Help me with a dinner menu?

[MatthewB]

This Saturday evening, one of my SO's best friends is coming over for dinner.

She--the friend--has been over before & we've had a great time. So, no problems there.

But I'm fairly blank on what to cook.

I've a beef brisket in the freezer & I thought I might braise that. However, I just looked at it to check the weight (5 pounds) & I think the cryovac might have gotten a hole in it--there's some ice forming. I picked it up about a week & a half ago. Is it ok?

If the brisket is effed, the puppy will get it. So no problem there.

And if the brisket is truly effed, perhaps I could do the brasato from Zuni Cafe Cookbook?

Otherwise, as I noted, I'm blank.

(I'm hankering for the first use of my new Le Creuset 9.5 qt french oven. Thus, the braised beef ideas. It's supposed to be quite cool & rainy here over the weekend.)

Help?

Edited September 16, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

[bloviatrix]

If the brisket isn't good, what about braised short ribs? The Le Creuset will be the perfect medium.

[MatthewB]

Hmmmm, braised short ribs would throw me in a Korean direction . . .

[guajolote]

It's going to be 71 and sunny on Saturday so I would go for the grill, it may be one of the last nice weekends of the year (except for October 19). You'll have 5 months to braise coming up. An appropriate thing to grill would be duck, served after the UM-Ore. game. Duck legs on the smoker would be good too.

[MatthewB]

How am I going to get a duck?

Edit: And you're ahead of me. I checked the NWS & Saturday's looking better. Perhaps al fresco cooking is the way to go!

Edited September 17, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

[guajolote]

How am I going to get a duck? 

20 gauge shotgun + Portuguese water dog.

Won't that Asian market you like have them?

[maggiethecat]

Dear Matthew:

The brisket's fine. Really. But if you are doubtful now, you'll avoid cooking it later. And a brisket is a terrible thing to waste.

Go with G's grill suggestion. and smoke a brisket along with the duck. Yum.

[MatthewB]

Still thinking--barely--this through . . .

Five courses, perhaps?

C1: Pissaladiere topped w/ tomatoes

C2: Pasta & pesto (I've way too much Italian basil)

C3: Main course but what?

C4: Simple salad

C5: Dessert

I'm surprisingly unmotivated about this.

[guajolote]

How about breaking out of the rutt by doing something totally differant, like Mexican or Cuban?

[MatthewB]

How about breaking out of the rutt by doing something totally differant, like Mexican or Cuban?

Probably a good idea.

I'll need help though. Those are weak areas in my cookbook collection.

Edited September 18, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

[guajolote]

How about breaking out of the rutt by doing something totally differant, like Mexican or Cuban?

Probably a good idea.

I'll need help though. Those are weak areas in my cookbook collection.

Pick what you want and I'll help. Maybe someone else will pitch in too.

[MatthewB]

Pick what you want and I'll help. Maybe someone else will pitch in too.

I've done less Cuban than Mexican.

Let's do a Cuban meal for late summer.

[Dave the Cook]

I'm in.

[MatthewB]

Lay it on me, Mr. G & Dave.

[guajolote]

Cuban Ideas:

Croquettes

Garbanzo Soup

Empanadas

Fried Plantains

Ropa Viejo (braised flank steak)

Lechon (roast pork)

Yuca w/ that garlicky limey sauce

Black Beans and Rice

[MatthewB]

If I did lechon, I think I'd smoke it. I don't feel like smoking this Saturday.

Everything else looks great.

Menu suggestions?

[helenas]

Ropa Viejo is a great idea, and you can choose between at least two recipes: in Saveur and in F&W, both available online.

Are cuban empanadas similar to spanish?

[Alex]

Perhaps al fresco cooking is the way to go!

Definitely. But is al fresco willing to come all the way to Grand Rapids?

[guajolote]

Here's my menu:

Ham Croquettes

Fried Plantains w/ creme fraiche

Ropa Vieja, Yuca con Mojo, Black Beans and Rice, steamed broccoli

- if you want to grill do some double thick pork chops instead

Simple salad (lettuce, tomotoes, onions, green olives) w/ seville orange vinegrette

Flan

Edited September 18, 2003 by guajolote (log)

[Al_Dente]

Don't forget the mojitos!

[Dave the Cook]

I'm not nearly as clear-headed as G, so I don't have a menu put together. But riffing off of some of his ideas, adn tossing in a few notions of my own:

- The ham croquette makes me think of Cubanos, and that great combo of unsmoked ham, roast pork, swiss cheese and sweet pickle. Maybe a mini cheese biscuit (or gougere) with bits of pork, ham and cornichon?

- I love the plantains/creme fraiche. Deep fried longish slices make a great garnish, too.

- I thought we were trying to prevent you from braising, but if you want to do it, consider oxtails. I had an amazing oxtail dish in Miami, simmered in stock, Rioja and chiles. I bet we could figure out the proportions.

- Grilling: why not fish? Whole snapper, or mahi-mahi or grouper steaks, dusted with cumin and ground poblano, served with a citrus (sour orange) mayo or tartar sauce

- Shrimp: stuff a snapper (main) or a poblano (app) with small ones, or skewer them (maybe on slivers of sugar cane left over from the mojitos?), grill and glaze with sour orange, mango or guava. You could also "stuff" grouper filets with shrimp and roast them. Or shrimp en papillote with cilantro, orange sections and par-boiled yuca dice.

- conch, fish, shrimp or crab fritters in lime vinaigrette or mayo

[Bicycle Lee]

"chips and dip"

plantain pureed with creme fraiche, hot chiles, lime juice, cilantro, s+p

fried plantain chips (lengthwise)....

awesome....

[MatthewB]

Here are my thoughts . . .

Croquettes or gourgeres? (Which one?)

Fried plantains w/ creme fraiche (check)

Pargo a la Parrilla con Tomate y Cebolla (Snapper grilled in foil w/ cilantro, tomato, & onion), Yuca con Mojo, & black beans & rice (broccoli, too?)

Skip the salad as tomatoes & onions are in the above?

Flan

Feedback, your thoughts?

[Dave the Cook]

Croquettes.

I like Bicycle Lee's idea of adulterating the Creme fraiche.

Skip the broccoli and the green salad in favor of mango, guava and red onion with a citrus vinaigrette.

Ginger flan.

[guajolote]

Don't forget the mojitos!

Don't forget the mojitos!

Everything else sounds good, especially Dave's salad