Dinner 2024

[Pete Fred]

A recent episode of Kenji's podcast featured the grilled cheese sandwich/cheese toastie (listen or watch him make them).

 

His tips for a good "cheese pull" intrigued me (spoiler: American cheese and its emulsifying salt). As you can imagine, this stuff is not easy to come by in France. In fact I'm expecting to be deported at any moment for this treacherous affront to French cheese.

 

But it was "American week" in Lidl and they actually had some, as well as Monterey Jack. Seeing as I might not get another chance, I took the risk...

 

 

Not bad. I made another...

 

 

The internet tells me that this type of American cheese freezes quite well so I'll hide my stash there and hope the gendarmes don't come knocking.

[blue_dolphin]

19 minutes ago, Pete Fred said:

A recent episode of Kenji's podcast featured the grilled cheese sandwich/cheese toastie (listen or watch him make them).

 

His tips for a good "cheese pull" intrigued me (spoiler: American cheese and its emulsifying salt). As you can imagine, this stuff is not easy to come by in France. In fact I'm expecting to be deported at any moment for this treacherous affront to French cheese.

 

But it was "American week" in Lidl and they actually had some, as well as Monterey Jack. Seeing as I might not get another chance, I took the risk...

 

Not bad. I made another...

 

The internet tells me that this type of American cheese freezes quite well so I'll hide my stash there and hope the gendarmes don't come knocking.

 

Should the gendarmes confiscate your stash, you could visit the Melty Cheese Calculator and make a pull-able cheese from something that actually tastes good! 

Also, I can't stop laughing about "American week" in a Lidl in France!

[Katie Meadow]

 

 

@Pete Fred When your store does "Mexican Week" perhaps you can get some Oaxaca cheese. Super melty, great "pull," although I never heard that expression before. It's also excellent in a very simple omelet. Lately we've been making grilled cheese sandwiches with Oaxaca and a scatter of sweet onion.

[Pete Fred]

27 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I can't stop laughing about "American week" in a Lidl in France!

 

It ain't pretty. The worst kind of ultra-processed junk, mainly. But I guess it makes a nice change from, you know, frogs' legs and snails. 😉

 

13 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

When your store does "Mexican Week" perhaps you can get some Oaxaca cheese.

 

I think Mexico gets lumped in with "America", but mostly amounts to just tacos and guacamole; although Oaxaca rings a bell, so maybe they do have it from time to time (can't think of anywhere else I'd have seen it). I will pay more attention next time. Thanks.

 

 

48 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

you could visit the Melty Cheese Calculator...

 

Is there a quick explanation how to use it?

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, Pete Fred said:

 

5 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

you could visit the Melty Cheese Calculator...

 

Is there a quick explanation how to use it?

 

I'm thinking the calculator is fairly self-explanatory (do correct me if I'm wrong) and you'd like to know what to do with the results of the calculations.  This Perfectly Melting Cheese Slice has pretty good instructions for that part.

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, Pete Fred said:

Is there a quick explanation how to use it?

 

I think it's pretty self-explanatory, if you click on that link. If you have questions, check out this topic in addition to @blue_dolphin's link above.

[Shelby]

If I can do it anyone can lol

[C. sapidus]

Dinner with friends at Bodega Spanish Tapas in Georgetown, followed by the Fabulous Thunderbirds at Blue Alley.

 

I had pulpo a la plancha (the star of the show), albondigas estofadas, and shared gambas al ajillo with Mrs. C.

 

New life mission: learn how to cook octopus. 😃

 

 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Rice noodles pan fried with chili crisp oil (with a splash of habanero lime sauce) green onion, cilantro, pan fried shrimp, blistered shishitos and hosta shoots.

Surprisingly summery day yesterday so this hit the spot.

 

[Maison Rustique]

It was over 90 degrees yesterday (and more of the same today) and I didn't really even feel hungry. I had a cold chicken thigh with a little side salad. Avocado lime dressing over the whole thing. Glass of pinot grigio. It is too early for it to be this hot.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

8 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

 

New life mission: learn how to cook octopus. 😃

 

Something you won't regret if you can obtain octopus.

 

[liuzhou]

41 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

It was over 90 degrees yesterday (and more of the same today) and I didn't really even feel hungry. I had a cold chicken thigh with a little side salad. Avocado lime dressing over the whole thing. Glass of pinot grigio. It is too early for it to be this hot.

 

That's a bit on the cool side round here, even in May.

 

I too had a chicken thigh for dinner, but no avo. Braised with garlic and shiitake and served with rice and baby spinach. No pictures. Too hungry.

 

 

[Ann_T]

@Senior Sea Kayaker, that pasta looks so good. And spicy. 

 

Simple dinner last night.

Peameal bacon and tomato on toast.

Having felt deprived for the last few years I love having

peameal bacon in the freezer.

[rotuts]

@Ann_T

 

at first glance n I thought they sure do have Unusual crabs 

 

at your fishmonger.

[weinoo]

 

Spaghetti with sausage and sauce. Broccoli rabe.

[MaryIsobel]

12 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

Dinner with friends at Bodega Spanish Tapas in Georgetown, followed by the Fabulous Thunderbirds at Blue Alley.

 

I had pulpo a la plancha (the star of the show), albondigas estofadas, and shared gambas al ajillo with Mrs. C.

 

New life mission: learn how to cook octopus. 😃

 

 

My husband lives for the grilled octopus at one particular restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It is his gold standard for octopus and no other place has come close so far.

[MaryIsobel]

48 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

@Senior Sea Kayaker, that pasta looks so good. And spicy. 

 

Simple dinner last night.

Peameal bacon and tomato on toast.

Having felt deprived for the last few years I love having

peameal bacon in the freezer.

My Ontario born and raised husband also longs for the peameal bacon of his youth. We've been able to find it a couple of times over the years but not often.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

24 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

My Ontario born and raised husband also longs for the peameal bacon of his youth. We've been able to find it a couple of times over the years but not often.

 

This is one of the easiest cured products to make at home.

I'm planning on doing some in the near future and will post the procedure and results.

 

[gulfporter]

Warm salmon salad.  A quasi Nicoise minus the olives (could not find any good ones this week in our corner of MX).  

 

 

[MaryIsobel]

2 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

 

This is one of the easiest cured products to make at home.

I'm planning on doing some in the near future and will post the procedure and results.

 

That would be great. My husband did make it once but apparently it "wasn't the same."

[gulfporter]

4 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

My husband lives for the grilled octopus at one particular restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It is his gold standard for octopus and no other place has come close so far.

 

It is nearly impossible to get badly grilled octopus in Mexico.  Even corner taco stands know how to do it.  It remains a popular item for both of us. 

[gfweb]

Red wine braised short rib with peppadew peppers

 

[MaryIsobel]

5 hours ago, gulfporter said:

 

It is nearly impossible to get badly grilled octopus in Mexico.  Even corner taco stands know how to do it.  It remains a popular item for both of us. 

It was the sauce that accompanied the octopus at the particular restaurant - sort of a cross between teriyaki and hot sauce. We have had pulpo a couple of times in Mexico that was beyond being able to chew! Octopus is not something that I can easily source around here, otherwise I would be happy to experiment with it.

[Honkman]

Variation on Yassa from Senegal - chicken stew with caramelized onions. Chicken thighs are marinated in a mixture of oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt and then seared. Larger batch of onions gets slowly cooked down until caramelized and then braised with the seared chicken thighs, marinade, serrano chili, garlic and chicken broth. Finished with some more lemon juice and mixed with the cooked rice. Served with some blanched spinach finished with olive oil and lemon juice.

Edited May 20 by Honkman (log)

[Neely]

We needed some seafood after having meat loaf on the weekend.

Thai prawns with beans, onion and carrots. Sauce was lemon grass, coconut milk, fish sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, stock powder, garlic, cornflower and water.