What's Cooking EDF? #4

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Thanks, probably one of my favorite dishes so far. I can explain the recipe in more detail if someone is thinking about making it.

My favorite part about posting these pictures is being able to remember more clearly what a particular dish tasted like. After splitting a bottle of wine during each meal, the details turn a bit hazy without a little reminder.

[dankhank]

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The scallops, seasoned simply with salt and pepper and pan-seared in olive oil and butter, were probably the best we've ever had - incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked.

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i would be interested to hear any more details about this process. this is exactly how i prepare scallops, having read this is how ElD does it a few months ago. i am happy with how my scallops taste, but i tend to get a more uniform browning across the top, whereas your scallops in the picture are very dark around the edges but white-ish around the rest of the top. i am not sure if they taste better this way, but since i am not totally satisfied with how my scallops taste, maybe there is some minor detail or adjustment i could add.

also i am not big on salad type sides, but i do need some ideas for what goes well with scallops. they usually stand alone on the plate when i cook.

[StevieG]

Dinner from last night:

Chinese five spice ribs and grilled bok choy



The ribs were marinated overnight in chinese five spice, fresh grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, a bit of chili sauce, and vegetable oil (from a grilling cookbook I have).

I dressed the bok choy in olive oil with some minced garlic, and a dash of toasted sesame seeds.

Grilled ribs, then bok choy. Garnished with green onion. Served with steamed white rice.

[BK_]

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i would be interested to hear any more details about this process. this is exactly how i prepare scallops, having read this is how ElD does it a few months ago. i am happy with how my scallops taste, but i tend to get a more uniform browning across the top, whereas your scallops in the picture are very dark around the edges but white-ish around the rest of the top. i am not sure if they taste better this way, but since i am not totally satisfied with how my scallops taste, maybe there is some minor detail or adjustment i could add.

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One possibility is that the scallops might be a bit too "wet" when you throw them in the skillet. I believe that this can be caused by two things - not drying them properly before seasoning and cooking, or buying scallops that are not completely fresh. Fixing the first problem is easy - just make sure that you pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. The freshness might also have alot to do with the browning you are seeing and the overall blandness - I believe that scallops that have either been previously frozen or are a little older than ideal can easily become waterlogged. I could be wrong about this, but I think I read it somewhere (and it seems to make sense)

I've found that the skillet needs to be very hot. Even though you have olive oil in there to make sure that the butter does not completely burn, it needs to be hot enough so that the scallop is infused with that awesome browned butter flavor. Actually cooking them is pretty easy - I just watch the sides to see when the middle turns from translucent to opaque.

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also i am not big on salad type sides, but i do need some ideas for what goes well with scallops. they usually stand alone on the plate when i cook.

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I like the idea of putting them in acidic sauces, or giving them a nice textural contrast with some crispy vegatables or fried meats.

I like the idea of creating a dish around the scallops instead of creating an actual "side" dish. I don't know... I don't love eating scallops plain but think it can provide some really nice contrasts with tons of ingrediants. Off the top of my head, it seems like asparagus, bacon, and fresh corn would be excellent textural contrasts. An acidic sauce would also really highlight its creaminess. One thing I don't really like is matching a rich / creamy side with scallops... I usually can't eat more than one when this is the case and that is never fun.

Looking back, I think this dish was missing a little something, but I liked the idea:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7611776...7600159551535/

Surpringly it ended up pretty similar to this one I made a couple of months later. Your post has made me realize that we should try something different next time we buy scallops:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7611776...7600159551535/

[BK_]

Looks good, how did it turn out? What type of ribs did you use? I just bought some five spice powder so I might give this marinade a shot. I'm becoming a little obsessed with asian style meats.

[StevieG]

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Looks good, how did it turn out? What type of ribs did you use? I just bought some five spice powder so I might give this marinade a shot. I'm becoming a little obsessed with asian style meats.

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Used pork spare ribs, I cut them apart before marinading.

The five spice powder brings a great star anise flavor to the meat.

Forgot to mention brown sugar.

for about 2 lbs ribs:
2 tsps five spice powder
1/4 c soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 T grated ginger
1 tsp chili sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp oil

[BK_]

Oven Fries and Green Salad



Potatoes were soaked in water, dried, then coated in garlic, rosemary, and olive oil.

Salad was a farmers market combination of tomatoes, peaches, pine nuts, and baby greens.

[BK_]

Steak with Mustard Congac Sauce



We picked up some sirloin steak from Citarella. The steak was pan-seared with garlic, thyme and rosemary, then finished in the oven. The mustard-cognac sauce (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/re...s/views/236192) was made with the steak drippings, shallots, brandy, port, and chicken broth, with dijon mustard and butter whisked in at the last minute. While the steak was slightly overcooked according to our taste, the sauce was excellent - we would definitely make it again.
On the side, we served roasted wild mushrooms (a mix of shiitake and cremini, roasted with garlic, rosemary, and good quality olive oil), also delicious. The steak is served on a bed of goat cheese and basil mashed potatoes (yukon gold potatoes from the farmer's market). Overall, a rich and satisfying meal.

[Mermade]

Dinner night before last. Nothing fancy, I didn't intend it for viewing just eating. I snapped a shot of it though, because I wanted to post something about the potatoes. Here is what I made: lamb steaks on top of garlic mashed potatoes served with grilled asparagus.



A couple of things were different about the mashed potatoes this time around. First I only had an assortment of different potatoes: purple, white, and red. Originally I was going to roast them, but I had a craving for mashed and made it work. When I mashed them the purple potatoes made the mash look dingy white, so although the flavor was fine combining the different varieties isn't something I'm going to repeat. Second, I was distracted by a number of things at once and took the potatoes off way too early. I added butter, milk and garlic and realized my mistake too late (they wouldn't mash). I decided to fix it by adding more milk and returning it to the stove. I actually thought I'd hit on something, thinking the result would be incredibly rich--like a combination of stovetop potatoes dauphinoise and mashed potatoes. Since they were cooking in milk and butter, they ought to have come out heavenly. I was a bit disappointed. They were good mashed potatoes, but weren't especially rich. I think this is something I might experiment with. Rather than boiling the potatoes and then mashing, I might try again to slow cook the potatoes in milk and butter on the stovetop before mashing.

The lamb steak was probably the best I've had. Perfect doneness, tender and juicy. I didn't do anything special, just salt, pepper, and fresh thyme from the garden. Asparagus were drizzled with olive oil and minced garlic, salt and pepper.

[RedBean]

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Damn...please be telling how you manage such phenomenal photography.