Dinner! 2013 (Part 3)

[Syzygies]

Syzygies - a Komodo kamado? Only the best Kamado in the world

Didn't realize the "bark" would be a matter of debate! Here's a closeup.

Yes, a Komodo Kamado. I started with a different ceramic cooker, and we realized this really mattered to us. We use it various ways several times a week, most nights in the summer.

The pit temperature was controlled using a BBQ Guru, and set to 210 F for six hours. Colors can change, but pretty hard to burn anything at that temperature. My biggest concern with ribs is to get these falling apart without drying out. These came out pretty good.

Even on the forum where everyone had paid three grand for such a cooker, many people express moral outrage if one doesn't buy cheap meat. As if BBQ is supposed to be about cheap meat. Cheap ribs go hand in hand with heavy, sweet, complicated sauces. With a decent rib source, I do no more than rub in 0.8% sea salt by weight, half that much black pepper, and an assortment of ground chiles from the local Mexican supermarket. Those start out red to black, get blacker in cooking, but don't acquire the bitter taste I associate with burnt. At the same time, this wasn't exactly a crunchy bark either, just an outer layer of flavor.

It's so hard to tell what anything really tastes like from pictures. I don't make ribs that often. These were a Fourth of July request from a dear friend's schizophrenic daughter. She loves my ribs. If any of us can find some joy in food, I think that's great.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Syzygies (log)

[rotuts]

how did you make the

cajun potato salad

manythanks

[patrickamory]

Syzygies, I thought your ribs looked fantastic. Thanks for the summary of their preparation.

[chileheadmike]

Burnt Ends.

Edited July 7, 2013 by chileheadmike (log)

[C. sapidus]

Mmmmm, burnt ends

dcarch – thanks for the reminder, I need to hunt down some soft shell crabs

Younger son requested char siu banh mi for his birthday. As usual, we riffed off the recipe in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, but cooked the pork shoulder on the grill rather than in the oven. The marinade had five-spice powder, garlic, hoisin sauce, honey, sugar, Shaoxing wine, black soy sauce, light soy sauce, and sesame oil.

I learned from previous experience – let the coals burn down before grilling the pork, make extra marinade, and roll the pork in the marinade every 5 minutes or so at the beginning.

Accompaniments at the table included sliced cucumbers, mayo, Maggi sauce, liver pate, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and carrot-daikon-cucumber pickle.

[mm84321]

Blue lobster carpaccio with it's eggs, chicken liver toasts

Smoked Balik salmon in a potato crust, leek cream, caviar

Blue lobster with lemon verbena, girolles and apricots

Orange blossom marshmallows, chartreuse ice cream, zucchini blossom beignets

[Prawncrackers]

mm84321, love our native lobsters and I'm convinced the females taste better. What do you reckon? The carpaccio looks great.

[mm84321]

Prawn, I have to agree. I always choose females when I buy the Maine/Canadian lobsters we get here, and it so happened that these four were all both female and pregnant. In my opinion, they are all around a better lobster.

[patrickamory]

Brown and orange lentils (masoor dal, whole and split), recipe from onelifetoeat.

[jvalentino]

My take on watermelon feta salad. Compressed melon tossed w feta mint and arugula then finished with olive oil, hot honey and sea salt. I put a little Aperol in the bag w the melon when compressing.

Edited July 8, 2013 by jvalentino (log)

[Steve Irby]

Last night's shrimp boil:

Converted to tonight's gumbo. The gumbo is roux based and includes grilled chicken, andouille and shrimp with fresh corn, tomatoes and okra served with potato salad.

Rotuts - Cajun potato salad usually does not contain sweet pickle or eggs. I cooked the potato's in Zatatrains seafood boil and used a liberal amount of green onion and celery.

[Wapi]

Mussels with cream sauce

Salad with duck, foie gras terrine and vinaigrette of reduced grapefruit juice with thyme and honey

[Kim Shook]

Bruce – thanks for posting the link for the garlic fish. That is something that I’m going to make soon! I really love the sound of your beef salad – sans lettuce. I’ve never cared much for beef salads, but I’ve always had them with lettuce – I think I’d like your ‘manlier’ version ! Bruce, my BD is tomorrow – will you meet me halfway and bring me a char siu banh mi, please?

PastaMeshugana – that is some beautiful smoking!

Thanks to PastaMeshugana, Rico and rotuts for telling me not to be ashamed of my tamale pie!

rotuts – the chili and the tamales were both Hormel.

mm – that John Dory has to be one of the loveliest things I’ve ever seen.

Syzygies – your 4^th of July ribs look exactly how I like mine to look. We are going out to dinner tomorrow for ribs and I hope they are like yours!

dcarch – oh, oh, OH!!! Soft shells . My favorite food in the whole wide world. Must get some soon!!!

Steve – love the Scotch eggs – I need to make some soon.

Wapi – beautiful mussels!

The day before the 4th we had pork chops and potatoes:

With salad and Michael Ruhlman’s yeast rolls:

Independence Day was a quiet, at home day with just us and Momma and Jessica. “Hogdogs” and go-withs, then a drive up to King’s Dominion – we parked on a service road and saw excellent fireworks for free. Hogdogs start with split and fried dogs:

Wrapped in bacon:

Topped with BBQ:

Plated with BBQ sauce, slaw and beans and slaw on the side:

Served with corn, pickly things and an odd looking, but really good layered congealed strawberry and sour cream salad that comes from a local grocery store:

The green tomato is my MIL’s sweet tomato pickle – truly incredible.

Mr. Kim’s hogdog with the addition of kraut:

I don’t know how he got it in his mouth!

Dessert was watermelon and cupcakes:

[rotuts]

those Dogs are talking to me ...

[C. sapidus]

Kim, I hope you like the garlic fish. Nice yeast rolls! Um, and sorry, take-out banh mi is not on the menu.

Pescado a la ranchera – Fish fillets and cubed potatoes poached in court boullion, and finished in a sauce of tomato, white onion, garlic, chiles, peas, cumin, and court boullion.

Arroz verde – Jasmine rice fried and steamed with roasted Poblano chiles, cilantro, lots of spinach, white onion, garlic, and chicken stock, and then mixed with buttered peas.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Prawn, I have to agree. I always choose females when I buy the Maine/Canadian lobsters we get here, and it so happened that these four were all both female and pregnant. In my opinion, they are all around a better lobster.

Nice pics, but I don't think it is legal to take, transport sell or possess egg-bearing lobsters in Maine. Or Canada.

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/12/title12sec6436.html

• Landing egg bearing female lobsters is prohibited in all US and Canadian waters. This management measure is one of the very best protections afforded to lobsters. Fishermen have long accepted that protecting the brooding lobsters will help protect the future of the industry.

The fines range from $500 to $10,000.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Baron d'Apcher (log)

[mm84321]

Prawn, I have to agree. I always choose females when I buy the Maine/Canadian lobsters we get here, and it so happened that these four were all both female and pregnant. In my opinion, they are all around a better lobster.

Nice pics, but I don't think it is legal to take, transport sell or possess egg-bearing lobsters in Maine. Or Canada.

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/12/title12sec6436.html

• Landing egg bearing female lobsters is prohibited in all US and Canadian waters. This management measure is one of the very best protections afforded to lobsters. Fishermen have long accepted that protecting the brooding lobsters will help protect the future of the industry.

The fines range from $500 to $10,000.

That I am aware of, but I think you misunderstood my post. I always choose females when buying lobsters locally...these, which were pregnant, came from Scotland, where there are no such regulations.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Cheerfully withdrawn, though it is unfortunate.

Most females are V notched, even over there and it takes almost 5 years for the notch to disappear.

Lovely work nonetheless.

[IAte]

OMG! These all made me hungry! Amazing! These are works of art! Even though I try to avoid meat - all this posts did not left me indifferent.

It's so much better than Instagram!! Thank you everybody! You inspired me!

[dcarch]

I have had female lobsters with roe inside many times, bought from regular supermarkets.

Perhaps there should be some regulations that egg bearing lobsters are allowed to be sold if they are from a certified lobster farm. Lobsters lay several thousand eggs at a time. All they need is a few female lobsters with eggs in a tank with no predators.

dcarch

[Baron d'Apcher]

I have had female lobsters with roe inside many times, bought from regular supermarkets.

Perhaps there should be some regulations that egg bearing lobsters are allowed to be sold if they are from a certified lobster farm. Lobsters lay several thousand eggs at a time. All they need is a few female lobsters with eggs in a tank with no predators.

dcarch

Eggs on the inside is completely different than eggs on the outside.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Personally I am grateful for Max's contributions and they align well with my traditional Gallic sensibilities (blue lobsters are from around here anyway). My initial concern is more with purveyors' indiscretions rather than consumers since they are the ones responsible for bringing the items to market. I have received wholesale striped bass without tags which is illegal for commercial fishermen, purveyors and restaurants to possess or sell and American fishery laws must be respected in order to sustain the fisheries and the those whose livelihood depend on them. American fisheries are the best managed in the western hemisphere, for good reason, and there are bigger fish to fry.

[Ann_T]

Bruce, Your char siu banh mi looks so good. I've never made that, but I think I need to.

Syzygies, your ribs look perfect to me.

mm84321, I'm in awe of your meals, your presentation and your photography.

Steve, I can't remember the last time I had Scotch Eggs. Something I should make for Moe. He would love them served with fries.

Kim, everything looks good, but it is that beautiful corn I'm craving. It will still be a while before local corn is available here.

We had another feast of dungeness crab. Steamed to partially cook and then finished in the oven with lots of garlic, butter, olive oil and black pepper.

Picked up a few vegetables from the farmer's market on Saturday.

My favourite time of year, when fresh garlic is available again.

Hot Hamburger Sandwich

Hainanese Chicken

[rotuts]

fantastic looking steak ! and all the rest too. !

[Dejah]

Food...Glorious food...want all of the above!

A new way for beef short ribs other than my usual stew - love the left over sauce on anything!

And, after watching Spice Goddess on TV, I tried the Sweet Potato Fries with Chili Coconut dip. LOVED the dip - again, one that can be used on almost anything. I finished the last few spoonfuls as dip for raw cauliflower snack in the evening.

Fresh curry leaves rock!