What's new

Whats Cooking? 2012

Status
Not open for further replies.
New Years dinner-



Pork roast-



Breast of veal stuffed with spinach and Feta



Escarole and white beans

Not shown, Rigatoni with sauce

Broccoli with garlic and oil

Homemade rolls

Enough cake and stuff to choke Marie Antoinette.

Happy New Year!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Attachments

  • $punajuuribalsamico.jpg
    $punajuuribalsamico.jpg
    126.4 KB · Views: 553
Last edited by a moderator:

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
Tonight my wife requested some comfort food. I happened to have some Udon noodles in the pantry . . . so with some quick chopping of green onions, peppers, carrot, and even a zucchini . . . a little stir frying . . . add noodles and a little soy and oyster sauce. 15 minutes later here they are.
$udon noodles 001.JPG$udon noodles 002.JPG$udon noodles 003.JPG$udon noodles 004.JPG

They were well received.
 
Made Ceviche this past weekend. My wife is Peruvian and introduced me to Ceviche and I have to say, it is one of my favorite dishes!

Marinated the fresh Halibut in lemon/lime juice for two hours in the fridge. Added the veggies with some hot red pepper for about twenty more minutes and then ate. Not pictured are the side of sweet potatoes that must be served with the Ceviche.
 

Attachments

  • $DSC00620.jpg
    $DSC00620.jpg
    28.3 KB · Views: 531
Tonight my wife requested some comfort food. I happened to have some Udon noodles in the pantry . . . so with some quick chopping of green onions, peppers, carrot, and even a zucchini . . . a little stir frying . . . add noodles and a little soy and oyster sauce. 15 minutes later here they are.


They were well received.


Luckily you had that snazzy Nakiri handy!


Looking good!
 
Jim,

When you roast stuffed veal breast do put a layer of salt pork or any other animal fat on the outside? I've wanted to try a stuffed veal breast and found that a lot of recipes call for that. I'd prefer not to and just let the veal shine.
 
Jim,

When you roast stuffed veal breast do put a layer of salt pork or any other animal fat on the outside? I've wanted to try a stuffed veal breast and found that a lot of recipes call for that. I'd prefer not to and just let the veal shine.

No I do not,I think most recipes call for that because to break down this piece of meat takes forever, I cook it at low temperature tightly covered until it hits 195 internal and a probe slides in easily. Then just a few minutes under the broiler to brown it up. I always plan to try to braise it, the sauce would be wonderful that way.
 
No I do not,I think most recipes call for that because to break down this piece of meat takes forever, I cook it at low temperature tightly covered until it hits 195 internal and a probe slides in easily. Then just a few minutes under the broiler to brown it up. I always plan to try to braise it, the sauce would be wonderful that way.

Around 250? I'm thinking of stuffing one with a duxelle of wild mushrooms and shallot....maybe coat the inside pocket with some dijon. If I'm going to roast it covered, I'm guessing my 5.5q oval staub will work. Or I could use a large cazuela and cover with aluminum foil. Unless you suggest otherwise, I'm going to try the staub and see if I can get a nice deglazed jus with some white wine and stock.
 
Around 250? I'm thinking of stuffing one with a duxelle of wild mushrooms and shallot....maybe coat the inside pocket with some dijon. If I'm going to roast it covered, I'm guessing my 5.5q oval staub will work. Or I could use a large cazuela and cover with aluminum foil. Unless you suggest otherwise, I'm going to try the staub and see if I can get a nice deglazed jus with some white wine and stock.

THAT sounds like a plan! Keep us informed of your results.
 
Been a bit of a cooking day today:

Started off with oeufs cocotte for breakfast, chopped garlic and spring onion sweated off in a pan for a while and then added about 200g chopped mushrooms and sauted off till all the liquid was driven out. I seasoned with salt and pepper, a big pinch of dried thyme and a really small pinch of cumin powder - it just seems to enhance the earthiness of the mushrooms. Don't add too much or you end up with mushroom curry (which at the right time and place would be fine!). Preheat the oven to 180C.

Put a layer of the mushroom mix into a well-buttered ramekin, then carefully crack an egg on top. Repeat 3 times. Into each one, put a dot of butter and a teaspoon of creme fraiche, and season. I used my truffled salt because I like it.

Put the ramekins into a water bath and into the oven for 12 mins. Eat with hot buttered toast soldiers.

Then lunch. Chicken in a Normandy sauce. I actually cooked 4 chicken breast portions even though there are only 2 of us as we will have the other 2 cold tonight with a salad (clever that I thought!). Brown the chicken breasts in hot oil and butter then set to one side. Let the pan cool down a bit and add a sliced onion, chopped garlic and sweat off. Add sliced mushrooms and continue to cook. Sprinkle a spoonful of cornflour over the vegetables which will help thicken the sauce later. Add a bottle of cider - I used Magners today but you could use any you like. When it boils, put the chicken back in, along with any juices and simmer for 25 - 30 mins. I put a teaspoon of chicken stock powder in as well. You could add some Dijon mustard at this point, but today I didn't bother. Add some salt and pepper but not too much at this point as you are going to reduce the sauce and you don't want it too salty.

While it's cooking, do the vegetables. Garlicky mashed potatoes and Vichy carrots. Boil the spuds with a couple of cloves of garlic in well-salted water until tender, drain. Add butter, cream, salt, white pepper (this is most important, not never ever black pepper) and nutmeg to taste and smash with a masher. Taste and adjust seasoning, cream, butter as necessary. You want a really luxurious, decadent mash. For the carrots, peel and slice into thinnish rounds, probably abot 4 - 5 mm. Put into a pan with a knob of butter, and a teaspoon each of salt and sugar. Add enough cold water to just cover the carrots and flame on. Don't boil too rapidly as the water will evaporate too soon and the carrots won't be tender. You want a nice glaze on them. Add some chopped parsley for colour and you're done.

If you have some, and I did as we shall see later, peel, core and slice half an apple into 4 thickish slices. Saute these in some butter for a garnish.

Take the chicken out once it is cooked through and set aside as you finish the sauce. Boil it to reduce it to a syrupy consistency and then add a spoonful of creme fraiche. Double cream will do if you cannot find creme fraiche but the big advantage this has is that it will not split when you add it to hot liquid.

Plate up.

Put the chicken on a plate and place 2 of the apple pieces on top, and pour the sauce all around. Add some of the chopped parsely that you didn't put in the carrots, and serve to wild applause.

Dessert is tarte fine aux pommes, which is why I had a half a peeled and cored apple earlier.

Defrost a sheet of shortcrust pastry, and line a greased and floured baking tin. Bake blind for 15 - 20 mins in a 200C oven. Meanwhile slice the remaining half an apple and 2 more of its friends into as thin as you can manage slices. I used French Royal Gala today, but you can use whatever is available I would imagine.

Take about 2 tablespoons of sugar and add a generous amount of cinnamon powder and a half teaspoon of mixed spice powder, stir until nicely mixed.

Take the pastry disc out and let it cool a bit. Arrange a layer of apple on the pastry and sprinkle a layer of sugar mix, then another layer of apple, and another layer of sugar. One more layer of apple to finish and then dot the top with butter. Bake for about 20 mins. It can be eaten warm or cold, with cream, ice cream, creme fraiche or all three. We had it recently in France with sea salt and caramel ice cream, fantastic.

Sadly I didn't take any photos as the battery in my camera is flat...
 
Tonight was Chinese-Burmese Chili Chicken tossed in the wok. It was a tad spicy, so I think that next time I will half the chili pepper again. Otherwise, 'twas delicious
$photo (7).jpg
 
We are having a dinner party here tonight and I am just psyching myself up to start prepping for it. The menu is

Millefeuille of roasted beetroot and smoked salmon, with a horseradish creme fraiche dressing (if I can find any f'g horseradish today, yesterday was highly unsuccessful on that front!)
Beef Wellington
Lemon Sabayon tart, with honey and marscepone cream (French Laundry cookbook recipe)

I'm going to make my poached quails' eggs and bacon in buerre monte as a canape, and if I have time may make an amuse bouche of gazpacho - I meant to do that yesterday but went to the pub earlier than originally planned(!)
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
We are having a dinner party here tonight and I am just psyching myself up to start prepping for it. The menu is

Millefeuille of roasted beetroot and smoked salmon, with a horseradish creme fraiche dressing (if I can find any f'g horseradish today, yesterday was highly unsuccessful on that front!)
Beef Wellington
Lemon Sabayon tart, with honey and marscepone cream (French Laundry cookbook recipe)

I'm going to make my poached quails' eggs and bacon in buerre monte as a canape, and if I have time may make an amuse bouche of gazpacho - I meant to do that yesterday but went to the pub earlier than originally planned(!)

Nice. I hope you unflatten your camera battery soon. We crave pictures!
 
I either need a new camera or to get someone else to take the photos. Every single one was blurred - I thought last night it was the wine affecting my eyesight but this morning they are all still blurred!!

Other than that, it was all pretty successful and our friends were all vey happy with their dinner, so that was the main point of the exercise!
 
Took my first shot at a Chicago style deep dish pizza in my cast iron skillet. Turned out pretty good, with room for improvement.

full



full
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom