I've been working in this space for over 1.5 years now, and I've gotten used to using Blogger, despite my displeasure with a bunch of the features. After experimenting and using Wordpress as part of my professional practice, I've found their interface much more user-friendly and manipulative. Granted, I don't get the CSS customization (for free, anyway) that I get with Blogger, but I'm feeling that it's the way to go.
Hence, this will be the last time that I update this space, and everyone who follows this blog should migrate with me to my new address at icooksheeats.com - clever name, right?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tinto - 3/13/2010
Braving the monsoon that is currently striking New Jersey, Stephanie and I headed down to Philadelphia to see my good friend Meghann's show that she wrote, directed and produced, called Chlamidya dell'Arte: A Sex-Ed Burlesque. It was excellent, and I hope that her and Gigi can have it grow and become more widespread in audience and eventually make millions of dollars because of it.
Aaron and Meghann, my sources for all Philly knowledge, are huge Jose Garces fans, and they had mentioned that one of his restaurants was literally right down the block from the theater. Thank you OpenTable for making reservations so easy!
The concept is small plates, social eating and enjoying lots of different types of food and flavors. Since we ordered a wide variety (3-4 plates per person, to be shared) we didn't try to match wines, but rather ordered the Hombre, which was gin, grapefruit and basil. Steph picked it out, and I decided on one because I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to drink. It turned out to be a good call because the its flavor cleansed the palate between each plate.
Charcuterie mixto - jamon Serrano, saucisson sec, lomo, chorizo Pamplona: Nothing much better than dried cured meats. I found the saucisson sec to be my favorite: spicy and and garlic-y and delicious. Steph liked the lomo, cured pork loin sliced wafer thin (it was practically transparent).
Cheese mixto - Boucheron, La Peral, idiazabal: Steph has been a real champ when it comes to trying foods she has previously decided she has disliked. Cheese is one, especially the smelly and stinky ones. Tonight she gave La Peral, a blue-veined cow/sheep milk cheese a whirl, and liked it! Good, now I can start making recipes with gorgonzola dolce. I was more partial to the Boucheron, myself.
Sopa de Castano - truffled chestnut soup, duck & mushroom hash, fried quail egg, pistachio: I can't begin to tell you about how amazing this dish was. It started with the tableside service (which I am known to be a sucker for), continued with the breaking of the yolk then ending with a spoon full of a rich and truffle-y chestnut soup, a shred of duck, a slice of mushroom and a sprinkle of pistachio...words can't even describe it. One day, I'm going to try and make this at home, using Nicholas's recipe for the chestnut soup. Best dish of the night.
Pork belly montaditos (canapes) - Berkshire pork belly, honey lacquer, shaved apples: Crostini topped with slabs of glazed pork belly, apples and herbs. Pork belly is awesome.
Duck montatidos (canapes) - duck confit, Serrano ham, black cherry, La Peral spread: This is another dish I'd try to recreate at home - the duck confit was pressed into a cube, then topped with a piece of serrano ham and seared to crisp. The flavors were out of this world.
Hamachi a la plantxa, avocado puree, pepper sauce & pickled onions: Random moment of the night: we leaned over to tell the couple next to us they should order this dish, and it turns that Stephanie had the girl in high school as a student.
Oyster Bocadillo (sandwich) - fried oysters, choricero pepper tartar sauce, sweet onion escabeche: Our love for oysters is well-known, and this tiny Basque version of a po'boy left us very satisfied. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of having to split this one with Stephanie, as I wanted the whole thing for myself.
Prawn brochetas - prawns, chorizo, grape tomato, espelette chile: Served with the head and legs attached! A bit more fiery of a course, I'm glad this was the last one served, as to not blow out our taste buds.
Roasted rack of lamb, artichoke puree & lemon: Not only was it perfectly cooked and delicious, the menu didn't mention that it was truffled artichoke puree. Win!
Crema Catalana - caramelized Spanish custard, cinnamon shortdough, poached figs, fig sorbet: Stephanie really liked the custard and cookie, but wasn't a fan of the figs or the sorbet. Fine with me, I finished both no problem.
Mato y Miel - goat's milk mousse, orange-olive oil caramel, orange blossom gelee, almond lace tuile: This was amazing. I'd have been happy with a double portion of this. Side note: Meghann had mentioned that she always wanted to order sherry because she thought the people were so cool drinking sherry out of their little sherry glasses...so Steph and I ordered sherry, a not-too-sweet one as per the recommendation of our server. I really enjoyed it, Steph said she wished it was sweeter. Now we know!
Eating at Tinto really hammered home the concept that we have gotten so used to giant plates and portions with massive amounts of food that we are thrown off when a dish arrives and it has 2 crostini on it. I like the idea of cooking a small plates for friends or family, as opposed to the standard holiday meal. We did it at our last Iron Chef dinner, but it's something I'd like to work on more as time goes on. One more thing to put on the to-do list!
Aaron and Meghann, my sources for all Philly knowledge, are huge Jose Garces fans, and they had mentioned that one of his restaurants was literally right down the block from the theater. Thank you OpenTable for making reservations so easy!
The concept is small plates, social eating and enjoying lots of different types of food and flavors. Since we ordered a wide variety (3-4 plates per person, to be shared) we didn't try to match wines, but rather ordered the Hombre, which was gin, grapefruit and basil. Steph picked it out, and I decided on one because I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to drink. It turned out to be a good call because the its flavor cleansed the palate between each plate.
Charcuterie mixto - jamon Serrano, saucisson sec, lomo, chorizo Pamplona: Nothing much better than dried cured meats. I found the saucisson sec to be my favorite: spicy and and garlic-y and delicious. Steph liked the lomo, cured pork loin sliced wafer thin (it was practically transparent).
Cheese mixto - Boucheron, La Peral, idiazabal: Steph has been a real champ when it comes to trying foods she has previously decided she has disliked. Cheese is one, especially the smelly and stinky ones. Tonight she gave La Peral, a blue-veined cow/sheep milk cheese a whirl, and liked it! Good, now I can start making recipes with gorgonzola dolce. I was more partial to the Boucheron, myself.
Sopa de Castano - truffled chestnut soup, duck & mushroom hash, fried quail egg, pistachio: I can't begin to tell you about how amazing this dish was. It started with the tableside service (which I am known to be a sucker for), continued with the breaking of the yolk then ending with a spoon full of a rich and truffle-y chestnut soup, a shred of duck, a slice of mushroom and a sprinkle of pistachio...words can't even describe it. One day, I'm going to try and make this at home, using Nicholas's recipe for the chestnut soup. Best dish of the night.
Pork belly montaditos (canapes) - Berkshire pork belly, honey lacquer, shaved apples: Crostini topped with slabs of glazed pork belly, apples and herbs. Pork belly is awesome.
Duck montatidos (canapes) - duck confit, Serrano ham, black cherry, La Peral spread: This is another dish I'd try to recreate at home - the duck confit was pressed into a cube, then topped with a piece of serrano ham and seared to crisp. The flavors were out of this world.
Hamachi a la plantxa, avocado puree, pepper sauce & pickled onions: Random moment of the night: we leaned over to tell the couple next to us they should order this dish, and it turns that Stephanie had the girl in high school as a student.
Oyster Bocadillo (sandwich) - fried oysters, choricero pepper tartar sauce, sweet onion escabeche: Our love for oysters is well-known, and this tiny Basque version of a po'boy left us very satisfied. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of having to split this one with Stephanie, as I wanted the whole thing for myself.
Prawn brochetas - prawns, chorizo, grape tomato, espelette chile: Served with the head and legs attached! A bit more fiery of a course, I'm glad this was the last one served, as to not blow out our taste buds.
Roasted rack of lamb, artichoke puree & lemon: Not only was it perfectly cooked and delicious, the menu didn't mention that it was truffled artichoke puree. Win!
Crema Catalana - caramelized Spanish custard, cinnamon shortdough, poached figs, fig sorbet: Stephanie really liked the custard and cookie, but wasn't a fan of the figs or the sorbet. Fine with me, I finished both no problem.
Mato y Miel - goat's milk mousse, orange-olive oil caramel, orange blossom gelee, almond lace tuile: This was amazing. I'd have been happy with a double portion of this. Side note: Meghann had mentioned that she always wanted to order sherry because she thought the people were so cool drinking sherry out of their little sherry glasses...so Steph and I ordered sherry, a not-too-sweet one as per the recommendation of our server. I really enjoyed it, Steph said she wished it was sweeter. Now we know!
Eating at Tinto really hammered home the concept that we have gotten so used to giant plates and portions with massive amounts of food that we are thrown off when a dish arrives and it has 2 crostini on it. I like the idea of cooking a small plates for friends or family, as opposed to the standard holiday meal. We did it at our last Iron Chef dinner, but it's something I'd like to work on more as time goes on. One more thing to put on the to-do list!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The challenge continues...
My self-issued challenge to use up random stuff in kitchen continued tonight. Here's what I had on hand: an almost full bag of Maseca masa harina flour, a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, a bag of frozen sweet corn and a can of black beans. I did a little thinking and a little browsing, and I found the basis for tonight's meal on Vegetarian Times. Truth be told, all I was looking for was a recipe for oven sopes (as the last time I had tried making them was somewhat failed initially), but I had what looked like a decent recipe.
However, looking at the recipe, I took a few liberties (I mean...I was being creative...) that would improve the final product. - I used the entire can of beans and I threw in the Ro-Tel into the saute along with the beans - all smart choices on my part. I made a half-recipe of the sopes, which ended up making 9 (as opposed to the expected yield of 12) - could have been that I didn't press them as thinly as they could have been - but I was satisfied with how they came out. I also would recommend against using a drinking glass to make an indentation and form them into a tart-esque shape, like they recommended in the recipe. Just flatten them out and dump the 'filling' on top. Stephanie has declared this one a "repeat", which I suppose means that she liked it. I personally added a splash of Tabasco to each one, but that's me. Maybe next time I'd eschew the Ro-Tel and go with some minced canned chipotles, but that could be too spicy for the wife, and I wouldn't want to be stuck eating the entire dish. Actually, that may not be a bad idea...
This recipe is vegetarian, obviously, so I'd highly recommend it for a Meatless Monday or a Meatless March, like my awesome friends Meghann and Aaron are doing. Either veggie or meat, I'm curious to know: what would you put on top of your corn sopes?
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Clean-Out-My-Closet Challenge
I've got a pantry filled with all kinds of crazy stuff that I've collected through the course of cooking. I've got some things that I had to buy an amount of to only use a small bit (masa harina, nonfat milk powder, dark Karo syrup, almond flour, unsweetened coconut) or a partial amount (all manners of pasta and grains: rice noodles, ditalini, udon, farfalle, somen). I've got some stuff that I bought, but never ended up using (Ro-Tel tomatoes, inarizushi no moto, whole peeled tomatoes). It's been adding up, and it's been grating on me as the weeks go on. Let's not mention my freezer, which has all manners of frozen meats and vegetables.
Enter the Clean-Out-My-Closet Challenge. Here's my goal - I'm going to make dishes for dinner that can be made using these ingredients - I want them in my belly (and out of my closet). The only stuff I'm willing to buy to make these things is produce. Have I been taking pictures? Of course not, because I feel like these dishes, while delicious, aren't exactly what I'd consider photogenic. Here's what I've been cooking up:
Five-spice pork & shrimp with udon noodles: In the midst of rearranging and such, I found a sad and lonely pork chop in the back of the freezer. I also had on hand like a third of a bag of frozen shrimp, 2 bundles of udon from the pantry, and the end of a jar of five-spice powder. I thinly sliced the pork, added some standard stir-fry ingredients, and dug in. I especially liked cooking the shrimp with the residual heat from the noodles - tasty and easy!
Broiled chicken with tomato sauce & polenta: I always have a glut of chicken breasts in my freezer - they are quick to cook, low on WW points and are always on sale at Wegmans (fact about me: if meat is on sale, I'll probably buy it). I had some Bob's Red Mill coarse ground cornmeal in the closet, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, half a can of tomato paste in the refrigerator, a leftover onion from who knows when (but still in good eating shape), a bag of baby spinach bought last Saturday along with some chicken breasts. Didn't even need to think about this one - whipped up a quick sauce, made polenta (which needed to be a little thicker) and broiled up some chicken. Had leftovers for lunch today, it was delicious.
Honey ginger chicken with rice noodles: I don't know when I picked them up, but I had a box of thin rice noodles all the way in back of my pantry. I defrosted yet another chicken breast, made a sauce using some honey, tamari and fish sauce (!), threw in peppers, onions, and some shiitakes I'd forgotten I'd bought last week. Everything got tossed together, sprinkled with lime juice, and we were ready to go in like 20 minutes. Unfortunately, this one came out a little blander than I'd like, but with the addition of some tasty and amazing sambal oelek, it ended up tasting alright. We'll see how it comes out tomorrow when we have the leftovers for lunch.
I'm pleased with how this is going - it's forcing me to be a bit more creative and less constrained to recipes, which was one of my cooking resolutions for the year. I'm not always 100% successful (like tonight) but it's refreshing to stretch that part of my cooking skill.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Iron Chef Philly
We've got these friends; let's call them Meghann and Aaron. Let me tell you about them: they are two of the busiest people I know. Meghann is a founding member of the Flashpoint Theatre Company, and is currently preparing to run the show she wrote, Chlamidya Dell'Arte: A Sex-Ed Burlesque. Aaron, an award-winning theater guy, is a professor at University of the Arts and is currently working on a play called Blue Monster, which he and his friend Fabrizio translated from the mid-18th century Italian manuscript. They are always running and always working. They do, however, know how to slow down enough to enjoy delicious food and good wine, and some of my favorite times have involved the four of us sitting around with a bottle of wine, some tasty foods and going on about god-knows-what (usually food, theatre and sports). This past weekend was no exception.
Since we had hosted Iron Chef Freehold last year, Meghann and Aaron wanted us to come down to Philly to see their place (fulfilling one of Steph's 101) and to host our feast. We both learned our lessons from last year: slower pace with the wine, prior planning, lighter food, less courses and smaller portions, in order to avoid a mid-meal crash like we had last year. Needless to say, not only did we finish all of our food, but we also drank all our wine and stayed awake (mostly) during the entire meal. Props to us! Our culinary adventure begins...
Appetizer: Scallops Two Ways with Lemon & Caviar
This recipe is courtesy of the Michael Mina cookbook, from which I've made a few recipes successfully. I made a variation of this recipe once before and it came out amazing, so I figured that this would be a great starter for our meal. The cold portion is a scallop ceviche, which is a fish preparation which involves marinating the fish in an acid (in this case lemon juice). The fish is still raw - the reaction between it and the acid causes the fish to appear opaque and 'cooked'. The ceviche is topped with caviar and a small drizzle of olive oil. The hot preparation is seared scallops over a potato cake with caviar and beurre blanc sauce. The shallot tried to avoid its fate of simmering in cream and butter by trying to escape behind the refrigerator, but Aaron and I were able to recover it with relatively little bloodshed. Preparation for this one was easy, easy enough to make on a weeknight if I wanted. I'll also admit that I've never actually bought my own caviar before, and my hands were a little shaky when I was trying to plate it as I had such a tiny amount to work with.
How did it come out? Holy cow, it was amazing, with similar flavor profiles with two different temperatures and textures. The ceviche marinated the perfect amount of time, and the flavor was out of this world. The hot scallops could have been seared for like 10 seconds more, but I'm not complaining - they had a nice crust on them. I'd like to point out how happy I was that my sauce didn't break - emulsified sauces can sense fear, and I was trying my best to be confident with it. Did I mention the mountain of caviar on each scallop? I got the highest compliments from my friends and wife: it tasted like it came out of a restaurant kitchen. I'd like to take some credit, but I guess it really goes to the Mina group - they sure know how to write a cookbook.
Soup: White Bean Soup with Bacon and Herbs
Picture to be added when I get one.
Like I mentioned earlier, Meghann and Aaron live in Philadelphia, which means that they revere Jose Garces like many Philadelphia foodies are want to do. They've eaten at every one of his restaurants, and are tremendous fans. They told us a tale of one night, they went to one of his places, and ordered the suckling pig (omg) and they wheeled out the entire pig into the dining room (OMG) and carved it tableside (). Why haven't I eaten there yet? Anyway, according to them, there was this white bean spread that was served as a side, and when Meghann was trying to find the recipe for it online, they found the recipe for this soup. This recipe was another one that was simple in method, which Meghann did easily and quickly prepped and put up to simmer.
How did it come out? Ridiculous. Anything that involves rendering bacon fat, then cooking vegetables in said bacon fat is something that I want a piece of. Light, smoky with awesome crispiness from the bacon and great texture from the beans and the vegetables. It was everything I love in a soup, and will definitely be making that recipe sometime soon.
Salad: Bibb Lettuce, Haricot Vert, Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette
Picture to be added when I get one.
Aaron told us he was trying to emulate a salad they had eaten at another of Garces's restaurants. Tender lettuce, crunchy 'haricot vert' and a tangy and sweet dressing. I believe he said this was the 3rd time he was trying to get the recipe down, playing with different types of vinegar (white vinegar this time).
How did it come out? Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of green beans (though I tried them!), but Steph said they were cooked perfectly. There was a sweetness and nice acidity to the dressing, without being overly tart. Also, the perfect amount to dress the salad - not much more I can't stand at restaurants when they drown the salad in dressing.
Meat: Slow-Cooked Lamb Shank with Israeli Couscous and Tomato-Herb Sauce
Both Steph and I are big fans of lamb, and I've been cooking it more and more of late, as it's a dense, filling and lean protein. Our lamb consumption has been primarily of either rack of lamb or ground lamb loin, so I was definitely intrigued when Aaron said he was preparing lamb shoulder. It should be mentioned that when Meghann went to buy the lamb, they wheeled out an entire lamb and asked her which part she wanted - she went with shanks because it was a smaller portion than the entire shoulder, which they were more than happy to lop off for her. These were seared then put in the slow cooker with carrots, celery, tomatoes and herbs, and left to simmer away in their moist heat. Aaron then toasted the hell out of the couscous and added already-simmering stock to it (a new technique to me, I usually bring the couscous and broth up to a simmer together.) Plating was a cinch.
How did it come out? Let me put it like this - I need to start sourcing lamb shanks ASAP (fortunately, I think Wegmans carries them). It never ceases to amaze me how low-and-slow cooking can break down a tough cut of meat into something that is so tender that it can be eaten with a spoon. The meat was flavorful and the texture was perfect, and the vegetables in the sauce were tender and soft without being mushy. It was a good amount of meat, and the couscous (in place of the pasta that the recipe called for) was a perfect compliment and allowed for all the sauce to be eaten up. This was definitely a win, and I'm going to definitely give this and some other lamb shank recipes a whirl.
Dessert: Mango Lhassi, Coconut Pain Perdu with Papaya-Lime Compote & Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Dessert was put in my court, and I definitely did not want to disappoint. I'd bought the Dessert Fourplay book a while back, and had made a dish from it, but it had been seriously gathering dust on my shelf. I figured this would be the perfect time to brush it off and make something from the "Tropical Fruits Fourplay" for the winter season. The lhassi was a combination of mango puree, yogurt, skim milk, cinnamon and rosewater, then poured over diced kiwi, mango and papaya. The pain perdu is made from challah (I eschewed making my own brioche) dunked in a custard made with coconut milk, heavy cream, eggs and sugar, with a bit of vanilla and coconut rum thrown in. The papaya-lime compote is nothing more than papayas, simple syrup, lime juice and lime zest. The ice cream was made from a base of whole milk, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk powder, some lemon juice and a pound of cream cheese, chilled then frozen in the ice cream machine.
How did it come out? This was another course that I was extremely proud of. The plating and presentation was not as refined as the scallops was (I couldn't get carrot juice to form a froth to top the lhassi) but I was exceedingly pleased with the flavors and textures. The lhassi was cool and creamy, and I loved the different diced fruits. The pain perdu came out much better than I expected, and was cooked perfectly, despite the dark color in the picture.
I'm going to dedicate an entire paragraph to the cream cheese ice cream. It was all I could do to not eat this stuff straight from the bowl before I froze it, not to mention after it was done chilling and then frozen in the ice cream machine. This stuff was absolutely amazing, a bit sour, and not overly sweet - when I was done licking the bowl that the base was chilled in, it looked like one of my mom's Great Danes had gotten a hold of it and cleaned it out. Stephanie definitely did her part in helping lick the spatulas and bowls. This stuff was so good that Aaron couldn't get enough, went back to the kitchen and got the rest of it for all of us to nom on. When we woke up this morning, apparently the first thing we all talked about was how good this ice cream was. I can't wait until summertime to eat it with some fresh raspberries. I'm not even upset anymore that I bought 5 lb of nonfat milk powder for .08 lb of the stuff (although I am taking suggestions if anyone knows other stuff I can make with the nonfat milk powder, other than milk of course).
Saturday night we devoured 5 courses and 4 bottles of wine, then partook in some of Harry Potter Scene-It (won by the incomparably knowlegeable Meghann), some Olympics and Costas-bashing before we finally passed out in a blissfully tipsy and satiated haze. This morning, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast and leftover potato cakes before Aaron and Meghann had to run off to be busy theatre people once more. Fortunately, I was only 8 blocks from Pats, so I finished my Philadelphia weekend with some Wiz wid'. I probably used up my entire weekly allotment of WW points, but it was so worth it.
I'm just glad Stephanie and I got to spend such an amazing time with such amazing friends when they were both able to be on 'pause' at the same time.
Since we had hosted Iron Chef Freehold last year, Meghann and Aaron wanted us to come down to Philly to see their place (fulfilling one of Steph's 101) and to host our feast. We both learned our lessons from last year: slower pace with the wine, prior planning, lighter food, less courses and smaller portions, in order to avoid a mid-meal crash like we had last year. Needless to say, not only did we finish all of our food, but we also drank all our wine and stayed awake (mostly) during the entire meal. Props to us! Our culinary adventure begins...
Appetizer: Scallops Two Ways with Lemon & Caviar
This recipe is courtesy of the Michael Mina cookbook, from which I've made a few recipes successfully. I made a variation of this recipe once before and it came out amazing, so I figured that this would be a great starter for our meal. The cold portion is a scallop ceviche, which is a fish preparation which involves marinating the fish in an acid (in this case lemon juice). The fish is still raw - the reaction between it and the acid causes the fish to appear opaque and 'cooked'. The ceviche is topped with caviar and a small drizzle of olive oil. The hot preparation is seared scallops over a potato cake with caviar and beurre blanc sauce. The shallot tried to avoid its fate of simmering in cream and butter by trying to escape behind the refrigerator, but Aaron and I were able to recover it with relatively little bloodshed. Preparation for this one was easy, easy enough to make on a weeknight if I wanted. I'll also admit that I've never actually bought my own caviar before, and my hands were a little shaky when I was trying to plate it as I had such a tiny amount to work with.
How did it come out? Holy cow, it was amazing, with similar flavor profiles with two different temperatures and textures. The ceviche marinated the perfect amount of time, and the flavor was out of this world. The hot scallops could have been seared for like 10 seconds more, but I'm not complaining - they had a nice crust on them. I'd like to point out how happy I was that my sauce didn't break - emulsified sauces can sense fear, and I was trying my best to be confident with it. Did I mention the mountain of caviar on each scallop? I got the highest compliments from my friends and wife: it tasted like it came out of a restaurant kitchen. I'd like to take some credit, but I guess it really goes to the Mina group - they sure know how to write a cookbook.
Soup: White Bean Soup with Bacon and Herbs
Picture to be added when I get one.
Like I mentioned earlier, Meghann and Aaron live in Philadelphia, which means that they revere Jose Garces like many Philadelphia foodies are want to do. They've eaten at every one of his restaurants, and are tremendous fans. They told us a tale of one night, they went to one of his places, and ordered the suckling pig (omg) and they wheeled out the entire pig into the dining room (OMG) and carved it tableside (
How did it come out? Ridiculous. Anything that involves rendering bacon fat, then cooking vegetables in said bacon fat is something that I want a piece of. Light, smoky with awesome crispiness from the bacon and great texture from the beans and the vegetables. It was everything I love in a soup, and will definitely be making that recipe sometime soon.
Salad: Bibb Lettuce, Haricot Vert, Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette
Picture to be added when I get one.
Aaron told us he was trying to emulate a salad they had eaten at another of Garces's restaurants. Tender lettuce, crunchy 'haricot vert' and a tangy and sweet dressing. I believe he said this was the 3rd time he was trying to get the recipe down, playing with different types of vinegar (white vinegar this time).
How did it come out? Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of green beans (though I tried them!), but Steph said they were cooked perfectly. There was a sweetness and nice acidity to the dressing, without being overly tart. Also, the perfect amount to dress the salad - not much more I can't stand at restaurants when they drown the salad in dressing.
Meat: Slow-Cooked Lamb Shank with Israeli Couscous and Tomato-Herb Sauce
Both Steph and I are big fans of lamb, and I've been cooking it more and more of late, as it's a dense, filling and lean protein. Our lamb consumption has been primarily of either rack of lamb or ground lamb loin, so I was definitely intrigued when Aaron said he was preparing lamb shoulder. It should be mentioned that when Meghann went to buy the lamb, they wheeled out an entire lamb and asked her which part she wanted - she went with shanks because it was a smaller portion than the entire shoulder, which they were more than happy to lop off for her. These were seared then put in the slow cooker with carrots, celery, tomatoes and herbs, and left to simmer away in their moist heat. Aaron then toasted the hell out of the couscous and added already-simmering stock to it (a new technique to me, I usually bring the couscous and broth up to a simmer together.) Plating was a cinch.
How did it come out? Let me put it like this - I need to start sourcing lamb shanks ASAP (fortunately, I think Wegmans carries them). It never ceases to amaze me how low-and-slow cooking can break down a tough cut of meat into something that is so tender that it can be eaten with a spoon. The meat was flavorful and the texture was perfect, and the vegetables in the sauce were tender and soft without being mushy. It was a good amount of meat, and the couscous (in place of the pasta that the recipe called for) was a perfect compliment and allowed for all the sauce to be eaten up. This was definitely a win, and I'm going to definitely give this and some other lamb shank recipes a whirl.
Dessert: Mango Lhassi, Coconut Pain Perdu with Papaya-Lime Compote & Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Dessert was put in my court, and I definitely did not want to disappoint. I'd bought the Dessert Fourplay book a while back, and had made a dish from it, but it had been seriously gathering dust on my shelf. I figured this would be the perfect time to brush it off and make something from the "Tropical Fruits Fourplay" for the winter season. The lhassi was a combination of mango puree, yogurt, skim milk, cinnamon and rosewater, then poured over diced kiwi, mango and papaya. The pain perdu is made from challah (I eschewed making my own brioche) dunked in a custard made with coconut milk, heavy cream, eggs and sugar, with a bit of vanilla and coconut rum thrown in. The papaya-lime compote is nothing more than papayas, simple syrup, lime juice and lime zest. The ice cream was made from a base of whole milk, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk powder, some lemon juice and a pound of cream cheese, chilled then frozen in the ice cream machine.
How did it come out? This was another course that I was extremely proud of. The plating and presentation was not as refined as the scallops was (I couldn't get carrot juice to form a froth to top the lhassi) but I was exceedingly pleased with the flavors and textures. The lhassi was cool and creamy, and I loved the different diced fruits. The pain perdu came out much better than I expected, and was cooked perfectly, despite the dark color in the picture.
I'm going to dedicate an entire paragraph to the cream cheese ice cream. It was all I could do to not eat this stuff straight from the bowl before I froze it, not to mention after it was done chilling and then frozen in the ice cream machine. This stuff was absolutely amazing, a bit sour, and not overly sweet - when I was done licking the bowl that the base was chilled in, it looked like one of my mom's Great Danes had gotten a hold of it and cleaned it out. Stephanie definitely did her part in helping lick the spatulas and bowls. This stuff was so good that Aaron couldn't get enough, went back to the kitchen and got the rest of it for all of us to nom on. When we woke up this morning, apparently the first thing we all talked about was how good this ice cream was. I can't wait until summertime to eat it with some fresh raspberries. I'm not even upset anymore that I bought 5 lb of nonfat milk powder for .08 lb of the stuff (although I am taking suggestions if anyone knows other stuff I can make with the nonfat milk powder, other than milk of course).
Saturday night we devoured 5 courses and 4 bottles of wine, then partook in some of Harry Potter Scene-It (won by the incomparably knowlegeable Meghann), some Olympics and Costas-bashing before we finally passed out in a blissfully tipsy and satiated haze. This morning, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast and leftover potato cakes before Aaron and Meghann had to run off to be busy theatre people once more. Fortunately, I was only 8 blocks from Pats, so I finished my Philadelphia weekend with some Wiz wid'. I probably used up my entire weekly allotment of WW points, but it was so worth it.
I'm just glad Stephanie and I got to spend such an amazing time with such amazing friends when they were both able to be on 'pause' at the same time.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Can you guess what this is?
18 cups all purpose flour
6 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
17 teaspoons baking powder
6 teaspoons baking soda
2 ¾ teaspoons salt
14 ½ pounds unsalted butter
12 cups sour cream
41 teaspoons vanilla
9 egg whites
32 eggs
12 cups sugar
126 ounces bittersweet chocolate
9 cups Crisco
54 teaspoons butter flavor
3 ¾ cups heavy cream
22 pounds powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Crème of Tartar
30 pounds fondant
16 ounces piping gel
Various color gels and edible glitters
Click here to see a picture of the final product.
I will be collaborating with my mother on a blog post sometime either this week or next week. I, for one, am simply in awe of that list of ingredients...
6 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
17 teaspoons baking powder
6 teaspoons baking soda
2 ¾ teaspoons salt
14 ½ pounds unsalted butter
12 cups sour cream
41 teaspoons vanilla
9 egg whites
32 eggs
12 cups sugar
126 ounces bittersweet chocolate
9 cups Crisco
54 teaspoons butter flavor
3 ¾ cups heavy cream
22 pounds powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Crème of Tartar
30 pounds fondant
16 ounces piping gel
Various color gels and edible glitters
Click here to see a picture of the final product.
I will be collaborating with my mother on a blog post sometime either this week or next week. I, for one, am simply in awe of that list of ingredients...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Why I Cook
Friday, Ruhlman posed a question for other food bloggers to answer: "Why do you cook?" Needless to say, I've been thinking about it for the past day or so, and I think I've got some good answers.
So that's the question: Why do you cook?
- I cook because I enjoy the step-by-step method of following a recipe. Must be the science geek in me. Also, probably why I read cookbooks for fun.
- I cook because I love having a pile of ingredients get broken down, chopped, whisked, sliced, measured, diced, trimmed, brunoise and what not for the mise en place.
- I cook because with every new recipe, every new ingredient and every new technique, I'm improving myself and honing my skills that much more. I'll never be as good as the star chefs you see on Food Network or the line cooks toiling away in good restaurants, but I'm damn well going to try my hardest.
- I cook to bring pleasure to my friends and family. Not much better than hearing the sounds of people trying to tell me how good a dish tastes, but not being able to because their mouths are full. Even better when my uncle keeps the leftover soup from Thanksgiving because he liked it so much, or when my mother comes to me for some of my recipes.
- I cook because my friends probably wouldn't be too happy if I showed up empty-handed at parties.
- I cook to relax (see item #2 above), but Steph will tell you I'm never relaxed in the kitchen - I just get frustrated when I make stupid mistakes that I shouldn't make.
- I cook to eat healthier meals than I would if I ate out every night.
- I cook because of the lessons learned from my mother, my grandmother and my uncle - all highly accomplished cooks in their own right who have greatly influenced how I approach meal preparation and planning. I can't ever thank them enough!
So that's the question: Why do you cook?
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