Dinner 2024

[C. sapidus]

18 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

Do you have a perfect garnish for your Manhattans? I think I'd go with orange peel these days if I made one. 

 

Mrs. C has a big jug of Amarena cherries, which did the job nicely.

 

But I like orange peel, too, if we have them.

Edited September 26 by C. sapidus (log)

[YvetteMT]

SV elk roast,  mushrooms,  onion gravy and SV carrots that were horrible. 

[Smithy]

26 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

SV elk roast,  mushrooms,  onion gravy and SV carrots that were horrible. 

 

The elk looks wonderful! Shame about the carrots. What was wrong about them?

[Dante]

On 9/22/2024 at 11:18 PM, AAQuesada said:

How was it! (yours looks better than many of the pictures of it I've seen online)

 

 

Thank you!

 

Really good, extremely deep, rich flavour!   I shared some with a couple of friends and they were impressed too. 

 

I kind of looked at it as a mini course in chili making, as I've looked at every recipe I've made from the In Search of Perfection books, as a way to learn ideas that I can apply to my cooking in general.

[Dante]

Fried pork tenderloin cutlets with burger sauce, over bulgur, side of steamed-and-sauteed napa cabbage

[liuzhou]

 

Dinner tonight was special.

 

From 1997 to 98, I lived in in 怀化 (huái huà) prefecture of 湘西 (xiāng xī), or Western Hunan. Nearby was the small remote town of  沅陵 (yuán líng), mainly inhabited by people of the Miao and Tujia ethnic minorities. I had (still have) friends who live there.

 

I soon discovered that they make a special dry-cured ham, called 晒兰 (shài lán), only found in that town. I fell in love with it and bought it regularly. A few weeks ago, I realised that I hadn’t eaten it for a couple of years, so with the aid of friends there, tried to obtain some. They refused to send it to me, saying that the weather was too hot for shipping and they were worried it wouldn’t arrive in prime condition. I said to send it when they felt it would be OK. This week, after just over a month, ½ a kilo arrived and tonight I cooked a little of it.

 

I did so in the manner I was taught by a Yuanling housewife. With 四李豆 (sì lǐ dòu), green beans, garlic, chilli (of course; it’s from Hunan) rice wine and soy sauce. Simple and delicious. Served with rice.

 

 

I vacuum sealed the rest and it's in the freezer.

 

 

 

Edited September 26 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I forgot to post these pictures of the shai lan ham, showing how it is sold. Avocado for scale.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 26 by liuzhou (log)

[YvetteMT]

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

The elk looks wonderful! Shame about the carrots. What was wrong about them?

The elk was great.  

The carrots.... I followed Serious Eats, 183F for an hour.  Little butter and some honey (they called for sugar). The carrots came out crunchy (with the exception of TWO that were perfectly tender). And when left on the plate for 5 minutes got that weird, chalky, dry carrot look.  They'd have been better streaming in the micro, most certainly not my best veg and while not the worst, they were close.  (Worst goes to asparagus that i forgot on the grill and literally reduced to ash. My bff and I still laugh about it, 20 years later)

[rotuts]

 

Ive posted this dish ( as a style ) before .  a few differences :

 

Tj's bagged spinach , a very generous amount , on  the plate.  I leave the stems on , and do not chop the spinach 

 

when I use this spinach for the Soups , I pinch off the stems ( dont pull out too the stems, on the leaf ) as in that

 

dish I like the spinach crunch less ,   a bit of crunch here is fine.  micro 30 - 40 seconds , to get a light wilt.

 

I take kimchi  and sauerkraut , dont drain too much , and chop.  there is some juice on the bottom that goes well

 

w the spinach .  This time I added perhaps a Tsp of Tj's white miso .  its quiet salty , but it was enough to taste

 

the miso in the kimchi// kraut mixture .  that get too room temp , and is distributed around the outer spinach.

 

Miro Tj's Lamb Vindalloo.  that goes in the center.  rice first , then lamb.

 

garnishes :  green onion ( window )  red onion , chopped walnuts ( Tj's ) and dried cranberries  ( TJ's ) 

 

that'sit .   and of course , an Ice cold Hoponius Union.

 

this dish can take on  more onion , and  more walnuts and cranberries .

 

Nice Indian-ish dish , easy to make , and not requiring take out.

 

try it .

[Norm Matthews]

This is my year to host the family Thanksgiving dinner so I thought I'd practice ways to cook it before November.   This is a twist on  a ThermoWorks recipe posted last year. I tried it  last year and the white meat was juicy and the dark meat was well cooked. The twist from the original recipe is that I tried it in the smoker this time. When I only cook turkey once a year, by the time it comes around a year later, I have forgotten what I did to make it special... Come to think of it there hasn't been a really special turkey ever.  Once quite a while ago someone brought a smoked turkey to a potluck and I didn't like it.  Now after a few  years of doing my own smoking, I think I probably didn't like it because the person didn't know how to smoke properly. If he was like me, when I first started,  he thought any smoke is good smoke and the more the better.  If that is what happened, that is why it did not taste good to me.  So this year I'll practice a few times to see what turns out well.  This one was was spatchcocked so it would cook faster and hopefully without any undercooked parts.  I took it out of the smoker at 157 º at the breast and let is coast up to 160º out of the smoker.  The dark meat was mostly 185 to 190 which is what dark turkey meat should be. Usually when it comes out whenever the pop-up timer signals, it usually means the white meat is dry and the dark meat is under cooked.  I mean its safely cooked but kind of icky.  This way the dark meat surrounds the white meat and cooked properly by the time the white meat in the middle was done and still juicy and the skin is crispy. 

 

So the look, feel and temperatures tell me that this one is going to be good.  When it cools down, I'll cut it up and we will have it for dinner.

Edited September 26 by Norm Matthews (log)

[AlaMoi]

n-i-c-e browned bird!

done several spatcocked chickens - it is a valuable technique.

regrets, I'm in the  'oh no, not turkey!'  club - once a year is more than enough (g)

 

yeah - the 'once in a while' cooking expedition is always a challenge. 

I make a .txt file with my own 'note/approach' to recipes and notes 'for better next time...'

[Norm Matthews]

13 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

n-i-c-e browned bird!

done several spatcocked chickens - it is a valuable technique.

regrets, I'm in the  'oh no, not turkey!'  club - once a year is more than enough (g)

 

yeah - the 'once in a while' cooking expedition is always a challenge. 

I make a .txt file with my own 'note/approach' to recipes and notes 'for better next time...'

We have tasted this one and it is a keeper.  Everything was properly cooked and nothing was dried out.  I suspect that most people who don't like turkey have never tasted one that is properly cooked. Turkey is a large mass with different parts needing different temperatures to be at their best. The pop-up timers that most people rely on are very accurate but they are set too hot  and the turkey producers don't put them in with any attention toward where they put them.  It should go dead center of the mass of the white meat.  You have to check with a second probe when it starts closing in on the target temperature to make sure it is in the coolest part of the breast.

[liamsaunt]

Ramen soup with miso salmon, mushrooms, and baby bok choy

 

[Norm Matthews]

This is about half of the turkey. The rest is shredded and bagged for other meals

[YvetteMT]

@Norm Matthews you nailed that turkey. I was firmly in the "i dont like turkey" camp until I spatchcocked one and cooked on the Traeger (pellet smoker).

[Neely]

Dinner tonight was chicken fillet in a white wine tarragon sauce with small potatoes and silver beet. Thyme sprig in there as well. 
 

[YvetteMT]

Charcuterie for dinner- blueberry goat cheese, Jarelsburg, horseradish chive and tomato basil for cheeses.  Spicy baby dills, jalapeño garlic green olives, dill sauerkraut. Walla walla onion mustard.  Smoked salmon, dried thuringer, dry salami, pepper salami, Calabrese, and prosciutto. 

Simple Mills almond flour crackers not pictured

[Tempest63]

Long day in the kitchen today prepping for our friends coming round tomorrow. I fired up the Weber traveller, a small gas bbq, to cook a couple of sirloins, but just as I was about to put them on the temperature had dropped right away. Looks like the gas canister was empty.

I resorted to the cast iron skillet to cook the steaks and served them with steamed green beans and broccoli and “extreme” garlic potatoes.

 

 

The potatoes I found as a tapas dish and thought I would try it as a side dish before subjecting others to it. It worked and I would do it again.

 

https://spainonafork.com/extreme-garlic-garlic-potatoes-recipe/

[gfweb]

Grilled bratwurst, apple juice braised cabbage, potatoes.

 

[Okanagancook]

@gfwebNice combination and perfect for this time of the year.  Yesterday i made my fav red cabbage recipe From TimeLife International series Germany.  The recipe calls for peeled apple slices and finishes with some red currant jelly.  

[C. sapidus]

Tom kha shrimp and shiitake mushroom soup with cucumber salad.

 

Chicken stock and coconut cream simmered with galangal, lemongrass, lemon zest, bruised bird chiles, bruised shallot, and palm sugar. Strained the soup, dry-fried the mushrooms, and then added with the shrimp. Finished with chile jam, lemon juice, fish sauce, basil, and cilantro.

 

 

Edited September 27 by C. sapidus
Forgot lemon (log)

[haresfur]

On 9/27/2024 at 5:09 AM, Norm Matthews said:

This is my year to host the family Thanksgiving dinner so I thought I'd practice ways to cook it before November.   This is a twist on  a ThermoWorks recipe posted last year. I tried it  last year and the white meat was juicy and the dark meat was well cooked. The twist from the original recipe is that I tried it in the smoker this time. When I only cook turkey once a year, by the time it comes around a year later, I have forgotten what I did to make it special... Come to think of it there hasn't been a really special turkey ever.  Once quite a while ago someone brought a smoked turkey to a potluck and I didn't like it.  Now after a few  years of doing my own smoking, I think I probably didn't like it because the person didn't know how to smoke properly. If he was like me, when I first started,  he thought any smoke is good smoke and the more the better.  If that is what happened, that is why it did not taste good to me.  So this year I'll practice a few times to see what turns out well.  This one was was spatchcocked so it would cook faster and hopefully without any undercooked parts.  I took it out of the smoker at 157 º at the breast and let is coast up to 160º out of the smoker.  The dark meat was mostly 185 to 190 which is what dark turkey meat should be. Usually when it comes out whenever the pop-up timer signals, it usually means the white meat is dry and the dark meat is under cooked.  I mean its safely cooked but kind of icky.  This way the dark meat surrounds the white meat and cooked properly by the time the white meat in the middle was done and still juicy and the skin is crispy. 

 

So the look, feel and temperatures tell me that this one is going to be good.  When it cools down, I'll cut it up and we will have it for dinner.

 

Looks like you are set for Canadian Thanksgiving!

[pastameshugana]

Our 3 oldest children are adults (and live back in the US - with all of our grandkids, while we're in South Africa with the two youngest).

 

My wife and daughter were out Thursday night, and our youngest has been getting interested in cooking so we spent the night cooking, baking, and having a great time together.

 

First we had to prep dessert. We were making cheesecake and wanted it to be able to cool before dinner time: We can't get graham crackers for crust, so here he's smashing DeVries Ginger Cookies for our cheesecake crust. This is one of the best substitutions ever. Ridiculously good. Only mishap was I guessed on the butter and had too much in the crust. Tried to pre-bake the crust a bit to solidify it, which worked, but the excess butter turned the crust into more of a cookie. Still, crazy good, and I'll do it again for sure.

 

A typical baked cheesecake recipe, with a blueberry & cinnamon marbling we made from fresh blueberries. Fresh as in 'fresh from the store and not frozen.' He's learning the marbling technique.

 

We attempted to make some homemade pasta - which I do regularly, and was the thing he really wanted to learn - but for some reason the dough was just ridiculously hard this time around. Who knows. No problem, we made a quick transition to boxed spaghetti.

 

We had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, lemons, and some nice chiles, so we decided on the spot for 'chile lemon chicken cream pasta' and went at it. Sautéed the chicken with diced chiles and onion and set aside. Built the sauce up with red and yellow bell peppers (yellow diced, red sliced big for color), lemon juice, fresh garlic, and right at the end a whack of cream to bring it all together. Garnished with sautéed lemon slices and basil. It turned out much better than it should have, definitely greater than the sum of the parts.

 

For a side, tried a stab at a potato I've been seeing pop up on YouTube shorts. Boiled, then sliced almost all the way through (using chop sticks to keep the knife from reaching the bottom). Then roast while periodically basting with garlic butter (with some 'Italian Herb' mix tossed in as well) until crispy. These were delightful. Will definitely make again.

 

Cheesecake out of the oven:

 

And a slice:

 

We had a great time cooking together, and the we had enough leftovers for the next day.

 

 

Edited September 28 by pastameshugana (log)

[liuzhou]

虾仁炒粉 (xiā rén chǎo fěn), fried rice noodles with shrimp.

 

 

 

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, pastameshugana said:

Our 3 oldest children are adults (and live back in the US - with all of our grandkids, while we're in South Africa with the two youngest).

 

My wife and daughter were out Thursday night, and our youngest has been getting interested in cooking so we spent the night cooking, baking, and having a great time together.

 

First we had to prep dessert. We were making cheesecake and wanted it to be able to cool before dinner time: We can't get graham crackers for crust, so here he's smashing DeVries Ginger Cookies for our cheesecake crust. This is one of the best substitutions ever. Ridiculously good. Only mishap was I guessed on the butter and had too much in the crust. Tried to pre-bake the crust a bit to solidify it, which worked, but the excess butter turned the crust into more of a cookie. Still, crazy good, and I'll do it again for sure.

 

A typical baked cheesecake recipe, with a blueberry & cinnamon marbling we made from fresh blueberries. Fresh as in 'fresh from the store and not frozen.' He's learning the marbling technique.

 

We attempted to make some homemade pasta - which I do regularly, and was the thing he really wanted to learn - but for some reason the dough was just ridiculously hard this time around. Who knows. No problem, we made a quick transition to boxed spaghetti.

 

We had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, lemons, and some nice chiles, so we decided on the spot for 'chile lemon chicken cream pasta' and went at it. Sautéed the chicken with diced chiles and onion and set aside. Built the sauce up with red and yellow bell peppers (yellow diced, red sliced big for color), lemon juice, fresh garlic, and right at the end a whack of cream to bring it all together. Garnished with sautéed lemon slices and basil. It turned out much better than it should have, definitely greater than the sum of the parts.

 

For a side, tried a stab at a potato I've been seeing pop up on YouTube shorts. Boiled, then sliced almost all the way through (using chop sticks to keep the knife from reaching the bottom). Then roast while periodically basting with garlic butter (with some 'Italian Herb' mix tossed in as well) until crispy. These were delightful. Will definitely make again.

 

Cheesecake out of the oven:

 

And a slice:

 

We had a great time cooking together, and the we had enough leftovers for the next day.

 

 

 

Lovely to see you getting a youngster invovled when he's interested and receptive!