Dinner 2016 (Part 9)

[Shelby]

Had a special meal last night.

 

Started with some foie gras with both homemade jalapeño pepper jelly and sand hill plum jelly.  I liked the pepper jelly best with it, Ronnie preferred the plum.  But, it's foie......so I'd eat it if it was stuck to the bottom of my shoe lol.

 

 

A bit later we had some shrimp

 

 

And then we moved on to these beauties

 

 

My mom sent me this awesome cake.  OH it was so good.  Chocolate and peanut butter.  I had never heard of this type of cake before.  It's called a Smith Island Cake.  Those layers must be so hard to make so thin!  I suspect this will be some of my breakfast, too.......

 

 

 

 

[Anna N]

Wow @Shelby.  That must've been some really special occasion. I don't think I could have got up out of my chair if I could even begin to eat that much food. Oh for those good old days!

[blue_dolphin]

Ditto what @Anna N said, @Shelby!  I don't know what the occasion was, but you have my congratulations and sincere best wishes for many more dinners like that one!

[chromedome]

40 minutes ago, Shelby said:

My mom sent me this awesome cake.  OH it was so good.  Chocolate and peanut butter.  I had never heard of this type of cake before.  It's called a Smith Island Cake.  Those layers must be so hard to make so thin!  I suspect this will be some of my breakfast, too.......

 

 

 

 

 

It's the official state cake of Maryland, though this specific version isn't the canonical one. I tripped across it a year or two ago while researching an article. I won't link to my own, here (modesty forbids, and I don't want to feel that I'm spamming) but you can get the background from this WaPo piece:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/22/AR2008042200701.html?sid=ST2008042202125

 

Personally it reminds me of Dobos Torte, though I'm unaware of any direct connection between them. 

[suzilightning]

Got back last night at about 10 pm from seeing the new Ron Howard documentary about the touring years of The Beatles, Eight Days a Week.  So glad we saw it in a proper theatre with a good sound system.  John inhaled a box of popcorn but was hungry.  I had planned on making chicken saltimbocca earlier but as John is on his vampire schedule he was eating lunch at 430 pm.  Soooooooooooo........by 1030 pm he was eating his chicken saltimbocca with some leftover rice. 

Lactaid cottage cheese is on sale this week at our local Shoprite so I picked up a couple of tubs.  Draining one to use as a substitute for ricotta for John to have a gluten free and lactose free lasagna to take with him when he goes north later this weekend.  Beef was on sale, too, so there is a roast resting in a lovely mix of vinegar, onion, red wine and mixed pickling spices for a sauerbraten on Sunday.

Tonight I'm making some butternut squash and apple soup and pasta for John so he can have some more of the leftover saltimbocca. 

[kayb]

@Shelby, what were y'all celebrating. That looks like an absolutely marvelous meal!

 

[TicTac]

2 hours ago, dcarch said:

 

What about "digestive tracks" from raw oysters and clams? No one seems to mind.

 

dcarch

 

I am not a fan of bottom feeders to begin with, so I am perhaps not the best person to ask.

 

And I used the term 'digestive tracks' in lieu of the more specific term which I am sure (aka hope) many can ascertain on their own.

 

[mgaretz]

Mixed the remaining leftover red sauce with some colored rotini and baked it:

 

 

[Shel_B]

5 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

Mixed the remaining leftover red sauce with some colored rotini and baked it:

 

Did you fully cook the pasta then add the sauce and bake it, or did you use some other technique?

 

I can't tell if there's cheese baked into it, but it seems like adding cheese before baking might add some nice flavor and texture.  Maybe a moment or two under the broiler before serving to get some crust on the cheese. 

[mgaretz]

24 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

Did you fully cook the pasta then add the sauce and bake it, or did you use some other technique?

 

I can't tell if there's cheese baked into it, but it seems like adding cheese before baking might add some nice flavor and texture.  Maybe a moment or two under the broiler before serving to get some crust on the cheese. 

 

Yes I fully cook the pasta.  There's no cheese in this one.  Sometimes I will make a lasagna with the leftover sauce, but would use wide flat and homemade noodles and that would have cheese.  I generally don't make cheesy dishes as I am lactose intolerant and that limits the cheeses that are available, and there aren't many cheeses I care for anyway.  At least Kraft shredded mozzarella is low in lactose, so that means I can do pizza and lasagna.

 

Often I will add some panko to the top and broil it for few minutes to crisp it up.  Didn't do that this time.

[suzilightning]

I lied.........I'm also making meatballs that I can eat on some bucatini with red sauce that I am craving today(cool but dry and less windy).  Leftovers are going into John's lasagna for the end of the week/weekend.  After seeing all the steaks I want a strip but really can't do it justice here at home.   Hopefully I can find some place I can get a great, crusty one...and SOON.  

[sartoric]

Chicken, asparagus and spinach risotto. Served with a green salad and toasted sourdough.

 

[robirdstx]

And now back to our regular programming...

 

 

Pork Enchiladas Verde and Calabacitas

 

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by robirdstx (log)

[Norm Matthews]

Son is working late so dinner won't be for a while yet but I marinated a chicken with a Korean Teriyaki sauce in the refrigerator for a couple of hours then smoked for an hour and a half. We will also have rice and Cherry Clafoutis.

[Okanagancook]

Could you share your chicken smoking technique.  Your bird looks nice and juicy!

[ElsieD]

48 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Could you share your chicken smoking technique.  Your bird looks nice and juicy!

 

And the sauce recipe?  That looks terrific.

[Norm Matthews]

CORRECTION

I have a I have a horizontal off set smoker, not vertical and fired it up to about 280º-300º with charcoal and oak split log along side for smoke, put the chicken in (on foil) and maintained the temperature for about an hour and a half. I did not keep close tabs on the time because I took it off when an instant-read thermometer read 160. 

 

The sauce I marinated the chicken with is

 

  4 tablespoons soy sauce    

2 tablespoons sugar    

2 tablespoons sesame oil    

2 tablespoons sesame salt    

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper    

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons    freshly grated ginger    

2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry    

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes    Use red pepper paste instead.

8 green onion, sliced diagonally1"

toasted sesame seeds 

 

At the table we used a dipping sauce consisting of sesame oil and salt.  

   

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Norm Matthews (log)

[liamsaunt]

Roasted swordfish with garlic-herb sauce, crispy potatoes, and broccoli with a little soy.

 

[scubadoo97]

@liamsaunt  every thing looks great.  I want those potatoes

[HungryChris]

Korean BBQ pork country style ribs, broccoli rabe and home fried potatoes.

HC

[sartoric]

Baked lamb chops with potatoes, tomatoes, olives and lemon. Served with buttery green beans and toast.

 

 

[Captain]

My wife made Meat Loaf.

[chefmd]

Inspired by polenta soup that we had in Tera restaurant (one of my favorite restaurants ever) in St. Helens

 

my creation tonight is coarse ground grits with fresh corn, chanterelles, bacon.  I liked my version better! More chanterelles, better version of corn products.  And of course bacon!

 

 

 

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, chefmd said:

Inspired by polenta soup that we had in Tera restaurant (one of my favorite restaurants ever) in St. Helens

 

 

my creation tonight is coarse ground grits with fresh corn, chanterelles, bacon.  I liked my version better! More chanterelles, better version of corn products.  And of course bacon!

 

Would that be Terra in St Helena, CA?

Your creation looks very nice, although it's got too much bacon for my taste.  However, I'd rather have too much bacon than not enough  

[BonVivant]

I've been eating arctic char, a common item on the menu here in chilly Churchill. Btw, if you ever visit Churchill keep in mind that prices here (almost) are same as in Scandinavia. Food is a bit less ($70 for this meal here for example), but lodging is certainly Scandianvian level.

 

 

It's been amazing to be able to see wild animals in their natural habitat. Being someone who loves nature and animals (and solitude) I am so incredibly fortunate for this opportunity.

 

Right under my feet. The feeling of locking eyes with a polar bear whilst holding your breath is intense. You must be almost absolutely still, especially when a bear is this close and sniffing.

 

He stood up twice. Once next to the driver's door, and after that in the front of the "tundra buggy", almost touching the windscreen. This bear was good to us. He walked round the vehicle twice, sniffing and being curious, keeping us in a state of suspense for a long time. Everyone gasped and sighed when he did something adorable. He's a healthy young male, and an enormous one.

 

The bear (crossing/warning) sign in Spitsbergen is much nicer but I'm not complaining! It's "only" -2C (today) and I couldn't feel my fingers whilst making these photos.

 

Edited October 13, 2016 by BonVivant (log)