Dinner! 2013 (Part 4)

[rotuts]

Wow PC so many thanks

but ...

what is Shime saba?

[Prawncrackers]

Thanks! Frogprincess, yes three big banana shallots melted down. I should have mentioned that there was a honey and walnut dressing for that tart too.

Rotuts, Shime Saba is vinegared mackerel sashimi. I like to eat it with avocado.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Prawncrackers (log)

[rotuts]

so those are the Fish in the upper R of your first picture?

sounds like something Id very much enjoy!

thanks for your post!

[pastameshugana]

PC - That tart has me intrigued as well. I'd love to see a recipe or method for that one.

Also - I love these pictures. Especially the Cha Ca La Vong and the Tart. Beautiful. Possibly you could show us a pic of your setup over at The Food Photography Topic.

Edited September 10, 2013 by pastameshugana (log)

[Prawncrackers]

PC - That tart has me intrigued as well. I'd love to see a recipe or method for that one.

Also - I love these pictures. Especially the Cha Ca La Vong and the Tart. Beautiful. Possibly you could show us a pic of your setup over at The Food Photography Topic.

The tart is really simple, roll out all butter puff pastry, cut out a round, dock it all over with a fork before baking between two baking sheets. 200C for 15mins. Caramelise your onions beforehand, spread them over the tart, arrange goats cheese and fig. Season and bake again for another 15mins in a lower oven 150C. Let cool a little. I told you it was simple.

I dont really have a setup, it's just a camera! A fairly cheap Olympus SLR with a flash usually bounced off the ceiling. But for these photos I've taken advantage of some decent natural light, unusual as English evenings are typically gloomy. Actually the tart photo was taken on my iPhone 5 and tidied up with the Snapseed app. You can see where I've blurred the edges before posting the photo on Instagram.

[mm84321]

Cream of lettuce soup, onion custard

Pigeon marinated in red wine and juniper, red cabbage and apple, sauce pilée

[Anna N]

Sous-vide lamb chops, baby Shanghai choy and (a rare treat) home made ciabatta. Boy did I wish I still had the use of the Anova unit. The Demi seemed so last year! Just kidding really. The Demi works just fine.

[Ann_T]

Prawncrackers, everything is so beautifully plated. And the colours so vibrant.

Dinner was suppose to be the almost two pound Porterhouse that I presalted on Monday. But this starter became dinner. Steak will be tonight's dinner.

Grilled Brie.

Baked Garlic.

Oven roasted tomatoes.

Homemade Baguettes.

[rotuts]

that brie looks so good, with those baguettes. luck you!

[huiray]

Anna N's post gave me a nudge...

A late dinner:

• Roast top sirloin cap / picanha, seasoned with just coarse sea salt and black pepper.^¶

• Sautéed green/light green zucchini sticks.

• Coarse grated ginger and chopped scallion (lots) fried rice.

Yes, every bit of the fat left on the slices was eagerly consumed.

^¶ Browned/seared in the pan on all sides first, with vegetable oil; fat-side done last. Finished in the oven.

[mm84321]

Pigeon with nutmeg, romaine coulis, thighs wrapped in bacon

[Steve Irby]

Great post by all over the past week. It's been a pretty tough week or two with my job so we're keeping it simple. In the south dinner was the big meal at noon and supper was leftovers. Tonight's meal qualifies as supper as it uses leftovers from previous meals and mystery finds from the freezer.

Navy beans with lamb, pork and ham cooked with rosemary, garlic, onions etc. Served with pasta and wilted mixed green medley. Finished with a glug of good olive oil and aleppo pepper. After a week of dining on fast food (or slow and sloppy) it hit the spot.

[Ann_T]

Steve, I'd be happy eating leftovers at your house.

Grilled Porterhouse Steak - Presalted on Monday.

Served with locally picked Chanterelle Mushrooms.

And fries.

[Baselerd]

mm84321 that pigeon dish looks great. What's the foam on top? Nutmeg?

[mm84321]

Thanks! It's just chicken stock reduced by 2/3, then cream added, seasoned and emulsified. It may have seemed superfluous at first, but I felt it helped link the pigeon with the romaine purée. That was simply a head of romaine cooked in salted boiling water for 4 minutes, drained, sauteed in brown butter, seasoned with salt, black pepper and nutmeg, and blended.

[nickrey]

Just got my copy of "Le Livre Blanc" which features the cooking of Anne Sophie Pic, France's only currently cooking female 3* Michelin chef (the last to earn the title was in 1933).

Made up a quick version of her John dory with mint, black truffle shavings and asparagus.

The favour combination is delicate despite the liberal use of mint. Cookng the fish was interesting too as it involved putting the fish sous vide into an 83C water bath for only a few minutes and then moving it to a 52C holding bath.

[Baselerd]

That looks amazing nickrey - I've always had the desire to cook with truffles, but never got the courage to work with such an expensive ingredient. Recently I made most of this recipe: Quail (marinated breast and confit legs), coconut mousse, rutabaga-miso puree, peanut praline, quail broth, and shimeji mushrooms.

[nickrey]

That is one very pretty dish Baselerd. It's got a real Asia meets South Pacific feel.

[Steve Irby]

Baselerd - Forget the description - That photograph is perfect.

[Ann_T]

Baselerd, I have to agree with Steve. You take the best photos.

Chicken Yakitori.

[liuzhou]

Baselerd, I have to agree with Steve. You take the best photos.

If you took that yakatori picture, you aren't doing so bad either! It is beautiful.

Edited September 13, 2013 by liuzhou (log)

[mm84321]

Truffles don't really require much "working with". Just a mandoline or truffle slicer, and you are pretty much set.

[Baselerd]

Yeah maybe I'll give it a go next time they're at the supermarket - which probably won't be until winter...

Thanks for all the compliments. I just realized I didn't post the correct link to the recipe - here it is in case anyone was interested. Definitely a ton of work, but pretty delicious (the quail marinade is definitely worth re-using in other dishes).

Edited September 13, 2013 by Baselerd (log)

[dcarch]

Truffles don't really require much "working with". --------"

But a lot to "work for"-------- LOL!

dcarch

[mm84321]

Yeah maybe I'll give it a go next time they're at the supermarket - which probably won't be until winter...

Are you in the US? If you are really interested, let me know. I get them through a French dealer at half of the cost you'll spend at any supermarket and double the quality.