What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Sweet Potato Latkes were on the menu last night. Not bad at all served with apple sauce and sour cream, though obviously very oily. I was thinking of latkes after my wife asked for them, and because of the incredibly profane 2017 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog, which contains this gem:

LATKE STARTER

Copy: “Simply add grated potatoes and an egg to create savory, crisp potato pancakes.”

... please note how casually they toss out the “Simply add grated potatoes.” You ever grate a potato? It SUCKS. The potato gets all slippery and there’s that weird film of foamy Santorum dirt on it. Even with potato gloves, it sucks heavy pineapples. Don’t think you can get away with casually dismissing MINUTES of agonizing kitchen labor, Williams-Sonoma. You’re dealing with a pro here.

That's pretty funny, Walter! I may never be able to grate a potato again, though, after reading the "foamy Santorum dirt" line.

If I'm remembering correctly, it was Jenise who posted on Facebook that the Anova sous vide units were on sale for a decent amount off of the normal price. How could I resist such pressure? My (non wi-fi) sous vider came a few days ago and I thought I'd try it out last night. For my first foray into this, I went with something straightforward: ribeye steaks. I didn't go with the super-fantastic and expensive dry aged versions from the butcher shop around the corner, instead picking some up from a grocery store that puts out decent meat. (I was pretty confident I wouldn't screw them up, but still.) I followed the Serious Eats instructions, salting and peppering them, bagging them in zip-locks, and then using the water displacement technique to get the air out and seal them up. This took a little doing as these particular bags used the little plastic "zippers" rather then the basic press seals and they were a little bit of a pain to work with. I finally got all of the air out of all three steak bags, though, and they went in at 130 degrees for about an hour and a half. They were then dried, salted and peppered again, and seared in a very hot iron skillet with canola oil and a little butter. They were very good, with a consistent medium rare doneness and a very pretty sear. Only thing I'll need to work on is building up a better crust on them.

They were served with baked potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. These sprouts had been in our friidge for at least a couple of weeks but looked fine. They were as perfect as the last batch I did, proving that freshness wasn't the thing that made those so good.

[Jenise]

Understood re the sear. I would recommend pulling them around 110 so you don't risk overcooking on the build-a-crust part. Also, consider adding a little sugar to your second salt and pepper step to excite Mr. Maillard (btw, I don't salt my steaks prior to sous vide). I do season pork roasts and chicken breasts (sous vide chicken breasts in butter--OOOOH.)

I was very happy with the doneness, but I suppose that if I have to leave it in the skillet longer, then I'll need to drop the temp a little. Chicken is on my list - do you do anything with it after it comes out of the bag?

The next try will likely be carrots. I have a bunch of gigantic ones from the market that I plan to use.

I was very happy with the doneness, but I suppose that if I have to leave it in the skillet longer, then I'll need to drop the temp a little. Chicken is on my list - do you do anything with it after it comes out of the bag?

The next try will likely be carrots. I have a bunch of gigantic ones from the market that I plan to use.

Understood re the sear. I would recommend pulling them around 110 so you don't risk overcooking on the build-a-crust part. Also, consider adding a little sugar to your second salt and pepper step to excite Mr. Maillard (btw, I don't salt my steaks prior to sous vide). I do season pork roasts and chicken breasts (sous vide chicken breasts in butter--OOOOH.)

Why no pre-salting? I salt my grilled steaks an hour before, when I take them out of the fridge, if I have the time. I've never sous vided anything, though.

[Jenise]

I was very happy with the doneness, but I suppose that if I have to leave it in the skillet longer, then I'll need to drop the temp a little. Chicken is on my list - do you do anything with it after it comes out of the bag?

The next try will likely be carrots. I have a bunch of gigantic ones from the market that I plan to use.

Yes, I grill it to crisp up the skin; one can remove the skin as well for a healthier (and more boring) piece of chicken but I leave it on during the sous vide because it gives more flavor even if I don't serve it skin-on.

OH, and re the steak--brush it with a bit of oil so the surface isn't dry.

[Jenise]

Meatless Monday dinner last night of sliced tomato topped with celery root remoulade, micro greens, oil and vinegar followed by eggplant parmesan.

For tonight I think I'll sous vide some chicken breasts!

Pad prik gai bai krapow (Thai stir-fried chicken with birds-eye chiles and holy basil) tonight, using a different recipe from my usual.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Now I want that instead of sous vide chicken. DAMN!

Paul, thought of you yesterday when we had lunch. I can't remember the name of the dish, it's Chinese, stickyish rice with stuff in it rolled in some kind of leaf (lotus?) and steamed. Delish, especially with a spoonful of Lan Chi on top. Still able to find it back there?

[Jenise]

Lo Mai Gai.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/how- ... i-gai.html

Last night's Toad in the Hole *

Toad-in-Hole-small.png

*Note: No amphibians were hurt in the making of this dish

[Jenise]

So a TitH is essentially a yorkshire pudd type batter poured around sausages and baked; I'd forgotten about that from my time in England. Sounds yummy.

My mother used to make what she called "Toads in Hole", but it was very different. Take a slice of bread and cut a hole, using a small glass. Then butter both sides and place in a skillet. After a minute or so, she would then put an egg in the hole, cook for a few minutes and flip.

[Jenise]

Howie, your mother's version is very commonly known by that name in America. But in England, it's going to be a whole yorkshire pudding with sausages baked into it. Have no idea how we strayed so far from the original, but apparently we did.

Last night's Toad in the Hole *

*Note: No amphibians were hurt in the making of this dish

Nicely done, Peter!

Peter ,real comfort food! Onion gravy over it maybe. Yours looks nice and puffed and crispy.
Howie, we call your TinH Egyptian eye eggs. Remarkably complex names for a very simple dish.

At the moment I am preparing a terrine, as requested, to take for Christmas lunch.
As there happened to be a pheasant lurking in the freezer (cue Jeff ) I am making Delia’s pheasant terrine, the pheasant meat in dice, minced pork, minced livers, chopped bacon juniper mace. Here’s hoping it will be good, certainly looks and smells good. Serving it With a cranberry and onion relish and cornichons.

Merry crumble everyone.

So a TitH is essentially a yorkshire pudd type batter poured around sausages and baked; I'd forgotten about that from my time in England. Sounds yummy.

Yes, exactly.

I made Yorkshire pudding batter

Cooked the sausages. ( Waitrose Cumberland free-range pork )

Poured some oil to coat the bottom of a baking pan and put in in 220C oven for 10 minutes

Quickly took hot pan from oven, put sausages in, poured in batter and replaced in oven for 25 minutes.

Served with onion gravy, brussel sprouts, carrots, caulifower and broccoli florets and a bottle of Spanish GSM (34%G, 33% S&M)

At the moment I am preparing a terrine, as requested, to take for Christmas lunch.
As there happened to be a pheasant lurking in the freezer (cue Jeff ) I am making Delia’s pheasant terrine, the pheasant meat in dice, minced pork, minced livers, chopped bacon juniper mace. Here’s hoping it will be good, certainly looks and smells good. Serving it With a cranberry and onion relish and cornichons.

Sounds yummy! (Oh, what those lurking pheasants can do when they climb down from the freezer into a loaf pan! )

My mother used to make what she called "Toads in Hole", but it was very different. Take a slice of bread and cut a hole, using a small glass. Then butter both sides and place in a skillet. After a minute or so, she would then put an egg in the hole, cook for a few minutes and flip.

I've done that in the past, makes a nice combination, fried egg and fried bread, and the bread stops the egg white spreading. But I didn't know it had a name. From the Wiki list of American names I like 'Moon over Miami' and 'bullseye eggs', but I don't get the gashouse reference.

But I'd be greatly disappointed if served that instead of meat in batter!

A pub favourite here is a large round single serving Yorkshire Pudding filled with slices of roast beef with gravy - but they don't call that toad in the hole, a name seems exclusive here to sausages in batter

Wikipedia list 18 various names for the egg dish, but no alternatives for the sausage toad

Busy day in the kitchen: started a batch of chocolate-orange ice cream, made a batch of whole-berry cranberry sauce, made a batch of peanut butter cookies with Hershey's Kisses on top, par-cooked vegetables for Monday's puff-pastry tarte... and myriad of those little things that seem to always need doing: refill the cinnamon and salt dispensers, peel a head of garlic, restore a half pound of sun-dried tomatoes and pack them in oil and spices, and orchestrate three different leftovers (a soup, a salad, a burger) to make a dinner for two.

And we decorated the tree today.

Jeff, you exhaust me! And here’s me thinking you were still eating turkey day leftovers!
Sounds like your Christine will be wonderful. My wishes in that direction.

[Jenise]

Busy day in the kitchen: started a batch of chocolate-orange ice cream, made a batch of whole-berry cranberry sauce, made a batch of peanut butter cookies with Hershey's Kisses on top, par-cooked vegetables for Monday's puff-pastry tarte... and myriad of those little things that seem to always need doing: refill the cinnamon and salt dispensers, peel a head of garlic, restore a half pound of sun-dried tomatoes and pack them in oil and spices, and orchestrate three different leftovers (a soup, a salad, a burger) to make a dinner for two.

And we decorated the tree today.

Oh, you're so good!

I packed marinated white asparagus, shisito peppers, an intense cream sauce, par-cooked collard greens, a wedge of fruit cake, a bag of frozen scallops, some Vignalta seasoned salt and a pkg of uncooked wonton skins into a cooler...hardly compares.

We're spending Christmas Eve with friends on Whidbey Island. Tonight we're doing the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and all of the above is involved in my contributions to same.