Sunday, July 31, 2005
The Mom Meal
Cuisine:
I'm always nervous when the centerpiece of the meal is a huge piece of meat that costs as much as nineteen pounds of dry-aged prime rib does. It's one thing if one or two servings don't come out as I intend, but the chance of ruining that much food is a little nerve wracking. Well, by all accounts, I didn't.
While it looked like an enormous amount of meat, especially as it sat on the platters before being cut, we only had a little left over. Of course there were those that left with doggy plates, so that helps. The meat itself was fan-FREAKING-fantastic. I have yet to go wrong with the Raichlen book. If anything it cooked a little bit slow, but that only made the smoky flavor more prevalent. The crusty "nut" pieces held so much flavor, it almost incited violence.
The asparagus was as it usually is, and that's a good thing. The cheesy hash brown casserole may seem like an odd choice considering the quality of the meat, but it worked. We'd had heart attack mashed potatoes two weeks prior, and smashed red potatoes the night before. we knew we wanted to do potato but were looking for something a little different. I also have to admit that watching Food Network as often as we have been lately is starting to influence the Sunday Dinner. Alton Brown had done a whole casserole episode, and that probably planted the seed in my mood. Anyway, the potatoes probably could have baked a little longer, and had a few more spices, but against so many other competing flavors, it wasn't an entirely bad thing to have a blander side.
The double chocolate gooey butter cake is another thing that started with the Food Network. This time it was the southern woman whose name I can't remember. The thing that freaked me out was that she is from Atlanta, and gooey butter cake is supposed to be strictly a St. Louis thing. At first I thought that she must be calling something else "gooey butter cake", but the recipe was absolutely identical. The "double chocolate" part is just a variation on the classic recipe. Making what is actually a fairly small tweak (use chocolate cake mix instead of yellow and add a little cocoa powder to the gooey) opened a whole new world. Now I want to try any number of variations (peanut butter, mint, espresso, etc.).
Oh yeah. My mom was here. Her visit was good. She apparantly enjoyed all the food we made her. And then she bought us stuff. Right on.
- Grill-roasted, bone-in prime rib
- Salt and peppered broiled asparagus
- Cheesy hash brown casserole
- Mixed green salad
- Double chocolate gooey butter cake
I'm always nervous when the centerpiece of the meal is a huge piece of meat that costs as much as nineteen pounds of dry-aged prime rib does. It's one thing if one or two servings don't come out as I intend, but the chance of ruining that much food is a little nerve wracking. Well, by all accounts, I didn't.
While it looked like an enormous amount of meat, especially as it sat on the platters before being cut, we only had a little left over. Of course there were those that left with doggy plates, so that helps. The meat itself was fan-FREAKING-fantastic. I have yet to go wrong with the Raichlen book. If anything it cooked a little bit slow, but that only made the smoky flavor more prevalent. The crusty "nut" pieces held so much flavor, it almost incited violence.
The asparagus was as it usually is, and that's a good thing. The cheesy hash brown casserole may seem like an odd choice considering the quality of the meat, but it worked. We'd had heart attack mashed potatoes two weeks prior, and smashed red potatoes the night before. we knew we wanted to do potato but were looking for something a little different. I also have to admit that watching Food Network as often as we have been lately is starting to influence the Sunday Dinner. Alton Brown had done a whole casserole episode, and that probably planted the seed in my mood. Anyway, the potatoes probably could have baked a little longer, and had a few more spices, but against so many other competing flavors, it wasn't an entirely bad thing to have a blander side.
The double chocolate gooey butter cake is another thing that started with the Food Network. This time it was the southern woman whose name I can't remember. The thing that freaked me out was that she is from Atlanta, and gooey butter cake is supposed to be strictly a St. Louis thing. At first I thought that she must be calling something else "gooey butter cake", but the recipe was absolutely identical. The "double chocolate" part is just a variation on the classic recipe. Making what is actually a fairly small tweak (use chocolate cake mix instead of yellow and add a little cocoa powder to the gooey) opened a whole new world. Now I want to try any number of variations (peanut butter, mint, espresso, etc.).
Oh yeah. My mom was here. Her visit was good. She apparantly enjoyed all the food we made her. And then she bought us stuff. Right on.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Everything Except the Little White Boxes...
Menu:
It would have been far too easy to just pick one dish and make enough of it. No, we wanted more of the Chinese family style dinner where everyone shares several dishes so we went ahead and made three entrees (four if you count the stir fried veggies). Even I'm starting to believe those of you who think I'm crazy. Anyway, with only three dinners left before the beginning of Festival, this week was Chinese.
Everything was pretty good. We were trying to imitate restaurant fare, and I think we did a pretty good job. So if you've ever been to a Chinese restaurant and ordered one of the things we had, you pretty much already know what it was like. All except the first batch of Turkey Shumai that SC drowned. (We thought The Korean could, you know, cook Asian food.)
Much thanks to RS1 for the Cocoa Angelfood Cake. I don't think I'd ever seen that done. But then again, I don't get out much. Some know that I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but I think what I don't like is mounds and mounds of rich chocolate layered upon itself. The light angelfood was, for me, the perfect vehicle for a nice chocolatey flavor without all the heavy.
- Cold sesame peanut noodles
- Turkey shumai
- Cashew chicken
- Black bean chicken
- Beef and broccoli
- Stir fried veggies
- Rice
- Cocoa angelfood cake with chocolate sauce and strawberries
It would have been far too easy to just pick one dish and make enough of it. No, we wanted more of the Chinese family style dinner where everyone shares several dishes so we went ahead and made three entrees (four if you count the stir fried veggies). Even I'm starting to believe those of you who think I'm crazy. Anyway, with only three dinners left before the beginning of Festival, this week was Chinese.
Everything was pretty good. We were trying to imitate restaurant fare, and I think we did a pretty good job. So if you've ever been to a Chinese restaurant and ordered one of the things we had, you pretty much already know what it was like. All except the first batch of Turkey Shumai that SC drowned. (We thought The Korean could, you know, cook Asian food.)
Much thanks to RS1 for the Cocoa Angelfood Cake. I don't think I'd ever seen that done. But then again, I don't get out much. Some know that I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but I think what I don't like is mounds and mounds of rich chocolate layered upon itself. The light angelfood was, for me, the perfect vehicle for a nice chocolatey flavor without all the heavy.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Too... Hot... To... Think...
Food:
For me, the over-riding memory of the evening/day is really the heat. Holy Hell was it hot!
Our original thought for this week had actually been bone-in prime rib, but when we priced it out, it was as expensive as I had feared**. I realize that sirloin tip roast (or "pot roast") isn't exactly in the same league, but it got the job done. Soaking it in the pan juices after slicing it seemed to help the dryness of pot roast, but there was still a little toughness. It wasn't so tough you couldn't chew, but compared with the very large cuts of meat we've slow cooked over the last few weeks, it was a change. Honestly I had a lot of worries that the meat was going to be edible at all. Pot roast isn't usually something that one does on the grill, however using the aluminum pan and foil, there was really no difference from an oven. Of course that also meant not as much smoky flavor.
Robin's carrots didn't inspire the same level of violence for two reasons. First making six pounds meant there were enough that no one had to get stabby with their fork. Second, (and Robin and I have discussed this) she tried to rush the cooking and they didn't caramelize as much as last time. They were good and tasty, just not infused with divinity.
The dessert came from a new cookbook, The Cake Bible (recommended by a Fest friend that works at The Kitchen Window who may be joining dinner soon). Robin and BY were really the ones focusing on the recipe, but they seemed enamored by the fact that it specified three different ways to measure each ingredient. I was enamored by the white chocolate goodness and fresh raspberries.
** Footnote: We'd still like to do a bone-in prime rib (or two), and a few people expressed interest in contributing dollars to offset the expense and make it possible. We're thinking about the last Sunday before Festival starts [August 7th]. Robin's brother and sister (and possibly her father) will be in town, so this will be a larger meal. (I have a feeling that when my mom hears of the plan, she may start walking here as well.) We've never asked for contributions because we've never wanted to exclude anyone who was low on funds, and that still stands. I got the feeling that enough people were interested in pitching in that it'll be no problem to cover those that can't. The bottom line is that we're going to need a more accurate count of who will be here. Over the next couple of weeks, please let us know if you'll attend. Remember that it'll be the Sunday of Glory weekend, although I'm hearing that most people will be heading back that morning anyway.
Breaking News: My mom may be here for the dinner on July 31st. If so, Prime Rib would probably be moved to that weekend.
- Mixed green salad with Champagne vinegarette
- Ginger soy rubbed sirloin tip roast
- Heart attack mashed potatoes
- Robin's fightin' carrots
- White chocolate whisper cake with raspberry filling
For me, the over-riding memory of the evening/day is really the heat. Holy Hell was it hot!
Our original thought for this week had actually been bone-in prime rib, but when we priced it out, it was as expensive as I had feared**. I realize that sirloin tip roast (or "pot roast") isn't exactly in the same league, but it got the job done. Soaking it in the pan juices after slicing it seemed to help the dryness of pot roast, but there was still a little toughness. It wasn't so tough you couldn't chew, but compared with the very large cuts of meat we've slow cooked over the last few weeks, it was a change. Honestly I had a lot of worries that the meat was going to be edible at all. Pot roast isn't usually something that one does on the grill, however using the aluminum pan and foil, there was really no difference from an oven. Of course that also meant not as much smoky flavor.
Robin's carrots didn't inspire the same level of violence for two reasons. First making six pounds meant there were enough that no one had to get stabby with their fork. Second, (and Robin and I have discussed this) she tried to rush the cooking and they didn't caramelize as much as last time. They were good and tasty, just not infused with divinity.
The dessert came from a new cookbook, The Cake Bible (recommended by a Fest friend that works at The Kitchen Window who may be joining dinner soon). Robin and BY were really the ones focusing on the recipe, but they seemed enamored by the fact that it specified three different ways to measure each ingredient. I was enamored by the white chocolate goodness and fresh raspberries.
** Footnote: We'd still like to do a bone-in prime rib (or two), and a few people expressed interest in contributing dollars to offset the expense and make it possible. We're thinking about the last Sunday before Festival starts [August 7th]. Robin's brother and sister (and possibly her father) will be in town, so this will be a larger meal. (I have a feeling that when my mom hears of the plan, she may start walking here as well.) We've never asked for contributions because we've never wanted to exclude anyone who was low on funds, and that still stands. I got the feeling that enough people were interested in pitching in that it'll be no problem to cover those that can't. The bottom line is that we're going to need a more accurate count of who will be here. Over the next couple of weeks, please let us know if you'll attend. Remember that it'll be the Sunday of Glory weekend, although I'm hearing that most people will be heading back that morning anyway.
Breaking News: My mom may be here for the dinner on July 31st. If so, Prime Rib would probably be moved to that weekend.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
From Texas to the Carolinas...
Grub:
At first glance, it seems this week's main course was a little too similar to last week's. (We do try to cook something new every week.) However the flavors were completely different. The smoky tang of the Texas brisket gave way to the apple vinegary goodness of the pulled pork. (To anyone from North Carolina that may be reading, no, we didn't top it with coleslaw. I hate coleslaw.) While the brisket cooked much faster than expected, the bulkiness of the pork shoulder slowed the cooking down quite a bit (unfortunately for RS and SW). By the time we were pulling it apart, the "smoke ring" described in the cook book was clearly visible. The crisp exterior set against the still moist interior perfectly. I was worried the apple vinegar was going to be over-powering, but it ended up being subtle enough to just highlight the apple stuffing.
The apple stuffing was fantastic. I don't know what else to say. The black eyed peas seemed to be a little over-cooked and lost most of any texture they may have started with. Per AG's description, I gave the stuffed jalapenos a try. The bacon did indeed cook through enough to crisp up, and while I never intended to eat one of the gut-wreckers, the bite I had was tasty. We could have probably made twice as many and still had none left over.
Ok, sorry if this seems short, but I need to work. Feel free to write your own review...
- North Carolina pulled pork
- Sauteed vidalia onions and jalapenos
- Black eyed peas
- Apple stuffing
- Pear, nut, cherry salad with balsamic basil dressing
- Bacon wrapped, pineapple cream cheese stuffed, smoked jalapenos
- Sweet potato pie
- Grilled, cinnamon sugar dusted bananas and vanilla ice cream
At first glance, it seems this week's main course was a little too similar to last week's. (We do try to cook something new every week.) However the flavors were completely different. The smoky tang of the Texas brisket gave way to the apple vinegary goodness of the pulled pork. (To anyone from North Carolina that may be reading, no, we didn't top it with coleslaw. I hate coleslaw.) While the brisket cooked much faster than expected, the bulkiness of the pork shoulder slowed the cooking down quite a bit (unfortunately for RS and SW). By the time we were pulling it apart, the "smoke ring" described in the cook book was clearly visible. The crisp exterior set against the still moist interior perfectly. I was worried the apple vinegar was going to be over-powering, but it ended up being subtle enough to just highlight the apple stuffing.
The apple stuffing was fantastic. I don't know what else to say. The black eyed peas seemed to be a little over-cooked and lost most of any texture they may have started with. Per AG's description, I gave the stuffed jalapenos a try. The bacon did indeed cook through enough to crisp up, and while I never intended to eat one of the gut-wreckers, the bite I had was tasty. We could have probably made twice as many and still had none left over.
Ok, sorry if this seems short, but I need to work. Feel free to write your own review...
Sunday, July 03, 2005
I've Never Been Fond of Texas, But Their Cooking, That's Another Story...
Vittles:
We'd done a brisket before, but that had been oven roasted with onion gravy. Tasty? Yes. But not exactly the ultimate in briskets. This time I wanted to slow cook the thing on the grille with plenty of smoke. Everett's came through for us with an 8+ pound brisket (which included the point end), so with a fistful of hickory chips and grille mop in hand, I started early. The recipe said it would take about six hours to cook, but this was a bigger cut of meat than called for. I tried to keep the fire in the right zone, splitting the coals, adding a few every hour, and periodically raising and lowering the grates. I knew that if it cooked too fast, we'd end up with tough meat. Unfortunately, four hours into it, I was worried at how dark the exterior was already. I took a temperature, and it was done. Damn. It's at least two hours before enough people are here to eat. What's plan B?
Slicing the meat and throwing it in the slow cooker with the pan juices and the rest of the mop sauce, I hoped for the best. And it was! While it was a little tough coming off of the fire, simmering for the next two hours helped it to start falling apart. There were still chewy parts, but there were also parts that just fell apart on the fork. The spice mixture was just right, a little bit of heat, but not enough to break a sweat. Between that and the tanginess of the juice, I was happy.
The beans were beans. I sometimes get frustrated at spending so much time cooking something like that, only to find that Bush's would have been just as acceptable. (Some people really enjoyed them, and I did too. It's just I don't know if people would have known the difference had I just opened a can.)
Before dinner, we were embroiled in the Great Husk Grilling Debate. (Is it better to grille the corn in the husk or out?) I've grilled corn in the husks any number of times, and it's always come out all right. But fighting with the silks at the table is always a hassle, and it's never been as good as the first time I had grilled corn in college. (I ran around like an idiot extolling it's greatness.) I decided to try it out of the husks. Now in all fairness, when it's grilled in the husks, you can't brush the garlic butter on it, so it's not exactly comparing apples to apples (or corn to corn as the case may be). But given the ability to do more interesting things with it, and the fact that the fire cooked kernels were freakin' tasty, I don't think I'll be fire steaming in the husks anymore.
As we were trying to finish the soup, Robin kept insisting it needed something. She and BY kept debating what was missing, and tried adding a couple of things. I agreed that it wasn't nearly as complex as I'd have liked, but I was also getting a little worn out and just wanted to eat. As it hit the table, I remembered that we were going to garnish with a dolop of sour cream. That's what was missing. I tried it with and without, and that little splooge of sour cream made all the difference in the world. Who figured I'd eat a soup made almost entirely out of peppers and onions, but there I was.
Cream cheese makes brownies better. So does ice cream. Enough said.
- Texas-style smoked brisket
- Grilled corn on the cob
- BBQ baked beans
- Roasted red pepper soup
- Cream cheese marbled brownies with vanilla ice cream
We'd done a brisket before, but that had been oven roasted with onion gravy. Tasty? Yes. But not exactly the ultimate in briskets. This time I wanted to slow cook the thing on the grille with plenty of smoke. Everett's came through for us with an 8+ pound brisket (which included the point end), so with a fistful of hickory chips and grille mop in hand, I started early. The recipe said it would take about six hours to cook, but this was a bigger cut of meat than called for. I tried to keep the fire in the right zone, splitting the coals, adding a few every hour, and periodically raising and lowering the grates. I knew that if it cooked too fast, we'd end up with tough meat. Unfortunately, four hours into it, I was worried at how dark the exterior was already. I took a temperature, and it was done. Damn. It's at least two hours before enough people are here to eat. What's plan B?
Slicing the meat and throwing it in the slow cooker with the pan juices and the rest of the mop sauce, I hoped for the best. And it was! While it was a little tough coming off of the fire, simmering for the next two hours helped it to start falling apart. There were still chewy parts, but there were also parts that just fell apart on the fork. The spice mixture was just right, a little bit of heat, but not enough to break a sweat. Between that and the tanginess of the juice, I was happy.
The beans were beans. I sometimes get frustrated at spending so much time cooking something like that, only to find that Bush's would have been just as acceptable. (Some people really enjoyed them, and I did too. It's just I don't know if people would have known the difference had I just opened a can.)
Before dinner, we were embroiled in the Great Husk Grilling Debate. (Is it better to grille the corn in the husk or out?) I've grilled corn in the husks any number of times, and it's always come out all right. But fighting with the silks at the table is always a hassle, and it's never been as good as the first time I had grilled corn in college. (I ran around like an idiot extolling it's greatness.) I decided to try it out of the husks. Now in all fairness, when it's grilled in the husks, you can't brush the garlic butter on it, so it's not exactly comparing apples to apples (or corn to corn as the case may be). But given the ability to do more interesting things with it, and the fact that the fire cooked kernels were freakin' tasty, I don't think I'll be fire steaming in the husks anymore.
As we were trying to finish the soup, Robin kept insisting it needed something. She and BY kept debating what was missing, and tried adding a couple of things. I agreed that it wasn't nearly as complex as I'd have liked, but I was also getting a little worn out and just wanted to eat. As it hit the table, I remembered that we were going to garnish with a dolop of sour cream. That's what was missing. I tried it with and without, and that little splooge of sour cream made all the difference in the world. Who figured I'd eat a soup made almost entirely out of peppers and onions, but there I was.
Cream cheese makes brownies better. So does ice cream. Enough said.
