eG Foodblog Tag Team: slkinsey and Marlene - A tale of two kitchens..

[loiosh]

Wow, slkinsey, where do you get your cool cocktail stuff like Fee Bros. products, falernum, and the white Rhum Barbancourt? I ask because I love to make tiki drinks and have several recipes that call for ingredients I can't easily get. If you get your supplies from someplace that does mail order, I can have a mate bring back some things duty-free next time someone crosses the Pacific. :) I am so jealous!

[slkinsey]

I'm barely conscious, but let's see if I can sum up. I just didn't have it in me to do this at 1 AM. . .

First, a little bit more of the prep and cooking:

Here we have some spinach and shallots before and after processing in preparation for being turned into creamed spinach. Always fun to see how much the spinach reduces in bulk.

This is the caramel for the bread pudding at two different stages.

Here's the bread pudding just before the custard went on to it. It's brioche cubes, caramel and Ghirardelli double chocolate chips. The custard was made from egg yolks, milk and cream.

Here's some of the food cooking on the stove. Browning the porterhouse before standing it up on the end bones and moving it to the oven; German banana potatoes cooking with olive oil, pieces of whole garlic and, later, some rich chicken stock; mushrooms roasting in the oven with butter, thyme and, later, some bread crumbs and parmigiano-reggiano.

Then it was time for a drink. 2 ounces of Laird's bonded applejack, 1/4 ounce of 2:1 demerara simple syrup, 2 bid dashes of Fee Brothers aromatic bitters. After we had that, a few of us were still thirsty, so I made a 2:1:1 Sidecar with Domaine Germain-Robin Fine Alambic Brandy, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice.

Here are the two cocktails in the glass. The old fashioned applejack cocktail is on the left, the Sidecar on the right. Fat Guy brought over a dry kielbasa that we nibbled on with our drinks, along with some radishes ewindels brought. I've never had a dried kielbasa before. It was pretty good.

Dinner proper started with a salad. Long julienne strips of cucumber, paper thin slices of red onion, chopped white anchovies, lemon juice and good Sicilian unfiltered evoo.

Then it was time for the main event.

Creamed spinach with crispy shallots (wilted/pressed spinach, cream, parmigiano-reggiano, crispy fried shallots).

Russian banana potatoes. These cooked such a long time that the chicken stock I had added to the pan glazed on to the outside of the potatoes and caramelized/maillardized to much that the potatoes were like candy.

The roasted mushrooms.

The steaks. These turned out incredibly delicious. Really first rate. Just as tender as could be. And, at this thickness, cooked almost more like a roast. Each slice tended to be the same degree of doneness throughout, but there was a range of doneness available to satisfy most tastes. I preferred the rarer pieces, but even the tail pieces (which were cooked to a full medium at least) were juicy and delicious.

By the time I got some food on my plate, I had lost the discipline to take pictures. Maybe later I'll take a few shots of the (shockingly small amount of) leftover steak to give an idea of how it looked in slice form.

Since we found ourselves wanting something to drink, I was able to reach into my cellar and pull out a little something. This picture is after Fat Guy and I decanted it.

As you can see from my avatar, I've been drinking the good French reds for quite a few years.

Here is the finished bread pudding. ewindels also brought a strawberry tart. Both were most delicious.

[slkinsey]

Wow, slkinsey, where do you get your cool cocktail stuff like Fee Bros. products, falernum, and the white Rhum Barbancourt?

Most of it I buy at regular NYC liquor stores. The falernum and bonded Laird's I think I ended up finding at Spec's in Houston, TX the last time I was down there.

If you can't find the Fee Brother's stuff (and it's fairly well available via online order), just contact them. They're good people: http://www.feebrothers.com/

And for bitters, don't forget Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6.

[slkinsey]

This morning's breakfast:

[Marlene]

Too funny Sam. I'm not exactly hungry this morning either, but I suppose I could force down an english muffin or something. Just as soon as I can find my kitchen counter again.

That steak looks amazing.

[slkinsey]

Marlene, here's the truly amazing thing: Thanks to bergerka (still asleep), the kitchen this morning looks exactly the way it did before I started cooking yesterday. Maybe even better.

[msfurious1]

Wow. Just wow. The steaks look great.

It all looks terrific. From the side cars to dessert. Perfection.

[LindaK]

Though I realize it means changing my vote on the mystery basket ingredients, I don't see the point of pushing for seafood if it isn't readily available AND no one in Marlene's house will eat it. Sort of defeats the purpose. Perhaps the next tag team throwdown can have a seafood focus.

So, I still think a vegetarian meal has good possibilities. Perhaps featuring homemade pasta?

edited for clarity.

Edited May 30, 2005 by LindaK (log)

[Marlene]

Marlene, here's the truly amazing thing:  Thanks to bergerka (still asleep), the kitchen this morning looks exactly the way it did before I started cooking yesterday.  Maybe even better.

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What a girl! And you don't even have a dishwasher. I feel for her, I really do. Don's usually pretty good at cleaning up when we entertain and I cook like that. Unfortunately, we were both to tired to do anything last night, and it's not a holiday here so he had to go to work this morning.

Oh well. I'm on my 6th load of dishwashwer runs.

I need to go out and find sherry vinegar for the soup tonight.

[Swisskaese]

Everything looks delicious. I would like the recipe for Marlene's potato madeleines and Sam's creamed spinach.

[bergerka]

I just staggered out of bed - how sad is it that the very first thing I did was come to read this?

I wasn't actually planning to clean till this morning, but thought "I'll just put the food away..." and before I knew it I'd done the whole damn thing. Honestly, because we washed dishes/silverware between courses and because slkinsey did a GREAT job of cleaning as he cooked, it didn't even take all that long.

It was an AMAZING meal. (by the way, ewindels' dessert was a strawberry/raspberry tart).

It's a sunny beautiful morning, the Red Sox beat the Yankees AGAIN, woohoo! (following up on their major Yank spankage of Saturday) and there's bread pudding left over for breakfast.

K

Edited because my formidable spelling skills desert me pre-coffee.

Edited May 30, 2005 by bergerka (log)

[Genny]

Oh Sam, I better not show those steaks to my DH! He'd try to eat one all by himself Those were gorgeous!! And the potatos and the mushrooms look beautiful! I'm not even hungry and I wanted a bite.

The art of the true master: simplicity = amazing: your bread pudding only had a few ingredients but looked, well, good enough to bathe in...I mean eat!

Nicely done!!

So, with the garlic based soup tonight, what are you thinking in terms of type of soup and what to go with it? Can the soup be the main dish?

[Chufi]

I wasn't actually planning to clean till this morning, but thought "I'll just put the food away..." and before I knew it I'd done the whole damn thing. 

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that's what I alway do. And isn't it bliss to walk into a clean kitchen the next morning? especially if your head feels a little heavy

I have to say that both your meals look spectacular. They make me want to throw a real, classic dinner party just like them, even though I could not cook a piece of meat like that to save my life.

I am almost sorry I am going to London tomorrow and will be without internet for 2 days, but already looking forward to the catching up on Thursday!

[Marlene]

The soup could certainly be the main dish. But for tonight, I'll do the roasted garlic soup and pork chops, although I haven't decided how to cook the chops yet.

I've just returned from getting a few groceries. There is a Whole Foods that has just opened up here in Oakville, and although I really didn't have the energy to go there today, I do want to check it out sometime this week and report back.

Pictures will come later, but I picked up asparagus $2.99 lb at Brunos, some baby red potatoes, crusty italian bread and a whole chicken for tomorrow night's dinner which I will brine tonight. Oh yes, I remembered at the last minute to get sherry vinegar which is why I went out in the first place.

Since we won't eat till late tonight probably, I'm going to do something I don't normally do. Eat lunch. There's peameal bacon in the fridge whispering "make me into a sandwich. Now".

And then there's a definate nap in my immediate future.

[Marlene]

I wasn't actually planning to clean till this morning, but thought "I'll just put the food away..." and before I knew it I'd done the whole damn thing. 

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that's what I alway do. And isn't it bliss to walk into a clean kitchen the next morning? especially if your head feels a little heavy

I

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9 dishwasher loads (and counting)

[Anna N]

Looking just FABULOUS, Marlene. My money is on you (no offence, Sam?).

[zilla369]

I propose we give Marlene extra "points" for having to do her own dishes.

But then I suppose we'd have to award the same amount of points to Sam for choosing bergerka to be his kitchen assistant. Heh.

[Marlene]

Everything looks delicious. I would like the recipe for Marlene's potato madeleines and Sam's creamed spinach.

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maggiethecat gets the credit for the potatoes. See here for her inspirational thread.

Now, what's a Canadian doing a blog without peameal bacon?

I had some sharp cheddar cheese in the fridge so i cut some up to go on the sandwich, all washed down with water. And more water.

Today's asparagus, sherry vinegar and crusty bread.

nap time. When I awake, I'll make garlic croutons for the soup and start roasting the garlic.

[snowangel]

Marlene, the green vegetable is impressing me!

And, to both bloggers. This has given me a powerful hunger for beef. If only my local meat market was open today...

[docsconz]

Sam, Surely you had more than that one bottle of wine amongst you, as wonderful as it may have been, to help justify that morning aspirin? What else was there? I suppose the cocktails might have done it, but I doubt it. By the way, how was the Figeac?

[Safran]

...I picked up asparagus $2.99 lb at Brunos

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Hum...that asparagus isn't cheap either...!!

[Marlene]

Even worse, brocoli was $189 lb! Ouch.

[Priscilla]

Sam, Marlene: Dunno which appeals more, the cocktails or the meat. Just lovely. It's nice being a grownup, sometimes.

After the photos and descriptions I am fully primed for the Negronis and porterhouse staged for tonight as per the Man of the House's birthday specification.

I'll be browning and finishing in the oven, too ... Sam, will you expand on your method for the steak a little, like oven temp and roasting time? Any buttering after it came out?

Blog on!

[Pan]

Even worse, brocoli was $189 lb!  Ouch.

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Now, that's REALLY expensive!

Enjoy your days, folks. I really enjoyed what both of you master entertainers presented yesterday. I hope you feel better, Sam, but it was funny to see your breakfast picture.

[rjwong]

Marlene & Sam (listed in alphabetical order), great job on the steaks and everything else! You two definitely have plenty of good leftovers to work with later.

Marlene, is your shin feeling better? No casualities, ehh??

Sam, please clarify this: First, you referred to the potato dish as "German potatoes." Later, you said "German banana potatoes." Finally, when you showed the final photo, you said "Russian banana potatoes." So, what is it? Does the name change with each cocktail you drink?

As to your morning breakfast, Sam, was that water or vodka? Since I don't drink, I can't tell the difference.