lougord99 wrote:

Evil Ronnie wrote:

lougord99 wrote:
Duck and homemade andouille gumbo

Looks great! How far do you take your roux?

This roux was purposefully on the lighter side.

When I do gumbo, I make the roux to blond on the stovetop and then put it into a 325 oven and take it as dark as I want without concern of burning. Oven roux only needs to be stirred every 10 minutes or so. A very dark roux might take an hour and 45 in the oven, rather than 45 on the stove top, but there is little danger of burning and much less tending.

Yep…that’s it. I torched many before utilizing the oven, and usually go choc. brown/red. Just my preference. As you know, once they start taking on color, they’re like a loaded dump truck headed downhill.
Not textbook, but I love a whole butter roux…,
Enjoy

Revisited an old favorite tonight - Capellini with Chili Paste and Crispy Egg. Original recipe inspiration from Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold. I’ve messed with the proportions a bit, but basically - cook capellini or angel hair pasta, toss with a blend of room temperature butter mixed with chili garlic paste, micro planed orange zest, and shredded Thai basil. Top with over-easy eggs and grated Parmesan cheese.

Whole Foods in Lakeview had some pristine skate wing, so did it up alla Milanese. I've had problems in the past with skate breaking up in the skillet and getting mushy. This prep held together nicely, would make it again.

Using up some leftover meatballs for some quickie, Monday night casseroles . . .


Mise En Place, Yu Kurosaki VG10 Fujin Gyuto, 120mm & Box Grater
Black pepper, pepperoni, leftover/sliced meatballs, Rao's marinara, grated Monterey Jack (surprise! -- no whole milk mozzarella at the store), dried oregano, dried chile flakes, evoo & finely grated parmigiano reggiano & pecorino romano.

Placed all this in some small stoneware casseroles and convection baked them for about 20 minutes, then broiled them for another 5 or so. Meanwhile, I had some creminis I wanted to use up . . .


Sauteed Creminis
Evoo, unsalted butter, shallots, red wine, 4x gelatinous beef stock, s&p . . . and chives.

The mushrooms and the casseroles finished up at just about the same time (better to be lucky than good) . . .


Plated Up
With toasted/buttered baguette (3-day-old?) and a blob of the weekly slaw.

Happy Monday!

=R=

So granddaughter's birthday party ended up with a couple gallons of excess french fries, I offered to take a little home and was handed about three pounds.

What to do, what to do..... Tortilla!

Half an onion, diced fine, a few tiny shishito peppers from the plant we brought in, sauteed in lots of olive oil. Add 2 cups chopped fries, toss to warm. Add four beaten eggs, with pepper, pimenton, and sliced roasted red peppers. Cook until it comes loose from the bottom, then put under the broiler to set the top.

Slice, serve with salad.

[url][/url]Tomato basil soup and grilled pimento cheese
Sweat mirepoix until fully cooked to prevent bitterness. Déglaçage with Noilly Prat
Tomatoes stewed, no stock or H2O
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Blended and passed. Whole basil steeped

Chiffonade basil

JoelF wrote:So granddaughter's birthday party ended up with a couple gallons of excess french fries, I offered to take a little home and was handed about three pounds.

What to do, what to do..... Tortilla!

Half an onion, diced fine, a few tiny shishito peppers from the plant we brought in, sauteed in lots of olive oil. Add 2 cups chopped fries, toss to warm. Add four beaten eggs, with pepper, pimenton, and sliced roasted red peppers. Cook until it comes loose from the bottom, then put under the broiler to set the top.

Slice, serve with salad.

Wow! I would have loved to have seen a picture of that...

HonestMan wrote:

JoelF wrote:So granddaughter's birthday party ended up with a couple gallons of excess french fries, I offered to take a little home and was handed about three pounds.

What to do, what to do..... Tortilla!

...

Slice, serve with salad.

Wow! I would have loved to have seen a picture of that...

It wasn't really that pretty: nicely golden on the top with flecks of red, but mostly, hey, it's eggs. Oh, I've got some leftover that I'll eat for lunch, maybe I'll remember to take a picture.

Not much of a beef stew guy, but this was tasty. If unphotogenic.

click to enlarge

G Wiv wrote:Not much of a beef stew guy, but this was tasty. If unphotogenic.

click to enlarge

Beautifully done, Gary. I’d love to sit down to that meal.

Freshly ground chuck at home. Sous Vide at 120. Browned in a screaming hot cast iron skillet.

Avocado mashed together with a little white vinegar, lots of crispy fried shallots, sauce of mayo, Dijon and hot sauce all on toasted English Muffin.

A friend asked me if it is worth the effort grinding your own beef over store bought. My answer is unequivalently yes.

Pot roast sandwich with Swiss, tomato and onion. Au Jews on the side for the dunking Mikvah. Toasty gooey delicious.

click to enlarge



Pot Roast Sandwich, count me a Fan!

lougord99 wrote:A friend asked me if it is worth the effort grinding your own beef over store bought. My answer is unequivalently yes.

Nice, Lou! Can't beat grinding your own, since you know exactly what you're getting and can control the coarseness. It's also a lot safer, especially if you're only using one cut, since it'll all be from the same animal, and the risk of grocery store butcher department cross-contamination would be far less.

=R=

I would never cook store bought ground beef as rare as I do my own ground beef.

lougord99 wrote:I would never cook store bought ground beef as rare as I do my own ground beef.

Yeah. Completely understood on that one.

=R=

lougord99 wrote:Freshly ground chuck at home. Sous Vide at 120. Browned in a screaming hot cast iron skillet.

May I ask how long you sous vided it? And did you season beforehand?

I'm also wondering if a quick hot water dip of the whole muscle before grinding would eliminate any remaining concerns about e coli? Instantaneous exposure at 160F supposedly kills the little buggers, and presumably they are all on the outer surface if they are present at all. Obviously it's safer to grind one piece than a zillion cows, though.

G Wiv wrote:Pot roast sandwich with Swiss, tomato and onion. Au Jews on the side for the dunking Mikvah.

Mr. Wiviot, calling you out for basar be-chalav!

tjr wrote:I'm also wondering if a quick hot water dip of the whole muscle before grinding would eliminate any remaining concerns about e coli? Instantaneous exposure at 160F supposedly kills the little buggers, and presumably they are all on the outer surface if they are present at all. Obviously it's safer to grind one piece than a zillion cows, though.

Not that it couldn't happen but it's very unlikely that e coli would be on the exterior of a whole piece of meat. Not impossible but improbable. If you dipped the meat in 160F water before you cooked it, it might end up tasting like those horrible burgers at Redamak's, where I'm pretty sure they boil them.

=R=

tjr wrote:May I ask how long you sous vided it? And did you season beforehand?

Best explanation of sous vide techniques for burgers that I know of: https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-burgers-recipe

I go at 120 for 60-90 minutes.

No pre- seasoning.

Tom Yum Goong from Hot Thai Kitchen: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/tom-yum-goong/

Head on shrimp from H-Mart. Put all the heads and shells into a pan and stir fry and then add water. The orange color of the broth is from the heads of the shrimp. Add galangal, lemongrass, peppers and lime leaves. Strain the broth and add oyster mushrooms, shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.

lougord99 wrote:

Freshly ground chuck at home. Sous Vide at 120. Browned in a screaming hot cast iron skillet.

Avocado mashed together with a little white vinegar, lots of crispy fried shallots, sauce of mayo, Dijon and hot sauce all on toasted English Muffin.

A friend asked me if it is worth the effort grinding your own beef over store bought. My answer is unequivalently yes.

Hi, lougord99
Looks very tasty. We ground our brisket burgers every day at The Casino Club, and totally agree on the quality. Cooked them on a standard double deck char grill and had the best grill cook ever. How long did you cook in the water bath?
Evil

lougord99 wrote:Best explanation of sous vide techniques for burgers that I know of: https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-burgers-recipe

I go at 120 for 60-90 minutes.

No pre- seasoning.

Thanks! I wonder if the 140F variation would be acceptable to the "non bloody" family members.

Tonight I stumbled on the muu shoo tostada. Put a leftover Mandarin pancake in the toaster oven and became distracted for several minutes. The heat and sesame oil made it crispy.Considering the blunder origin stories of some Chinese foods (potstickers for one) perhaps not totally inauthentic.

tjr wrote:

lougord99 wrote:Best explanation of sous vide techniques for burgers that I know of: https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-burgers-recipe

I go at 120 for 60-90 minutes.

No pre- seasoning.

Thanks! I wonder if the 140F variation would be acceptable to the "non bloody" family members.

Tonight I stumbled on the muu shoo tostada. Put a leftover Mandarin pancake in the toaster oven and became distracted for several minutes. The heat and sesame oil made it crispy.Considering the blunder origin stories of some Chinese foods (potstickers for one) perhaps not totally inauthentic.

Like roast pig? Or in France, Pomme Souffle?
I bet it was tasty!

ronnie_suburban wrote:

tjr wrote:I'm also wondering if a quick hot water dip of the whole muscle before grinding would eliminate any remaining concerns about e coli? Instantaneous exposure at 160F supposedly kills the little buggers, and presumably they are all on the outer surface if they are present at all. Obviously it's safer to grind one piece than a zillion cows, though.

Not that it couldn't happen but it's very unlikely that e coli would be on the exterior of a whole piece of meat. Not impossible but improbable. If you dipped the meat in 160F water before you cooked it, it might end up tasting like those horrible burgers at Redamak's, where I'm pretty sure they boil them.

=R=

Ron,
On the money on the 160F dip.

130F for 3 minutes in a combi oven is sufficient for Pasteurization. Can’t comment on sous vide…

lougord99 wrote:
Tom Yum Goong from Hot Thai Kitchen: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/tom-yum-goong/

Head on shrimp from H-Mart. Put all the heads and shells into a pan and stir fry and then add water. The orange color of the broth is from the heads of the shrimp. Add galangal, lemongrass, peppers and lime leaves. Strain the broth and add oyster mushrooms, shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.

Very nice!
Suggestion…for even more flavor, quickly sear the shrimp “bones” 30 seconds or so before adding water…
Again, very nice!
Oops… I hadn’t read your recipe.)

Had a craving for Matzo Brei, but da box from da Jewel was rancid (still within expiration date on box.)
Lateral to JoelF’s Tortilla improv.
Bloomed a pinch of saffron in hot water for a quick saffron aioli.
Hot pan etc.
Came out almost ok, but we loved it…
Tortilla Española



Now I’m obsessed again….

HonestMan wrote:

JoelF wrote:So granddaughter's birthday party ended up with a couple gallons of excess french fries, I offered to take a little home and was handed about three pounds.

What to do, what to do..... Tortilla!

Wow! I would have loved to have seen a picture of that...

Here's the reheated leftovers, and everything's better with kimchi and Merkt's cheddar


Later that day, I made Kenji's Sichuan Braised Eggplant with Pork (used a little extra pork, did the eggplant steaming in the microwave, but that recipe's a keeper), and found a dry-pot sichuan potato recipe. I figured all I needed to do was reheat the fries, add the seasonings it'd be great. It was OK -- didn't crisp up, and adding dobanjiang and onions and such didn't help the sogginess... and still didn't come out very spicy (some chile crisp helped).

Went to Zier's this morning with the intention of buying a flank steak for a stir-fry. But as I learned accidentally a few months back, I think hangers work even better in stir-fry and when I saw them in the case -- at only about $0.25/pound more than flanks -- I figured, why not? But later, as I was prepping dinner, I realized that even though it might be true that hangers work better than flank in stir-fries, a charcoal-grilled hanger is even better than a stir-fried one. No problem. Outside temp around 42F, I called an audible and decided to grill the steaks. But first, that veg prep . . .


Mise En Place & Anryu Aogami Super Kurouchi Tsuchime Gyuto, 210mm
Fioretto, microplaned ginger, reconstituted shiitakes (dried accidentally in my garage), bell peppers, minced garlic, long hot peppers, hot soy bean sauce, soy sauce, avocado oil, dark soy sauce, yellow onion, white pepper and Shaoxing cooking wine. Just an ordered stir-fry here, which I prepped early and then wok'd later, while the steaks rested . . .


Stir-Fried Veg

Speaking of the steaks, I trussed them, lightly oiled them, seasoned them and then grilled them over lump charcoal . . .


Charcoal-Grilled Hanger Steaks


Plated Up
With leftover/reheated jasmine rice.

=R=

I am surprised at how few places carry hanger steaks. They are a great substitute for skirt steaks also.

lougord99 wrote:I am surprised at how few places carry hanger steaks. They are a great substitute for skirt steaks also.

Hi,
2 ea per steer and unfortunately the majority is funneled to restaurants.

lougord99 wrote:I am surprised at how few places carry hanger steaks. They are a great substitute for skirt steaks also.

Zier's in Wilmette seems to have them pretty consistently. They're usually vacuumed into 2-packs and very nicely trimmed. Or if not already in the case, they'll prep them for you on the spot. Of course, always best to call first if you're trekking over. Fwiw, yesterday's price was ~$20/pound, which considering the amount of trim required, seemed reasonable.

I've also purchased them at Restaurant Depot. There, they come in a larger pack (maybe 2 pairs per pack?) and are not quite the lovely specimens that can be had at Zier's (nor of the same quality) but they're good enough. They require quite a bit of butchering (as I documented in this post) but I enjoyed the process and doing it at home, I finally came to understand why they're almost always sold in pairs.

=R=