What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

I'm going to a rose tasting tomorrow at Bill Spohn's, and so today am making a mushroom pate to take along. It's a Jacques Pepin recipe--mixed cooked mushrooms with lots of shallots, garlic and onions bound with gelatin--set in a sauce. He makes four individual portions--I'm going to make one long one--with a tomatillo sauce.

Tonight's supper was swordfish that was coated in olive oil and berbere mix and then pan fried. Served it with the Serious Eats roasted potatoes and a green bean-cherry tomato salad. Caprese to start and a blueberry custard cake with cinnamon basil ice cream to finish. Mostly, I was really happy to have cooked the swordfish properly.

Last night was very simple--chicken thighs coated in berbere and then grilled, with jambalaya on the side.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Sounds great, Paul. Berbere's a great meat rub. Pork too, but chicken's healthier!

Tonight we're going meatless--tomato caprese with black olive bread.

[Jenise]

Going to a wine tasting tonight and taking a small version of the mushroom pate terrine I took to Bill's on Saturday. The mushroom pate is a Jacques Pepin recipe but turning it into a full length terrine with a leak mousse is all mine. I made lots and lots of filling because I really didn't know how many pounds of mushrooms and shallots would convert into the approximately four cups I needed for what I wanted to do, and figured the leftovers would be good thing for tonight since two of our group are vegetarian or vegan.

They may not eat it anyway because I used gelatin, not agar agar.

Anyway, it's here (be sure to scroll down to see the pretty cut side):

MushroomPateTerrine.jpg

Anyway, a lingering question I've had for some time: say you have leftover something-set-with-gelatin, like this mushroom mixture. Will it re-set if you reheat and repurpose it? I had some extra mixture that didn't fit into the small form I used for the second terrine and saved it for this experiment. Results tomorrow!

The gelatin does not evaporate. You can melt it but it will re-firm.

[Jenise]

The gelatin does not evaporate. You can melt it but it will re-firm.

And indeed it does, with no change in texture (another concern). That's pretty cool. It means one can melt and remake a failed set (depending on other ingredients of course).

[Jenise]

Dinner tonight: Veal Parm on linguine, but made with a maitake mushroom-lemon-garlic sauce instead of the traditional red.

[Jenise]

Today? No idea.

Yesterday we went to a wine tasting lunch and that was essentially our main meal. We never come home hungry, but usually need to eat something in order to not wind up hungry at bedtime. So I cut an avocado in half and stuffed each half with a salad made from previously cooked white asparagus tossed with bamboo and a chile oil vinaigrette. Perfect.

[Jenise]

Having a logistics meeting for next Saturday's pig roast (expecting 107 guests and it will take place at my home--yeah, we need logistics!). The meeting invite didn't include dinner but I'll be serving wine so, just in case, I'm going to grill off a trip tip and have it ready to serve sliced/cold with a rosemary-tomato-garlic vinaigrette, green salad and pickled corn.

Oh, and guess what I did yesterday--designed a large wood (3/4 plywood) 'stretcher' with long pole handles for a four-man carry. Underneath, stopper pieces outline a 6' x 2' shape. This is how our 152 pound roast pig will make a ceremonial entrance from the roaster out in the driveway to the waterside patio, where awaiting will be a rectangular Costco table that it will fit snugly on and become the carving table. It's already made. I am so proud of myself for this.

Bravo, Jenise! I love a bit of pomp and circumstance with a big dinner.

[Jenise]

Bravo, Jenise! I love a bit of pomp and circumstance with a big dinner.

I do too! A kazoo chorus has been arranged for suitable noise.

A kazoo chorus has been arranged for suitable noise.

Got ya covered, kid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iGDQYuaWsQ

[Jenise]

Forget the kazoos...Chris Christie dancing??? Is this what being rejected by Trump does to a man?

Bravo, Jenise! I love a bit of pomp and circumstance with a big dinner.

I do too! A kazoo chorus has been arranged for suitable noise.

What musical selections? "Prince of Denmark's March"?

[Jenise]

I don't know! I handed off the task and six kazoos to the best person for the job. We'll see!

Having a logistics meeting for next Saturday's pig roast (expecting 107 guests and it will take place at my home--yeah, we need logistics!). The meeting invite didn't include dinner but I'll be serving wine so, just in case, I'm going to grill off a trip tip and have it ready to serve sliced/cold with a rosemary-tomato-garlic vinaigrette, green salad and pickled corn.

Oh, and guess what I did yesterday--designed a large wood (3/4 plywood) 'stretcher' with long pole handles for a four-man carry. Underneath, stopper pieces outline a 6' x 2' shape. This is how our 152 pound roast pig will make a ceremonial entrance from the roaster out in the driveway to the waterside patio, where awaiting will be a rectangular Costco table that it will fit snugly on and become the carving table. It's already made. I am so proud of myself for this.

Wow - 152 pounds is one big pig!

Will the pig-bearers be shirtless?

[Jenise]

We were angling for shirtless AND banana leaf shorts, but I don't think that will happen.

152 isn't that big, though. The guidance is 1.5 lbs of carcass weight for each guest. We're on track for running short, though I'm guessing that the larger the pig, the greater density of meat to bone. Hope for me that's right!

[Jenise]

Fresh halibut tonight! Miso crusted, and probably with sauteed snow peas.

Fish and chips tonight.
Parmesan crusted tiger flathead, chipped regular spuds and purple sweet potatoes. Wedges of baby cos lettuce with that remarkable tomato dressing Jeniseposted recently, with added kaffir lime juice to meet up with the fish and the sweetness of the tomatoes I had on hand.
There will be left over fishwhich I plan to serve as fish tacos tomorrow night.

[Jenise]

We also had fish--a really beautiful, especially white slab of small Pacific halibut, belly cut. Topped it with a miso crust and served over a bed of stir fried chinese cabbage and onions with snow peas and a spritz of fresh lime over all. And thank god I had fish ready to go. We'd spent the afternoon splaying, trimming and cleaning Babe, the 152 pound pig, and I don't think I was up to eating pork.

For tonight the fish “ taco “ a flour tortilla smeared with cream cheese, warmed up the leftover Parmesan crusted fish, lettuce, tomato, spring onions and the leftover tomato dressing jzooshed up with siracha to sauce it up. Not bad at all and a simple evening meal after a nice restaurant lunch.

Like Jenise was saying, we don’t eat as much these days, either. so we balance it over the day. I can’t however miss a meal as Peter has meds which need to be taken with food.

Tomorrow it will be something truffled as my annual delivery arrived yesterday, mmmmm

Tonight: I tossed whole, peeled/deveined, raw shrimp with some creme fraiche, a couple handfuls of shredded parmesan, bouquet garni seasoning (not in a bag), and a dash of Old Bay, portioned into puff pasty shells and baked. Simple and good. As it is 80*F and 70% humidity here I also made a cool spinach dip to serve alongside.

It is truffle time here and I just got my annual delivery.
We have had a difficult year, my beloved has had 8 hospital admissions and is having surgery next week. my mum had a rapid decline in short term memory and we had to get her into aged care to keep her safe.
So, tonight I made, just for Pete and me a truffle degu.
...truffled chèvre, Apple and pear paste, wrapped in filo and baked
...leek and potato soup with shaved try
...riffing on one of those strange egg tweaks, grated truffle into the egg white, reunited it with its yolk, wrapped in glad wrap and poached, served with foie gras on toast points
....gnocchi with butter, mushrooms' truffle, reggiano
Token veg kale crisps, smoked tomato wedged
It was pretty good..