Dinner 2015 (Part 3)

[Shelby]

David, you're killing me.

[Okanagancook]

Ditto!

[FauxPas]

Dinner tonight seemed like a lot of food, even though we skipped lunch. It was good though, and allowed me to use up some stuff and clear out some space. 

 

Super simple salad with Persian cukes, yellow pepper and fresh cheese. 

 

 

Pesto pasta to use up a bit of a leggy basil plant. 

 

 

The berries are coming fast and furious these days! Fresh local raspberries, and reading the Jacques Pépin thread, I was reminded of his raspberry tart. This was a very rustic version of his (he uses a ruler and knife to make everything perfectly even) and makes his own pastry. I cheated and used frozen puff pastry that I had in the freezer. It was still delicious, hard to beat fresh berries at this time of year! We had a smidge of ice cream on the side.  

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[Ashen]

I recently came into possession of a 36 oz porterhouse and a 24 oz ribeye from Lobels. 

 

I cannot yet speak to the flavor, but I must say, at first glance I was disappointed by the looks of the meat. The strip section of the porterhouse looks to have a thick tendon running through the middle, the color is a pinkish hue, and the marbling seems fairly average. Considering the cost was $180.00+ for these two pieces of meat, I feel a bit let down. The ribeye looks better, but nothing like picture I have seen of Lobel's in the past. For instance, the following picture was uploaded by an eGullet member as representative of Lobel's quality:

 

 

My steak does not look like that - though it is the same cut, same purveyor, and same size. That steak seems worthy of an $80.00 price tag. 

 

Regardless, I am trying to decide how to cook these. Right now I have the porterhouse in the fridge, heavily salted. It's either sous-vide then a char on the grill, or slow cooked on the cool side of the grill basted with butter/herbs/roasted garlic and then seared up near target temp. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should proceed? 

 

 

I recognize that picture, it is from the thread where Fat Guy demonstrated the Ducasse method.    I know he described it as prime but  I seriously think it was wagyu,  Lobels gave it to him as a product sample, so they might have given him the best wagyu they had to inspire business from other Egulleters.   

 

Your rib steak does look like prime for marbling, if anything slightly more marbled than what they picture on their website. 

 

 

http://www.lobels.com/graphics/meatpicslarge/bonelessrib_bg.jpg

 

 

sometimes you get lucky.. the butcher had Canada AAA grade on this one (similar to choice in USA), but that is prime all day long.   only 14 day dry aged but for 28$ I wasn't complaining 

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by Ashen (log)

[mm84321]

A beautiful day with my blossoms

From yesterday: chilled pea soup with mint

 

Salad Niçoise

Strawberry tarts, lime/vanilla sorbet

[FauxPas]

Wow, those blossoms look stunning. And look at all the lovely things coming from your garden. I adore borage. 

[mm84321]

I am enchanted by borage. Its color and shape bring such beauty to my eye. 

[FauxPas]

It's rare to get such a true blue in flowers, isn't it? And the borage plant is so lovely, always filled with happy bees. 

[rotuts]

love the idea of Fz cream

 

I use fz cream cheese that I then thaw and mix w a fork and a little water to get to the consistency of heavy cream as i do not keep cream in the ref rig.

 

for pasta as you did.   does not split w a little wine reduction    ( the fz cr. cheese )

 

if you have a little fz cream that you plan to add to some pasta, and decided a little wine reduction  ( doesn't need much ) would be nice to try

 

Id love to hear if it holds up to the acid.

 

thanks for the idea.

 

I love a little creamy ness w pasta.  a little wine doesn't hurt ( for me ) either.

[liuzhou]

This was a gift.

 

 

It is a chunk of Hunan Larou - home-cured and home-smoked pork belly. Made by my dear friend's mother. It is 13 inches long. Here it is in cross-section.

 

Dinner tonight was some of this, served in a traditional Hunan style with leeks, chilli (lots), garlic, soy sauce  and Chinese chives. Intense smoke flavour. Salty. Delicious.

 

Served with shiitake mushrooms in  oyster sauce. The sweetness of the sauce slightly tames the robust flavours of the pork.

And rice, of course.

Edited June 21, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[rotuts]

Ive seen 'bacon' dark cured in chinese markets that looks a bit like this

 

Im sure its vastly different, but might it be an OK substitute    if thats all one has

 

some are vac-packed, and in chinatown  some are not from the Char Sui meat places.

 

thanks for the idea !

 

I rummaged around and found these:  they say ham, but I have similar packages that look a lot more like thick cut bacon :

 

 

 

I hope these 'keep'  Ive had them " a while "

Edited June 21, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[liuzhou]

Ive seen 'bacon' dark cured in chinese markets that looks a bit like this

 

Im sure its vastly different, but might it be an OK substitute   

 

 

There are many different Chinese hams/cured pork. The Hunan one is different from most. It is intensely cured and intensely smoked. I handled this baby about 12 hours ago. My apartment still honks of smoke and salt!.

I've washed my hands 100 times, but they still smell - and I was wearing gloves!

 

That said, I've done similar dishes with other hams. Jinhua ham is one of China's best, and I love it, but it is like comparing a bell pepper to a Scotch bonnet. Totally different animal.

 

For the Hunan version look for 湖南腊肉. I can't make out the Chinese on your pack.

Edited June 21, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Here are the shiitake in oyster sauce. Forgot to post them.

 

[David Ross]

One of the local supermarkets held their annual "Lobster Fest" on Friday.  They sold both live and cooked lobsters, flown in the day before from New England.  I got two of the biggies, as in 2 1/2 pounders.  Tossed in mayonnaise and some chopped celery leaves, salt and pepper. We don't have authentic lobster roll buns out here in Eastern, Washington, but I found very nice, (and big), hard rolls so split them down the middle, toasted and brushed with butter.  Simple and delicious after a hot day. 

[Paul Bacino]

liuzhou  ----  Mushroom Recipe Please?

[Dejah]

While we were trying to eat up the leftover prime rib roast from the night before, my daughter requested rice and her favourite dish - ham yeu -  for brunch. As she will be living in a studio apartment in Boston for a year, there will be little chance for her to cook it as the pungent aroma may offend other residents

 

 

Yeah...my 3 kids, hubby, and son-i-l all love this, and they all want their own piece! That took most of a large salted Yellow Croaker! Then they all fought for the juice at the bottom of the pan for their "burnt rice":from the bottom of the rice pot.

 

Needless to say, there was roast beef left over yet again...

[rotuts]

"""   leftover prime rib roast """

 

this is new to me !

 

​BTW  when I Goog'd the ham yeu

 

I got interesting results   but not edible !

 

BTW  in BOS 

 

1) its easy to get around on the "T"  which now is called the MBTA   if you are really really old there was a song about

 

'Charly' who could not get of the MTA    by the Kingston Trio  soooooo Old

 

its the same system

 

2) you suggest she go to "" Cheap Eats "" from the Boston Globe  On Line   

 

done

[kayb]

BTW  in BOS 

 

1) its easy to get around on the "T"  which now is called the MBTA   if you are really really old there was a song about

 

'Charly' who could not get of the MTA    by the Kingston Trio  soooooo Old

 

its the same system

 

 

Makes me smile to remember that one. I still know all the words. Used to sing my kids to sleep with it. 

[Dejah]

rotus: Don't have to be really really old to know The Man Who Never Returned...  1959 ...

Ham yeu: Salted fish. Cut up chunks of salted fish, lay them on top of seasoned ground pork, top with loads of fresh ginger. Eaten with loads of steamed rice.

 

The salted dish is also wonderful in fried rice!

 

Yeah...there's always leftover prime rib at our house 'cos I always cook BIG roasts...The rest went home with the kids, along with one leftover (of 24)Yorkshire pudding. The main reason really, was because 16-year-old grandson was absent;.

[mm84321]

It's rare to get such a true blue in flowers, isn't it? And the borage plant is so lovely, always filled with happy bees. 

We are sharing this beauty..

[Franci]

Beautiful meals everybody!  I'm not cooking much lately but it's nice to come and see what you are making

 

 

I am enchanted by borage. Its color and shape bring such beauty to my eye. 

 

I'm missing so much the days I could buy fresh borage from the market to make the borage fritters the Ligurians love so much. Or ravioli with borage (or better preboggion)

 

But I planted in the garden 10 plants of courgette trombette! Hopefully we can have some flowers.

[ninagluck]

not very innovativ, but I have to have the first kohlrabi this way

[Shelby]

Happy Father's Day!  Just got home from a brunch and movie.  We went to the big city.  When did movies get SO loud?????  I hadn't been to one in years and years.  My ears hurt now.    Ready to have some wine and relax.\

 

Chicken enchiladas last night.  

 

[kayb]

 

Summer for dinner. Fried okra, creamed sweet corn, green peas, sliced tomatoes. The pork loin chop came from a 15-pound loin I bought at the butcher the other day, and broke down yesterday into a big roast which I'll sous vide and then grill for the Fourth of July, and 10 packages of two inch-thick chopes each. Sous vided the chops for 2 hours at 125F, allowed to cool to room temp, then seared in a hot skillet. 

 

Didn't eat all the pork chop. Went back for seconds on corn and okra.

Edited June 21, 2015 by kayb (log)

[mm84321]

Green salad from the garden, eaten in the grass