Dinner 2017 (Part 4)

[Anna N]

37 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Guessing King Cole?  Old client of mine - they do some excellent stuff.  Try their Duck Confit legs, if you have not already.

 You guessed correctly.   However, I do make my own duck confit (and chicken confit). Smoking my own meat, however, is not an option. These smoked duck breasts I find are good value for a singleton.  I can get at least two meals from one and sometimes even more.   

[TicTac]

I have made my own as well but in a pinch theirs is a great substitute.  If you go to their sales office you can get breasts even cheaper (I have a half dozen frozen).

 

You're right, they can certainly be stretched.  A great recent rendition is smoked duck breast pasta with ramps and asparagus in a light cream sauce.

 

 

[mm84321]

10 hours ago, Smithy said:

There are so many good inspirations on this topic!  I want to comment on them all, but I'll spare the reader.

@Kasia, your shrimp dish gives me an idea for my next shrimp-and-pasta dish.  I generally go heavy on things like lemon and garlic, but a bit of a chile kick sounds like a great idea.

@mm84321, that spinach looks like a smaller version of the cultivated spinach I see, but I've never seen wild spinach. Is it essentially the same cultivar, or is it a relative - say, the difference between cultivated asparagus and wild asparagus?

@mgaretz, how did you keep that bright green color in your Brussels sprouts? 

It is called New Zealand spinach, although it is in fact an herb. I've grown it at home so could easily identify. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonia_tetragonioides

[Duvel]

After a slightly longer day of negotiations, finally dinner at a famous Teppanyaki place in Tokyo.

While the preparation is deceptively simple, the quality of ingredients in these kind of places is simply amazing. And the master does not show off with gimmick moves or "sauce bottle through the air" kind of things - he just works precise and concentrated and produces your meal exactly how it can be enjoyed best.

"Clam soup", "Early summer garden", Sashimi, mixed vegetables, shrimp, Wagyu, beef-fried rice, Sakura sherbet. A selection of very nice Sake.

Followed by more Sake at second place.

Followed by something at possibly third place (memories got a bit hazy) ... A very enjoyful evening.

[mgaretz]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

There are so many good inspirations on this topic!  I want to comment on them all, but I'll spare the reader.

@Kasia, your shrimp dish gives me an idea for my next shrimp-and-pasta dish.  I generally go heavy on things like lemon and garlic, but a bit of a chile kick sounds like a great idea.

@mm84321, that spinach looks like a smaller version of the cultivated spinach I see, but I've never seen wild spinach. Is it essentially the same cultivar, or is it a relative - say, the difference between cultivated asparagus and wild asparagus?

@mgaretz, how did you keep that bright green color in your Brussels sprouts? 

 

Nothing special. It was Brussels sprouts (from frozen actually) microwaved a la Voltaggio, then processed with butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder in the Blendtec Twister jar.

[robirdstx]

 

Soft Beef Taco with Guacamole, Shredded Cheese, Onion, Tomato and Salsa

Edited May 18, 2017 by robirdstx (log)

[Kasia]

17 hours ago, Smithy said:

There are so many good inspirations on this topic!  I want to comment on them all, but I'll spare the reader.

@Kasia, your shrimp dish gives me an idea for my next shrimp-and-pasta dish.  I generally go heavy on things like lemon and garlic, but a bit of a chile kick sounds like a great idea.

@mm84321, that spinach looks like a smaller version of the cultivated spinach I see, but I've never seen wild spinach. Is it essentially the same cultivar, or is it a relative - say, the difference between cultivated asparagus and wild asparagus?

@mgaretz, how did you keep that bright green color in your Brussels sprouts? 

 

@Smithy I hope you will enjoy it - it will for sure give such noodles more spicy character

[HungryChris]

I am reluctant to drag this thread down to rug level, but there are times when dinner is just hot dogs, here, and last night was one of them. Deb had hers with onions and cheese and I had chili, cheese and onions on mine. I'd like to say that the ketchup was on the table as a leftover from lunch, but I'd be lying. We also had leftover potato salad.

HC

[rotuts]

@Duvel

 

quite the stunning meal

 

thanks for sharing.

 

the last pic would be the Sake ?

 

Ive had Sake presented in small boxes , as the cup

 

are there two types of sake here ?  one in the ceramic cup sitting in a box w another Sake around the cup ?

[Anna N]

45 minutes ago, HungryChris said:

I am reluctant to drag this thread down to rug level, but there are times when dinner is just hot dogs, here, and last night was one of them. Deb had hers with onions and cheese and I had chili, cheese and onions on mine. I'd like to say that the ketchup was on the table as a leftover from lunch, but I'd be lying. We also had leftover potato salad.

From one who can't stand hotdogs I will defend your right to enjoy them and post about them.  You  obviously took far more care in preparing your meal of hotdogs than I was able to manage last night!   I tossed a frozen egg roll and two frozen, cooked chicken wings onto the bare  rack in my toaster oven.   I reheated them and then became totally distracted and ate them cold sometime later!

[dcarch]

I find it always challenging to make the perfect roasted chicken. True crispy skin, not just browned skin, and juicy tender meat with a touch of pink. 

So I am trying again. Borrowing from Peking duck method, using SV, convection, ----.

 

dcarch

 

 

[rotuts]

@dcarch 

 

very nice looking chicken

 

please consider passing along more detail.

[kayb]

In from yet another road trip -- I had chili cheese tots from Sonic. Not a good choice. I paid for it by bedtime.

 

Perhaps -- PERHAPS -- I may cook tonight, for the first time in two weeks.

[liuzhou]

I had a totally different dish in mind when I bought the pork, but when I saw that Mrs Mushroom in the market had the first Pig Stomach Mushrooms ( 猪肚菇 zhū dù gū ) of the season, a major rethink happened in an instant.

 

 

So, instead a simple pork and mushroom stir fry. Pork, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, coriander leaf, chilli, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce.

 

Served with Cambodian jasmine rice.

 

Damned good if I say so myself.

[Captain]

Butter chicken using joints of the chicken.  I had a craving for this all week.

[Duvel]

@rotuts, yes. The Sake at second place (Nikai). We went to a nearby traditional bar that had an incredible selection of Sake. The owner took great pride in selecting Sake based on our preferences (in food) and tiniest bits of snacks (Otsumame) came with every one we tried. It was poured into the little ceramic cups (the two concentric rings are meant to help.you judge the clarity of the Sake) and said cups were then placed into the cedar wood box. Water slightly above at the ideal drinking temperature was poured into the box and you were supposed to "find" your sweet spot for the drinking temperature as the Sake slowly cooled down in the water bath. Mind you, we are talking about a few degrees centigrade. I think my ones never made it down even five degrees ...

Smaller cedar wood boxes were available for drinking cold sake directly from them. For some reason that night we had only warm stuff.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Duvel
Added last sentence. (log)

[chefmd]

Lovely local asparagus from Chesapeake Bounty store in North Beach, MD with finely chopped cold cuts rescued from (too many) sandwiches catered for an office lunch.

[Norm Matthews]

Marcus Samuelsson had a recipe for Steamed Salmon with Fennel and Citrus in the last issue of Fine Cooking magazine.  I tried it as best as i could.  There were some ingredients that I left out or substituted because I didn't have them and the likeliest places that would have them were neither near-by or close to each other.  I substituted mussels for Madrid clam or cockles and fish stock for miso.  I left out blood oranges.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Norm Matthews (log)

[dcarch]

11 hours ago, rotuts said:

@dcarch 

very nice looking chicken

please consider passing along more detail.

Thanks!

As I said, I incorporated part of the techniques of making Peking duck, which is to separate the skin from the meat. It was very easy using a long spoon to get under the skin. At the sametime I pushed under the skin lots of seasoning which I mixed in some 5 spice seasoning. Then came the boiling soy sauce wash. The duck was air dried in the refrigerator overnight.

With a convection oven set at 170F, the chicken was roasted for about 8 hours. Then it was put in the freezer for about 15 minutes while the oven was being preheated to 500F.

It didn't take long for the skin to be "Peking duck" crispy

 

dcarch

 

[Mysstwalker]

Chris and I have never had Indian food before, besides getting naan bread a few times at the store. So, with my trusty Instant Pot, I tried a recipe for Butter Chicken with Basmati rice, and I have to say, it was plate-licking good! Served with a salad and warm garlic naan bread, I think we are hooked and I cant wait to try some other recipes!

[HungryChris]

Marinated salmon, baked on the grill (it was 96 F here today, so cooking outside helped the A/C), fiddlehead ferns in garlic butter with lemon and fresh cole slaw made the table last night.

HC

Edited May 19, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[BonVivant]

The most popular dish in Galicia, Spain: boiled octopus. The beauty of this food lies in its simplicity. Tender octopus, good oil, and paprika powder. (I used both sweet and hot paprika here)

 

It's not often that I eat green asparagus. Here with grated dried tuna roe, from Alicante, Spain.

 

My criteria for eating green asparagus: domestic, young and slender. In southern Spain, dried tuna roe and salted tuna loin ("mojama", an exquisite delicacy, let sit in olive oil for an hour first) are served in slices with some almonds and lots of beer. I have grated dried tuna roe over a lots of things.

 

 

Took some time to remove the meat from a kilo of crab claws.

Edited May 19, 2017 by BonVivant (log)

[mm84321]

[Captain]

Inspired by a TV cooking show.  My Spanakopita.

Very happy with the results.

[Anna N]

 

I fear I am slipping inexorably into vegetarianism. Somebody throw me a line (or a ribeye).