Summer Dinner Nights July 15, 2008

Tonight was the third night in my new apartment and also the night of the second dinner I’ve hosted. This time it was for a close college friend of mine whose birthday (way past) I wanted to celebrate (way late) with a nice dinner. Although it’s only been three days since I fully moved in I feel home here. And I’m starting to like the emerging pattern of these summer dinner nights.

Since I had already decided that I would be doing two dinners back to back in a new environment, one with only a teeny bit of counter space, I went about it smartly by incorporating a lot of the same ingredients.

I started us off with a heirloom tomato caprese salad using Mandara buffalo mozzarella which is sooo delicious. Creamy, tender, milky. I dressed the salad with a basil meyer lemon olive oil dressing. I pounded basil into a paste in my mortar and pestle and then whisked into it lemon juice and the meyer lemon olive oil. A well made caprese is one of my favorite simple pleasures. The Italians know what they’re doing.

For the main course I made grilled rib eye steak with muhammara, duck fat fries and arugula. I made a fresh batch of fries of course with rosemary salt. The muhammara which only gets better with time and paired deliciously with the steak and peppery arugula. We drank Ruffino Chianti Il Ducale with this. I forgot to take a picture of the main course but it has a high resemblance to the duck confit plate, with the fries, arugula and muhammara providing the main colors in the dish. Except this time it was was a juicy rib eye.

Once again the warm nectarine crumble & honeyed ice yogurt showed its summer head again. When I made my first batch yesterday I saved half of the topping for today. Dessert was ready in a few minutes. All I had to do was chop up nectarines, top it with the premade crumble mixture and dot it with few tablespoons of butter. The honeyed ice yogurt was all ready to go in the freezer. Bites of warm nectarine crumble and cool tangy sweet frozen yogurt sure does make summer feel good.

A Dinner… Heirloom Tomato, Duck, Nectarine July 14, 2008

I decided to cook two of my close friends a nice birthday dinner this year instead of buying them a gift. This would be perfect timing since I had just fully moved into my very own apartment yesterday. Today was the dinner. Talk about breaking in the apartment right? I told each friend of the plan and told them they could bring one guest to celebrate with them. I cooked, they ate, we drank. I feel totally settled into my apartment now.

Heirloom Tomato Salad, Nicoise Olives, Feta Mousse, Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

I started them off with a simple seasonal salad adapted from Gavin Kaysen’s Greek Salad with Feta Mousse recipe. I dressed my version with meyer lemon olive oil, lemon juice and a touch of sherry vinegar. I sprinkled fresh marjoram on top which I’ve been getting addicted to lately. The aroma is so lovely. The creamy milder feta mousse was a nice departure from the crumbled sorta deal one usually eats in a Greek salad. Sippin’: Gainey Vineyard 2006 Riesling. (thnx tash!)

Grilled Duck Confit, Muhammara, Duck Fat Fries with Rosemary Fleur de Sel, Arugula

Next up was duck confit. I know you’re probably thinking again?! I love duck confit. Also it’s pretty fuss free and you can prep a whole batch ahead of time and easily crisp up the skin right before serving. I grilled them this time for a change instead of throwing them in a blistering oven. I paired the duck confit with muhammara which is a Middle Eastern dip usually served with pita as an appetizer. It’s made with roasted bell peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. Now I can’t waste all the that duck fat that was left over. Duck fat fries were in order. These were made with yukon gold potatoes and seasoned with mortar & pestled rosemary fleur de sel. These were addicting. A small bundle of arugula was lightly dressed and tucked between the duck and the fries. Sippin’: Newman’s Own 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nectarine Crumble, Honeyed Ice Yogurt

I kept the dessert super simple but super delicious. Plump juicy nectarines from the farmer’s market were baked with a delicious brown sugar, oat and almond crumble mixture and served with homemade ice yogurt sweetened with acacia honey. Sippin: Lindemann’s Peche Lambic.

I think my friends enjoyed the dinner. Thanks to Boy for helping too.

No Cream Creamed Corn July 2, 2008

I’m moving! Only two miles away from my current residence with my parents but my very own apartment for one. I’ve been cleaning and packing, and being lazy with the weather being so darn warm and all. I’ve been neglecting my farmer’s market purchases but today I finally got around to the four ears of corn. I pureed it in the food processor then cooked it over medium heat with butter, a bit of water, and fresh marjoram. Served it topped with a small knob of butter, marjoram flowers, and piment d’esplette. Oh my god so simple! Seriously.

Duck Confit, Parmesan Pudding, Summer Squash & English Peas, Vadouvan Butter June 19, 2008

Last weekend the farmer’s market was loaded with beautiful spring and summer produce. The fragrant aroma of sweet peaches and apricots hit me as I shopped. Such a nice thing to experience after waking up. Along with yellow peaches I snagged up adorable baby summer squashes and the long-ignored English peas. It was my first time getting peas at the farmer’s market this whole year. I’ve been so neglectful. I cooked the vegetables in olive oil and butter and served it with the last of the duck confit and leftover parmesan pudding. I finished it with a drizzle of vadouvan steeped butter.

Pork Katsu, Parmesan Pudding, Peach Succotash June 18, 2008

I wanted to make use of leftover peach succotash which had been a victim of my chicken and waffle redo attempt. While things didn’t work out for the succotash at that end I wanted to revive it in another dish so my efforts wouldn’t goto waste. Sweet corn polenta was the easiest choice considering I already had polenta and an ear of corn at home. Eventually I decided on making pork katsu. If you’re like me cutting down on grocery time is important sometimes. I’ve already gone to the market four times this week - once to the Korean market, once to a produce market near my work, and twice to Trader Joe’s. But I’m so glad I made the extra trip for the pork because it was a great match to the peach succotash and Suzanne Goin’s parmesan pudding.

Each component of the dish was very simple - panko breaded cutlet fried in olive oil; peach succotash composed only of peaches, corn, roasted red pepper and butter; parmesan pudding made with cream, milk, egg and grated parmesan. The last minute addition to the dish was the katsu sauce. I sweated onion and rosemary in olive oil and butter, deglazed it with white wine, added chicken stock and bottled katsu sauce. Once it was reduced I sieved it to get all the solids out. I returned the liquid to the pan and mounted it with butter over low heat. The sauce was so delicious. My parents really enjoyed the food.

We drank Taburno Falanghina, a Piedmontese white wine, with the meal. This was also used in the katsu sauce.

Duck Confit, Buttermilk Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens with Pancetta June 4, 2008

Coming clean and being public about just what I need to use up just may help to motivate a speediness that’s been absent in my kitchen. You already know about the poppy seeds that’s been hanging out in the fridge for two years. I still have about more than about cup and a half to use up after the lemony cupcakes. In the freezer I have a variety of grated cheese leftover from the grilled cheese days, six confited duck legs from way back, and frozen vegetables. In the pantry I have nuts and nut oils I should definitely step to using up before they go rancid. It’s very dark and packed in the pantry. I’ll have to assess as I move along.

For today though I concentrated on using up the grated cheeses (consisting of cheddar, truffled Italian cheese and gruyere) and just two of the duck confit legs. I have a few more ideas I want to try with the duck so I’m saving the others. Well I never really freeze my cheeses but since I had such an abundance left after the whole grilled cheese invitational thing I threw them into the big chill to worry later. It was either that or bags of moldy cheese and me left feeling very guilty.

I thought I would give the duck confit a southern twist this time around by pairing it with creamy mac & cheese and collard greens. The mac & cheese was super easy. I cooked up the ridged elbow macaroni in a big pot of salted water and when they were cooked, drained them and added them to a bowl with all the grated cheeses. I added some buttermilk until everything looked well moistened and seasoned it with salt and black pepper. I had to buy more cheddar to support the cheese part of this dish but at least out with the old and in with the new. I let the pasta soak up the liquid for a few minutes then poured the whole mixture into a well buttered baking dish and crumbled over Trader Joe’s delicious cornbread over the top along with grated parmigiano reggiano. I drizzled the top with olive oil and popped the dish into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes finishing it with a quick broil for extra browning on top. This is the easiest mac & cheese recipe ever. I guess because it’s not really a recipe at all. Just eyeball everything. I should have put in more cheddar though!

The collard greens likewise were super easy. I rendered pancetta in olive oil then added a smashed garlic to the pot along with a good pinch of red pepper flakes. I added sliced collard greens to the pot with a small cup of water and covered and cooked it over low heat until the mac n cheese was done. I finished it with a light squeeze of lemon juice. Since the duck was all ready to go this was a super easy meal. All I had to do was heat it up in a super hot oven to crisp up the skin. Feeling pressured to use up duck confit sitting around the freezer is not such a bad thing after all.

Chicken Slaw with Nuoc Chom, Cilantro & Peanuts May 28, 2008

Once the work week started it was time to gather the leftovers in my fridge and put together a decent work lunch. I had a few leftover items in the fridge - a cup and a half of shredded roasted chicken breast, a bag shredded carrot, about 1/4 head of shredded red cabbage, and buttermilk. My first thought was buttermilk cole slaw with the shredded chicken added in. Then I saw some old limes and decided to go on a more Vietnamese turn with a nuoc chom dressing. I combined the red cabbage, carrot, chicken and thinly sliced red onion with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic. I couldn’t find any chilies in the fridge so I added a generous dollop of chile-garlic sauce to the salad. I topped the salad with cilantro and toasted peanuts. Crunchy, refreshing and satisfying. I love citrus. A healthy lunch that uses up my a leftovers? I’m all over that.

Chickpea Curry & Rajasthani Potato Curry April 9, 2008

I was craving Indian food one day. I wasn’t sure what I’d make though since there are so many possibilities and exactly 1,000 recipes at least in my excellent Neelam Batra cookbook. One of my favorite dishes to get when I stop by Indian markets-slash-food posts is chickpea curry. In general I have an affinity for chickpeas. It’s not only good for you but quite tasty too. Since I am quite a beginner in Indian cookery I’ve been starting off with basic recipes if possible to build a foundation. So I made Chickpeas in Traditional Curry Sauce (Rassaedar Channae).

By “traditional curry sauce” Batra means onion, green chile peppers, garlic, ginger, tomato, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, lime juice, yogurt, and cilantro. I love all the spices in Indian food and the savoriness of it all. It’s very comforting. To make things easier for myself I used canned chickpeas. I should have peeled at least some of the chickpeas. Chickpea peels are quickly becoming a personal pet peeve. But the thought of peeling four cans of chickpea didn’t flash brilliantly through my mind though, probably for very good reasons having to do with convenience.

I wasn’t going to be satisfied with just one curry though. I perused through the thick book and came upon the Potato Curries section. Now I loooove potatoes and I loooove potato curry. I settled on the first curry of the lot, Rajasthani Potato Curry (Rajasthani Rassadar Aalu). As you can see the color was cheerfully golden from the turmeric and nicely spiced with green cardamom, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and asafoetida. Asafoetida is an odd thing. It’s an herbaceous plant whose dried sap is used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It’s quite stinky but when cooked it mellows out and gives off leek and onion flavors. This curry was so delicious. I was actually craving it today. Must make soon again.

Now I got the curries, what else do I need? Chutney of course! My favorite is a really spicy green chutney. I can’t get enough of it when I get a freshly fried samosa from a local Indian market. This time I made Mint Chutney with Pomegranate Seeds (Pudina-Anardana Chutni). The dried pomegranate seeds, another addition to my spice pantry, added a nice tang to the chutney. The chutney was made in a blender from red onion, a few green chile peppers, lemon juice, water, cilantro, ground dried pomegranate seeds, and black pepper.

To cool off any crazy spice spike I might be hit with I made a simple raita with whole milk yogurt, ginger, garlic, paprika, cilantro, and cucumber. And I unsuccessfully made my first batch of chapati, also known as roti and phulka. I didn’t use durum whole-wheat flour like I was supposed to do since I had a nearly full bag of regular whole-wheat flour at home. That and my lack of experience making flatbreads resulted in the very thick chapatis. They were fine flatbreads but bad chapatis. Still, once I had them nicely reheated from the toaster oven at work the edges became nicely crisped and the inside warm and steaming. It made a perfect utensil for my vegetarian Indian spread.

Chimichurri-Marinated Pepper & Chickpea Couscous April 7, 2008

I wanted to make something quick and simple with my left over chimichurri. Chimichurri goes well with practically all types of meats and fish, working as both marinade and condiment. But I decided to go a vegetarian route. I charred and peeled red, yellow and green peppers and marinated it with chimichurri along with a can of chickpeas and cubed feta. And then poured it over fluffy whole wheat couscous and let it soak up some of the marinade.

Dinner for the Folks March 28, 2008

Often when my parents have relatives or friends visiting they ask me to cook dinner for them. My immediate answer is usually maybe since I would have to give up a chunk of my leisure hours to undertake the project. But then my mind gets churning with ideas and I start thinking of menus. There’s no turning back at that point. Plus since my parents would be paying for the ingredients I have an opportunity to be a bit more extravagant than usual [although trying to convince my parents they must have Champagne and caviar on their menu hasn't come to fruition]. My great aunt and uncle were visiting recently and here is what I cooked for them and my parents…

Gougere - Lillet Blanc

I started off the meal with hot gougeres straight from the oven accompanied by a glass of lillet blanc on ice. Gougeres will be the death of me - I inhaled three as soon as they were puffed, browned, and crusty on top. As you can see these were huge.

Scallops, Forbidden Rice, Braised Endive, Vandouvan Butter - Donna Luna Fiano

Next was seared scallops served on forbidden rice with braised endive and a drizzle of vadouvan butter. To my delight Julie got me a bag of vadouvan, a French curry mix, from Le Sanctuaire for my birthday which inspired this dish. I paired this with Donna Luna Fiano which I previously had with my truffle butter pasta. The medium body of the fruity wine and the touch of acidity paired well with the butter sauce and the touch of citrus in the curry spice mix.

Romanesco Veloute, Foie Mousse, Crispy Pork Belly - Domaine La Bastide Roussane

For the third course I served romanesco veloute with a quenelle of foie mousse and deep fried slivers of pork belly. I was planning to make the foie mousse myself but once I got to the store they told me I had to preorder them. Duh! So instead I got premade foie mousse I think from D’Artagnan, which actually saved me some time and sanity. For the soup I made a light veloute sauce in which I simmered the romanesco florets. Once tender I put the mixture through the blender and sieve to ensure a velvety texture. Then finished it with butter, cream, and egg yolks to enrich and thicken it. This dish was inspired by the veloute and royale I had a Manresa. Taking a cue from their wine pairing I wanted to pair my veloute with a Roussanne also. Simon over at Larchmont Village Wines chose the inexpensive Domaine La Bastide for me which went great with the velvety soup and the bit of rich foie mousse.

Red Wine Braised Beef Tenderloin, Aligot, Shiitake Frites - Red Shed Cabernet Franc 2004

The final savory course was beef tenderloin that I had seared and braised in red wine and beef stock. I served it with aligot potatoes and “frites” for a meat & potatoes or steak & frites kind of deal. Aligot is a potato dish from Auvergne, France, made with tomme cheese and beat into an elastic texture that leaves it with a cheesy-stringy texture. I substituted Cantal since I could not find tomme d’Auvergne. I didn’t achieve the correct texture perhaps because I didn’t put enough cheese in. For about 2lbs of potatoes I put in 1/2lb of cheese. However the potatoes were soooo tasty. I mean really tasty. The “frites” were made my dredging shiitake slices with panko and deep frying them. I salted them when they came out of the oil. Simple as that and also very addicting.

Cowgirl’s Creamery Red Hawk & Gruyere

I added a small cheese course and served Cowgirl Creamery’s delicious triple creme Red Hawk and Gruyere.

Boca Negra with Dark Chocolate-Orange Ganache, Pistachio

Then finally dessert. I stick to easy things when baking since I’m really more of a savory person. I baked a boca negra which is a flourless chocolate cake loaded with chocolate and eggs and also a good amount of booze, in this case it was whiskey. I topped it with a warm dark chocolate ganache flavored with orange zest and sprinkled toasted and chopped pistachios on top.

There was a lot of room for improvement but in the end I was happy with what I cooked because more importantly the diners were happy.