Gastronomy 2011

PopTodd · **Posted:** Wed Dec 21, 2011 1:29 pm

My parents are taking my oldest here today.
I've never been. So, so jealous.

Apparently, you NEED to have the toast.
:rawk:

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

I made this thai pineapple curry this evening.

http://www.thaicookinghouse.com/recipes.php?cat=curry&recipe=kaeng_ped_subparod

My only additions were fresh julienned kaffir lime leaves and palm sugar.

There's a Thai place 2 blocks away that is supposed to be one of the best in the city that I don't dislike, but it's overpriced.

This kicks the shit out of that place for about 1/5th the price; and now I have the ingredients for a thai curry base to expand upon and a way to use up the fish sauce that's been sitting 1/3 full in my fridge for quite some time.

..and I guess we should start a 2012 thread; or change the title.

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:59 pm

If y'all watch Top Chef this season, The Broad and I did omakase at Paul Qui's Uchiko last Sunday. It was my third trip, and the only things we had on previous visits were the brussels sprouts and dessert (tobacco cream is my favorite dessert on the damn planet). Just 100% badass. He better win.

From what I remember, not in order:
- Crispy brussels sprouts with lemon chili
- Uchi Salad: romain with a sprinkle of panko & Maldon salt, and you dipped the leaves in a edamame and jalapeno dip (like edible green goddess)
- Gyutoro: wagyu beef belly cooked sous vide for 72 hours nigiri-style
- Hanna: roasted cauliflower with dashi, and white soy
- ton jiru: pork belly, lemongrass, radish, and a spicy pork broth poured tableside
- kusshi oysters on the half shell with a tiny dollop of blood orange sorbet
- kanburi sashimi: wild fatty yellowtail
- masu nigiri: char
- wagyu shortrib with garlic like nine ways (fried roots, pickled slices and grilled shoots), cucumber and sorrel < This thing was amazing.
- hotate midori: Japanese scallops with celery, black trumpet mushrooms and I think a celeriac gel
- tobacco cream: chocolate sorbet, maple budino, huckleberry paper, huckleberry sauce, candied pecans and a tube of pastry cream steeped in tobacco and scotch. (I think scotch. I know tobacco).

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

Elvis Fu Wrote:

If y'all watch Top Chef this season, The Broad and I did omakase at Paul Qui's Uchiko last Sunday. It was my third trip, and the only things we had on previous visits were the brussels sprouts and dessert (tobacco cream is my favorite dessert on the damn planet). Just 100% badass. He better win.

what does tobacco cream consist of? chocolate perhaps?

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:20 am

I just updated above. I love it.

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

what is lemon chili?

nevermind. just garlic and peppers doused in lemon juice. sounds fancy though.

as with "great" cooking, subtle variations on known combinations are the difference...
but there are many things that should work, but don't, as many of my "experiments" have demonstrated.
i don't watch competitive cooking, but i'd be curious to know his outcome in the competition.

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

Elvis Fu Wrote:

I just updated above. I love it.

food presentation is ridiculous.
you could slice a turd into paper thin slices, drizzle it with piss encircled by a ring of jizz with a dollop of period blood on the side
and someone would still have a smile on their face.

mediocre food in disguise.
lots of people are enamoured by that sorta shit
not saying that's the case in the aforementioned restaurant
but if i was served something in the picture above i would -- and have -- mashed it all together as soon as it hit the table to tell if it's a well thought out combination or just someone's tangential "genius".

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:48 am

Do you listen to an album the first time on shuffle?

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

Elvis Fu Wrote:

Do you listen to an album the first time on shuffle?

No.
But many times if I suspect an album is horseshit based on the first track, I immediately skip to the fourth.

A lot of albums bury their best stuff in the fourth or fifth position. A test of patience perhaps? If those tracks don't click, there's a 95% chance the entire album is shit.

When I had to sift through and review 30 CDs a week I knew nothing about, this is how I accomplished it. Most albums are deliberately sequenced to build up and collapse. You can tell what they're made of if you know where to look. I view these "best of" obner lists from that period and I don't think I missed much.

I'm not sure about that being analogous to food presentation in any sense besides eating the prettiest thing on the plate first and thinking it tastes horrible; and then passing judgment that the entire dish is horrible. Even if other parts were decent, overall, I wouldn't be happy with it. And I wouldn't order it again.

And regardless, the point I was making in the previous post is that, in many instances presentation has nothing to do flavors; but your impression of flavor. It's a superfluous addition to make yourself accept eating an $18 deconstructed s'more.

Cap'n Squirrgle · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:07 pm

Or expressed in another (slightly less cynical) way:

"Visual presentation doesn't matter to me when purchasing a dining experience outside my home. Also I look down on those who do value it."

Correct?

nobody · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:19 pm

I just successfully made a copy of the Vietnamese place down the street's stir fried tofu with lemongrass and chilies. I will be eating this far more often than probably at all reasonable now. Was easy and delicious. Just get firm tofu, freeze it and squeeze out the moisture before cooking. (Not sure if this is necessary, but a vegetarian friend that cooks a lot of tofu told me this helped the texture.) Cut into small bits, your preference on size. Then put a sliced onion, a fuck ton of chopped up lemongrass, a couple cloves of diced garlic and a couple big teaspoons of Sambal Oelek into a bowl and stir the tofu into all that Let it sit while you heat up some oil Dump it all into the oil and stir fry until the tofu is crispy and serve with Jasmine rice.

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

Cap'n Squirrgle Wrote:

Or expressed in another (slightly less cynical) way:

"Visual presentation doesn't matter to me when purchasing a dining experience outside my home. Also I look down on those who do value it."

Correct?

Not entirely correct.

I don't value visual presentation when it's simply a way to display the same flavors in a different order. And if you know how to read a menu, you can avoid this bullshit. There are instances when presentation actually enforces a way to consume a plate.

But typically it's just common flavor profiles combined in some ridiculous concoction that's visually appealing and convincing enough that naive people with money think they're getting something unique. Due respect for those searching for something truly inventive, but usually it's just an elegant fleecing.

Alluding to a previous thread,
Hats off to the chef who can sell a schlub a "$56 t-shirt".

nobody · **Posted:** Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:32 pm

back to food...this shit is amazing:

Balli Cerez is an all-natural delicious and healthy honey nut spread made with assorted nuts (whole and crushed hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts and almonds) in a honey syrup. Contains Bee Pollen, bee milk, honey and coconut.

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:07 pm

I consider America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country to be two of the best if not the best cooking shows on TV. I saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago and decided to make it this past weekend.

Quote:

French Style Pot-Roast

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast, trimmed
Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled cored and cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped fine
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 – 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 8-inch skillet over medium low heat. Add half of garlic and cook, stirring frequently until golden about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl and refrigerate.
2. Position roast fat side up. Insert knife one-third of way up from bottom of roast along 1 long side and cut horizontally, stopping 1/2 inch before edge. open up flap. keeping knife parallel to cutting board, cut through thicker portion of roast about 1/2 inch from bottom of roast, keeping knife level with first cut and stopping about 1/2 inch before edge. Open up flap. If uneven, cover with plastic wrap and use meat pounder to even. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of salt over each side of loin. Sprinkle sugar over inside of line, then spread with roasted garlic mixture. Starting from short side, fold roast back together like business letter, keeping fat on outside, and tie with twine at 1 inch intervals. Sprinkle tied roast evenly with herbes de Provence and season with pepper.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add roast, fat side down, and brown on fat side and sides. Do not brown bottom of roast. Transfer to large plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, apple and onion, cook stirring frequently until onion is softened and browned about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in remaining sliced garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 30 seconds. Return roast, fat side up to pot, place large sheet of aluminum foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until pork registers 140 degrees F, about 50 to 90 minutes.
4. Transfer roast to carving board and tent loosely with foil allowing roast to rest for 20 minutes. While pork rests, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup chicken broth and let sit until gelatin softens about 5 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Pour jus into 2-cup measuring cup and, if necessary, add chicken broth to bring up to 1 1/4 cups. Return jus to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisk softened gelatin mixture, 1 tablespoon butter and parsley into jus and season with salt and pepper to taste. remove from heat and over to keep warm. Slice pork , adding any accumulated juices to sauce. Serve.

Incredibly simple and really good. The sauce is fuckable.

Prince of Darkness · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:41 am **Posts:** 11048

Tried something different instead of brining, patted the bird dry, rubbed kosher salt liberally on the skin along with some cracked black pepper and stuck it in the fridge to do it's thing for a day.

Turned out better than my usual brined bird.

nobody · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:50 pm

I always forget about roasting a chicken and then when I think of it, I remember there are not many easier and more delicious ways to cook a bird.

Senator LooGAR · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:21 pm

How'd you do them sprouts? I tend to leave mine on the stove too long and they get a little mushy. There's a fine line between too crunchy and too mushy.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:04 pm

Prince of Darkness Wrote:

This pic. inspired me to make Brussels sprouts tonight. Thanks. They were tasty.

Prince of Darkness · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:41 am **Posts:** 11048

Senator LooGAR Wrote:

How'd you do them sprouts? I tend to leave mine on the stove too long and they get a little mushy. There's a fine line between too crunchy and too mushy.

When you say too crunchy, do you mean undercooked?

I've been on a serious sprout odyssey for a couple of months, which might sound ridiculous, but i love the way they taste.

For stovetop, i like using a cast iron, making a few strips of bacon in it, removing the bacon, and grilling the sprouts (halved, tossed in olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper) face side down over med heat for about 8-10 minutes. Then I crumble the bacon back in. The ones in the pic however were deep fried in peanut oil at 375 for 2 minutes and then tossed with salt and pepper after draining. Yesterday I wrapped some in bacon and deep fried them. I've tossed sprouts with citrus and chili sauce, or made a light bourbon maple glaze to grill them in. I love sprouts.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:46 am

I just tossed my sprouts, halved, in a good olive oil, Sprinkled them with kosher salt, and then roasted them at 375° for about 15 min.
Nothing fancy, but they were perfectly delicious.

nobody · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:00 pm

My new favorite soup recipe:

COCONUT SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES AND LIME

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1” piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 quart vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 15-oz. can coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce (or more to taste)
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
3 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet yams), scrubbed and diced into 1” pieces (leave the skin on)
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
sliced green jalapeño optional
Asian chili sauce optional

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, onion and lime zest and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the lime juice, broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar. Cover and bring to a light boil. Add the sweet potatoes, cover and cook for 12-14 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve, garnished with the cilantro and the jalapeño and chili sauce, if desired.

Cupcakes · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:04 am **Posts:** 3271

nobody Wrote:

My new favorite soup recipe:

COCONUT SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES AND LIME

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1” piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 quart vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 15-oz. can coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce (or more to taste)
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
3 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet yams), scrubbed and diced into 1” pieces (leave the skin on)
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
sliced green jalapeño optional
Asian chili sauce optional

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, onion and lime zest and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the lime juice, broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar. Cover and bring to a light boil. Add the sweet potatoes, cover and cook for 12-14 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve, garnished with the cilantro and the jalapeño and chili sauce, if desired.

I made something very similar this evening except omitted the onion, and used palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind juice and a handful of dried thai chilis in place of the brown sugar, soy sauce and jalepenos. I added some diced chicken breasts, some homemade frozen duck stock cubes from the freezer, kaffir lime leaves and a little thai basil. Then I served that shit over jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, lime juice and a couple table spoons of cayenne. I can't wait to shit to smell my fragrant shit tomorrow and feel dat burn.

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:10 pm

My first reaction to the original recipe was "fish sauce would be better than soy sauce for that".

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

Braised a rabbit with roasted red peppers, marguez sausage and sherry wine and served it last night with parsnips roasted with bacon, rosemary, olive oil, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Total cooking and prep time including butchering the rabbit, roasting its bones and making the rabbit stock was about 5 hours but it turned out delicious. First time I'd cooked parsnips, they were relatively easy to cook and delicious.

I recently bought an annual subscription to eatyourbooks which I'd highly recommend. It's basically an online searchable directory of cookbooks so if you're looking for a recipe for parsnips or whatever, you just search and it tells you which of your cookbooks has one and can generate shopping lists for you. Pretty helpful for obscure ingredients, and is helping me use more of my cookbooks rather than just the ones I know I really like.

Picked up 1.75 lb dry aged oxtail at the farmer's market yesterday. Looking forward to doing something with that soon.

Went to Peru for 10 days last month and ate like a friggin' champ. Ate at 2 of the top 3 restaurants in South America on consecutive nights. Alpaca steaks, tons of ceviche/taraditos, lamb, guinea pigs, pork belly, duck, octopus, beef cheeks, rocoto rellenos, etc etc. One of the highlights was eating one of these:

Paiche - the largest freshwater fish in the world.

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

My local news had Sandra Lee on this morning providing entertaining ideas for Oscar Viewing Parties. I'd never paid much attention to her before but was aware that Bourdain hated her. Good lord though, she made some pastry puff dish with pillsbury philo dough and canned peaches, a dessert with store bought vanilla pudding and a cocktail utilizing Jose Cuervo Pre-made margaritas (which she called bartender in a bottle) which she added some club soda and a raspberry to. How does a hack like that have a cooking show?

Gastronomy 2011

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