantro, and simmered-down coconut milk made for a popular meal.

[jvalentino]

Dinner tonight was pizza. I'm starting to get some good ones out of my new wood fired oven.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on the halibut & Meyer lemon salsa.

Baselerd, love the halibut and Meyer lemon. So we can still get Meyer lemons? I need to make a new batch of preserved lemons before they go out of season... storebought just doesn't compare.

I think that one was my dish (if not sorry for jumping in). Not sure where you are located, but I they are still in season in San Diego.

[Steve Irby]

Beautiful crust jvalentino and C. sapidus - my monitor has fork marks from trying to grab that chicken.

[Simon Lewinson]

Attempt 2 at pasta - found the pasta machine and made some fettucini. Added some home made basil, roasted garlic and cashew pesto. Topped with sous vide salmon.

Needed to add a bit more salt to the pasta and polish up on the plating skills.

[patrickamory]

Whoops sorry FP!

And Mike - yes indeed Fuchsia Dunlop.