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Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:11 am
by Jenise
Mike Filigenzi wrote:Had a couple of friends over for supper tonight. We started with a beet tart that my wife made. I did the panfried sea bass with harissa and rose from the Jerusalem cookbook along with a dish of roasted garbanzos with Swiss chard from a Bon Appetit recipe. We finished with Nigella's light version of flourless chocolate cake from her Feast cookbook. Our friends contributed some stellar homemade salami along with a bottle of "The Napa Valley Reserve" cabernet, which I understand is something made by the Harlan folks for people who join up to do so.


Beet tart? Tell us more about that. My head can't go there, but it wants to!

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:11 am
by Jeff Grossman
Jenise wrote:It sounds like it just needs brightening up. Two thoughts occurred to me: lemon peel (and possibly a squeeze of juice) to give the essence of preserved lemon without having hunks of lemon in the soup--it should pop the spices--and more chopped fresh rosemary to pull that flavor out of the background. It's kind of like you have a great chorus there but you need a few stronger voices.

Re the chorus... yes, exactly the problem. I think I will try this suggestion in tonight's servings.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:00 am
by Mike Bowlin
Jenise wrote:
Mike Bowlin wrote:Tonights dinner.
Olive bread, white cheese with black truffles, sweet grapes and Rosenblum Carla's Reserve 2006 Zinfandel.
photo.JPG


A great simple meal that's not nearly so simple when homemade bread is the star ingredient. Bravo! Thanks for recipe for the muffalata bread, sounds amazing. I've never had anything like it. I'm very impressed that you do all your own baking.

Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:15 am
by Mike Bowlin
For Drew Hall:
Sorry did not comment on your question RE: Rosenblum Carla's Reserve. Excellent bottle, nice and plummy on the finish which I enjoy. Reminds me of Amarone somewhat. Rosenblum is a small house with contract vineyards and produces excellent zins for the money. I still have some C reserve from 2000 and they are excellent. Highly recommend their offerings.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:35 am
by Jenise
Mike Bowlin wrote:Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.


Yesterday was Spring. And so was last Sunday. The rest has been a bit iffy, though the warming trend has been nice. It's apparently going to get a lot colder this weekend, though. "Almost winter-like temperatures", they said yesterday on Canadian radio.

As soon as we can nail down slightly better weather for enjoying our southern view, I'd love to have you up.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:59 pm
by Jeff Grossman
Jenise wrote:Beet tart?

Yeah, candy for kids! Little round pieces of beet, flavored with turnip, spinach and yucca. ("Especially yucca!" the kids say.)
beettarts111.jpg

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:28 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
Jenise wrote:Beet tart? Tell us more about that. My head can't go there, but it wants to!


I'll have to find out where she got the recipe. It was pretty simple, involving mostly roasted beets and purchased puff pastry.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:45 pm
by Mike Bowlin
Jenise wrote:
Mike Bowlin wrote:Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.


Yesterday was Spring. And so was last Sunday. The rest has been a bit iffy, though the warming trend has been nice. It's apparently going to get a lot colder this weekend, though. "Almost winter-like temperatures", they said yesterday on Canadian radio.

As soon as we can nail down slightly better weather for enjoying our southern view, I'd love to have you up.

with some advance notice I will bring the bread.thanks, Mike

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:31 pm
by Carl Eppig
Curried leftover Easter Eggs with rice and chutney.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:50 pm
by Karen/NoCA
Fusilli col buco with San Marzano diced tomatoes, white wine, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, with large sea scallops and shrimp browned in a little butter and olive oil.. A simple salad of the hearts of romaine and red lettuce, with a hazelnut, champagne vinaigrette.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:58 pm
by Jenise
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:
Jenise wrote:Beet tart?

Yeah, candy for kids! Little round pieces of beet, flavored with turnip, spinach and yucca. ("Especially yucca!" the kids say.)
beettarts111.jpg


:lol:

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:43 pm
by Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:
Jenise wrote:It sounds like it just needs brightening up. Two thoughts occurred to me: lemon peel (and possibly a squeeze of juice) to give the essence of preserved lemon without having hunks of lemon in the soup--it should pop the spices--and more chopped fresh rosemary to pull that flavor out of the background. It's kind of like you have a great chorus there but you need a few stronger voices.

Re the chorus... yes, exactly the problem. I think I will try this suggestion in tonight's servings.

I threw in a handful of chopped fresh rosemary and squeezed a lemon into it. Better. Thank you. (It still may not make it onto the list of dishes to repeat often.)

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:09 pm
by Mike Bowlin
Dinner tonight. Risotto with red wine, red onion, porcini and crimini mushrooms; Crostini with grilled asparagus, parmigiano reggiano and aged balsamic vinegar; Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2004 half in the rice the other half consumed with dinner.
risotto.jpg
crostini.jpg

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:33 am
by Heinz Bobek
Asparagus Season started late this year because of cold weather until now. So the first asparagus dish appears small due to very high prizes. The kg white asparagus is about 24 € (32 $)

Marinated salmon trout with green and white asparagus mousse, fried scallops, raw asparagus slices and elderflower vinaigrette.

1.jpg

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:35 pm
by Jenise
Heinz, I need that for lunch. Please send. :)

Really, a beautiful dish. I've made asparagus mousses but never with white--my life will not be complete until I try that. It's a terrific idea, and such a beautiful canvas for plating.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:33 pm
by Karen/NoCA
Heinz, do you buy "dry packed" scallops? I can never seem to get a really nice golden sear on my scallops like you have. I just had scallops two days ago, and they are so loaded up with a phosphate solution and water, that I have to spend a lot of time patting them with paper towels to absorb all the water they release. They were tasty and very large, but I could not get that good sear without cooking them to death. I've asked about getting dry packed and have been told, "oh yes. we can get them but they are very pricey." So, I wonder, well if I am getting scallops with 30% water in them, what kind of a deal am I really getting!

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:51 pm
by Jenise
Karen, try salting the surface of the scallop about ten minutes before you put them in the pan. That will further dessicate the surface and improve color. You're right that there's nothing like dry packed, though.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:54 pm
by Jenise
Dinner tonight: an absolutely stunning fresh swordfish steak purchased at Uwajimaya in Bellevue yesterday. Will probably serve it on lentils cooked with garlic, onion and tomato, a favorite of ours for swordfish. But I also might just do nothing but lemon butter. The simplicity is so suitable for a fish that such's a treat for us here (fresh fish outside of Seattle SUCKS).

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:24 am
by Jeff Grossman
Karen, you can always do what Emeril does to get a good sear on the scallops: sprinkle a little fine sugar on them... they'll color up!

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:37 am
by Mike Bowlin
For seared scallops, Karen, try this once.
Night before place scallops in glass dish on double layer of paper towels. Cover with paper towels touching scallops. Saute' in clarified butter to get a golden crust. Seems to work for me.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:11 pm
by Christina Georgina
Agree with Mike....Clarified butter and dry as you can get them.

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:14 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
Mike Bowlin wrote:For seared scallops, Karen, try this once.
Night before place scallops in glass dish on double layer of paper towels. Cover with paper towels touching scallops. Saute' in clarified butter to get a golden crust. Seems to work for me.


I've gotten to the point at which if I can't get dry packed scallops, I don't buy scallops. I'm guessing this procedure doesn't get you something as good as the dry ones, but does it come close?

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:26 pm
by Karen/NoCA
Wow, great suggestions, can't wait to try all of them and compare. Must do this for lunch one day, Then we'll eat them right away. Great ideas....I wonder how Ghee would work in place of clarified butter?

Re: What's cooking?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:35 pm
by Karen/NoCA
Jenise wrote:Dinner tonight: an absolutely stunning fresh swordfish steak purchased at Uwajimaya in Bellevue yesterday. Will probably serve it on lentils cooked with garlic, onion and tomato, a favorite of ours for swordfish. But I also might just do nothing but lemon butter. The simplicity is so suitable for a fish that such's a treat for us here (fresh fish outside of Seattle SUCKS).


I saw fresh swordfish at our local fish market the day I bought the scallops. My mouth was watering at their offerings. Now I will have to go back and get some. Must try it with the lentils you mentioned. I am determined to like lentils. I have red and French Green on hand...do you have a preference?