What's Cooking EDF? #4

[howzit]

no pics but had about 8 people bbq this weekend:


-- beefsteak tomatoes with fresh muzzarella. basil, olive oil, salt, pepper.

-- grilled chix, avocado, watercress, w/tarragon aioli on a baguette. season chix w/salt and pepper. tarragon aioli was mayo, white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, tarragon. combine all ingredients but the olive oil in a bowl. drizzle in the olive oil.

-- corn on the cob using a southwestern butter. butter, jalapeno, red pepperflake, parsley, garlic, ground pepper, kosher salt, paprika. blend in processor and brush on grilled corn.


-- potato salad: red bliss potatoes. dressing: mayo, lemon juice, garlic, chives, pepper.

-- grilled pit fruits: white peaches, white necatarines, yellow peaches. brush w/unsalted butter and brown sugar while fruit is on the grill.

-- watermelon cocktail. seedless watermelon, corn syrup/liquid sugar, vodka. blend all the above w/ice and serve immediately.

everythign was done within 2 hours including shopping.

[howzit]

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I've seen on the food network before where they brown the steak in a skillet first and then cook it in the oven.

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to grill/roast steaks indoors. preheat oven to 425-450.

get skillet hot. prep steak the way you want it (peppercorn crust, salt/pepper, butter/shallot/redwine, etc) sear one side for about 3-4 min. flip it and cook the other side for about 1 min. pop it in the oven for 4-5 min or until the steak has a slight firmness but still responsive to the touch. that is med. to medium rare.

cool the steak before you cut it and do it across the grain.

[BK_]

Chicken Avocado Salad



This was a simple combination of avocado, orange cherry tomato, heirloom tomato, walnut, baby greens, peaches, and chicken breast. The chicken breast was marinated in some olive oil and Chevy's spice mix (Thanks Vin), then browned in the skillet and finished in the oven. The whole thing was dressed in basic balsamic vinaigrette. The result was a really nice, light dinner.

[BK_]

Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pancetta



This dish combined a bunch of flavors that are relatively foreign to us, so it was a lot of fun to make and eat. The recipe ended up being really simple, but we chose it because it sounded really good and the chef was Ferran Adria.

The pistachio crust was extremely flavorful, and we will likely try to make this again with other meats. I thought the meat was a tad overcooked but my gf thought it was almost perfect. Regardless, it was really flavorful and we will make rack of lamb again.

[El Diablo]

BK,

Your stuff always looked great, but looking back at some previous threads, the quality of your execution just looks so much better now. Also, obviously, your pics are better.

So, the real question: How much better does your food taste now?

[BK_]

Thanks.

The food quality has been getting alot better in the last couple of months. Some of it undoubtably comes from learning which recipes to choose, but I think a large part has just come from better technique and more experience. I didn't really think about this question until two weeks ago, when we made a fish dish that I felt was really dissapointing. We had a friend over and she said that the quality was almost exactly the same as a dish we had made for her 6 months ago. At the time, I was very happy about the food quality, and this time I was really dissatisfied. I still have a long way to go in terms of being able to make up stuff on the fly though... But in terms of being able to do the basics (searing meat, sauces, etc) I think that things have gotten alot better recently.

[ElSapo]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks.

The food quality has been getting alot better in the last couple of months. Some of it undoubtably comes from learning which recipes to choose, but I think a large part has just come from better technique and more experience. I didn't really think about this question until two weeks ago, when we made a fish dish that I felt was really dissapointing. We had a friend over and she said that the quality was almost exactly the same as a dish we had made for her 6 months ago. At the time, I was very happy about the food quality, and this time I was really dissatisfied. I still have a long way to go in terms of being able to make up stuff on the fly though... But in terms of being able to do the basics (searing meat, sauces, etc) I think that things have gotten alot better recently.

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It's one of thsoe f'd up truths, I think, that a real sign of advancement is usually disatisfaction with your own results.

[Xaston]

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It's one of thsoe f'd up truths, I think, that a real sign of advancement is usually disatisfaction with your own results.

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I definitely agree. I am certainly not on the same level as you guys, but I have become much more critical of my food as I have progressed in my culinary pursuits.

[BK_]

speaking of disatisfaction,last night I bought some sirloin tri-tip and made some korean style steak lettuce wraps. Despite always hearing that you don't want to crowd you meat in the skillet, I packed them in really tightly (practially touching). The result was really dissapointing... because everything was so close, the each piece ended up steaming the piece next to it, resulting in steak that was not browned at all and very over cooked. Oh well, I definently won't make that mistake again... Even though I had heard not to do this, I didn't really pay attention until I realized why.

I ended up saving a bunch of it for lunch today, and luckly re-heating in a microwave tenderized the meat and made it alot less chewy.

[BK_]

Crispy Mussels with Almond and Scallion Sauce



We have been making alot of mussels recently, but I think this recipe does the best job of bringing out its natural flavor. When we finally have our first dinner party, this very tasty yet cheap dish will be one of the appetizers.

Recipe (from Bobby Flay) is below:

2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
Rice flour
Water
Salt and pepper
2 cups canola oil
Almond-Scallion Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped scallions, for garnish

Bring wine to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the mussels, stir, cover, and cook until the mussels have opened. Remove the mussels to a sheet pan with a slotted spoon, discarding any mussels that do not open. Remove the mussels from the shell and place in a bowl.

Place 2 cups of the rice flour into a large bowl and add enough water until it becomes a light batter, about the consistency of crepe batter. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a high-sided saute pan until it reaches a temperature of 360 degrees F. Season the mussels with salt and pepper, dip the mussels into the batter, and then fry until lightly golden brown, about 30 to 45 seconds. Drain the mussels on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Add mussels to the large bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped scallion.

Almond-Scallion Sauce:
1/4 cup aged sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, almonds, and scallions in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the vinaigrette to a large bowl that will hold all the mussels.