Art-inspired Dinner 2 - Oct 2013

So fun. So delicious.

A Vietnamese style caprese with grape tomatoes,
fresh mozzarella, cucumber, basil, spicy meatballs over
a bed of rice noodles in tomato water
(inspired by John Chamberlain's auto metalsculpture)

A mixed greens salad with grapes, marcona almonds and
shaved manchego with a grape/sherry/balsamic vinaigrette in a
romaine lettuce leaf
(inspired by Dale Chihuly's glass art
 in boats)

Fresh squid pasta with meatballs
(inspired by Adolph Gottlieb's work
like Pink High)

Salted caramel ice cream with caramel shards
(inspired by Robert Smithson's work
like Mirror and Shelly Sand)

Steak Cuts - Hanger, Skirt and Flank

I was flipping through back issues of Bon Appetit Magazine pulling out recipes and had flagged p. 24 of their June 2013 issue.  I think they did a good job explaining the following 3 cuts of meat:

• HANGER STEAK:  Off-the-charts flavor.  Just add a marinade and a charcoal grill.
• SKIRT STEAK:  Traditionally used for fajitas; also great as a main-course steak.  Serve with a bracing, herbaceous sauce like chimichurri.
• FLANK STEAK:  Very lean, so the high heat of the grill is ideal for a hot, smoky sear.

Recipe: Strozzapreti with Spinach and Preserved Lemon

The Strozzapreti with Spinach and Preserved Lemon recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine (Sept 2013, p. 139 - photo is on p. 134) caught my eye.

Overall, we sort of followed the recipe.
Here's what we did differently:

• Added hot Italian sausage, sauteed onion and mushrooms
• Used dried Italian trottole pasta (fun curly pasta)
• Used an entire bag (10 oz) of spinach
• Didn't use preserved lemon peel

It was a GREAT hearty dish that we will definitely make again!

Recipe: Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream, and Cider Syrup

We made this Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream and Cider Syrup for friends we had over for dinner.

It was overall pretty good, but I would make the following changes next time:

• Rather than poaching the apples in apple cider, I prefer this recipe from Bon Appetit that poaches the apples in red wine, orange juice, cinnamon, etc.
• Insider of the cider syrup, make some homemade caramel to drizzle over the dessert.
• If you do want to use the cider syrup, make it yourself!  (Don't buy a bottle of boiled apple cider!)  Take about 1 cup of apple cider, boil it, and take it off the heat when it becomes syrupy -- that's it!  All it is = reduced apple cider.
• Add more sugar to the walnut mixture to sweeten it a tad bit.
• Double the amount of rum cream ingredients as noted below.

By the way, the rum cream is amazing.  I'm going to start making it to accompany other desserts.  

Rum Cream

Beat the following ingredients using an electric mixer until you get soft peaks:

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

A 3-D Printed Dinner

3-D printed architecture models.  3-D printed art.  And now 3-D printed meals?  Is this the future of dining?  I rarely read the Points section in the Dallas Morning News, but this past Sunday, "Dinner is printed" caught my eye.  Check out the article to see what menu items the author and his wife tried for dinner (it's pretty entertaining).

Note:  If the link to the article forces you to sign up for a free trial of the paper, go to Google and search for "dallas morning news 3-d printed meal," and the article should come up in the first search results where you can read the entire article without signing up.

The future uses of this technology is fascinating:

"There’s talk of embedding medicines in meals. In his book Fabricated, Lipson dreams of digitally driven dinners, where the printer uses your body’s up-to-the-minute data to create the perfect lasagna for your nutritional needs, with, say, extra protein or vitamin A.

Junk-food makers hope 3-D printing will allow them to patent a new way to combine salt, sugar and fat. Animal-rights activists hope printers will squeeze out pork chops made from the lab-grown stem cells of pigs. And idealists believe that the technology will help solve world hunger. The hope? We can more efficiently ship powdered food to developing countries, where it can be printed into a variety of meals. A group of Dutch researchers is working on inexpensive bases made from algae and insect protein."

The Greyhound

I admit, I LOVE complex cocktails.  When we go out to restaurants, I often order the craziest drinks that are on the menu . . . drinks that have strange combinations of ingredients (ingredients like thyme, peppercorns, bacon, rhubarb, jalapeno, ginger -- not all of those together, of course, but hey that combination might be interesting).

But as the phrase goes, sometimes less is more and simple is best.  The Greyhound is that go-to drink when I want something simple yet refreshing.  It's grapefruit juice (must must must be freshly squeezed grapefruit) and vodka (Ketel One is my preferred choice).  That's it.

Plus, I get my vitamin C so it's healthy, right?

Starbucks Launches the Duffin

I just read that in the U.K., Starbucks is launching the duffin -- part muffin, part donut, yet another "Franken-pastry" like the cronut.

According to the Business Week article: 
The duffin uses a buttermilk base, and tastes like a moist, cakey muffin, not the coarse, bready type. It looks like a muffin, but it’s filled with raspberry jam and coated in sugar, like a jelly doughnut.

Wonder when it'll make it to the U.S. . . ?

I love blog contributor the grandcruman's creations (though, he hasn't contributed in a while, ahem).  I don't have a recipe to share for this unless he would like to comment on this post with more details!

It's a pan-seared sea bass that was marinated in miso, seasoned rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce (I think that's what he said) served on top of a bed of rice and topped with carrots, celery, cucumber, chives and cilantro.  Cremini mushrooms are in a miso glaze served on the side.

Paired it with a non-sweet riesling, and it was a phenomenal meal!

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Mousse

Chocolate mousse lovers that also love coffee!  This recipe is for you.

Chocolate Espresso Mousse -- a recipe I happened upon while searching for the best gluten-free desserts for blog contributor FoodFiend's bridal shower.  It turned out quite lovely especially with the addition of the raspberries (raspberries can do the trick as I learned from this article "Wick Allison's Raspberry Secret Is Out").  A dollop of fresh whipped cream would be a nice touch too.

Mousse is quite easy to make.  I mean, the ingredients include just chocolate (make sure to use good quality chocolate), egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, and in this recipe -- instant espresso powder.  Not a recipe to be scared of making.  And, it's a classy dessert to serve at a dinner party especially if presented in a martini glass or other glassware.

Recipe: Pizza (Using Tyler Florence's Pizza Dough Recipe)

After tonight, I may not be able to order pizza to go ever again.  We made pizza from scratch using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe, and OMG - it's so easy and tasty.  The only drawback is that you need to allocate about an hour and a half from start to finish, so it's not a quick weekday pizza.

• 15 min to make the dough
• 1 hr to let the dough rise
• 20 min+ to get your other ingredient toppings together and to bake the pizza

Our pizza this evening had tomato sauce we made from scratch, shredded Italian blend cheese, fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage, white onion, green bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms -- and then we topped it with fresh basil.

I didn't want to stop eating.

And then we had dessert.  (I made homemade ice cream with vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and crushed gingersnap cookies.)

I.  Love.  Food.

Recipe: Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

I think a lot of unnecessary work goes into the Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette recipe (Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2013, p. 88). 

Skip the first 2 parts of the recipe.  Instead of simmering the tangerine juice and cooking the jalapeno, it's fine to mix the non-reduced juice and raw, finely chopped jalapeno into the dressing.  I also don't think using vegetable oil is necessary at all.

So, basically, the recipe involves:

• Making the dressing:  whisk the shallot, vinegar, tangerine juice, jalapeno, salt, pepper, olive oil together
• Toss the avocados, tangerines (or oranges), arugula, mint, and feta together
• Dress the salad
• Enjoy!

2013 Big Tex Choice Awards

The 2013 Big Tex Choice Awards (the annual fried-food competition hosted by the State Fair of Texas) were announced today.  Fried Thanksgiving Dinner won for Most Creative while the Deep Fried Cuban Roll won for Best Taste.  Which item sounds good to you?

You can try them all this year during the fair which runs from Sept 27th - Oct 20th.

Awesome Deep Fried Nutella – Cream cheese and Nutella are whipped and spread over flaky phyllo dough sheets, rolled up and deep fried. Served with a drizzle of honey and shaved almonds.

Deep Fried Cuban Roll – A filling of slow-cooked pork shoulder, chopped ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and secret sauce is spread onto a slice of Swiss cheese, rolled up in pastry dough and deep fried. Roll is served with a side of mojo sauce for dipping.

Fernie's Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole – This stick-to-your-ribs, Texas-shaped creation is cheesy, salty, spicy goodness dipped in zesty Southwestern egg wash, coated in panko bread crumbs, and deep fried until golden brown. Served with a side of red, white and blue tortilla chips and your choice of our homemade “salsafied” sour cream or queso.

Fried Thanksgiving Dinner – Mama’s homemade stuffing and diced roasted turkey are rolled in a ball. Next it’s dipped in Southern cream corn, rolled in seasoned cornmeal and fried to a golden brown. Served with old-fashioned giblet brown gravy. The zesty orange cranberry sauce fills your dipping needs and results in a complete Thanksgiving dinner — fried.

Golden Fried Millionaire Pie – Sweetened, fluffy cream cheese filling is loaded with golden pineapple and Texas pecans then wrapped in a flaky pie crust and fried to a golden brown. Topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut and candied pecans.

Southern Style Chicken-Fried Meatloaf – Homemade meatloaf slices are coated in an authentic Texas chicken-fried breading and deep fried until golden brown. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, Texas cream gravy, and a ketchup-brown sugar glaze for dipping.

Spinach Dip Bites – Creamy and delicious spinach artichoke dip bites are coated with crispy tortilla chips and flash-fried until golden brown. Bites are served with salsa for an additional kick.

Texas Fried Fireball – Pimento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper and bacon are rolled into a ball, dipped in buttermilk, covered with a jalapeño-infused batter and deep fried. Served with chipotle ranch for dipping.

Recipe: Caprese Burgers

We made the Caprese Burgers recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (Aug 2012, p.64).  It was fine but not amazing.  It just didn't wow our taste buds, but it helped us use up some of the basil we've been growing.

Basically, the recipe calls for making a pesto using basil, salted roasted almonds, garlic, olive oil, pecorino-Romano cheese and salt & pepper.  The pesto is mixed into the meat and is also used on top of the burger which has fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. 

Again, it was fine.

But still, no burger compares to the Triple Smoke Burger recipe, the best burger recipe we've come across.

Recipe: Chile-Cumin Spice Paste on Pork and Grilled Green Beans and Peaches

Unlike the Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach and Cucumber Salad recipe that we made last week, the Chile-Cumin Spice Paste (Food And Wine Magazine, Dec 2011 issue, p. 146) that we used on pork and the Grilled Green Beans and Peaches recipe (Bon Appetit Magazine, Jun 2013, p.38) were just ok.  I wouldn't make them again.

I take that back. 

I'd make use the chile-cumin spice paste again but bump up the spice level by 100% (I'm a "spice girl" - ha ha) by using more chipotles in adobo, but I won't be keeping the green beans & peaches recipe.  It was just blah.  Really blah.  I think the peach and cucumber salad we made last week was tons better.  Perhaps we didn't carmelize the peaches enough, but the flavors themselves were just, well, eh.

Recipe: Raspberry and Aperol Floats

I am a huge fan of Aperol.  Aperol is like Campari and is actually produced by the Campari company.  It's hard to describe the taste -- it has a slightly bitter orange and herbal-y (I made up that word) flavor to it.

I made the Raspberry and Aperol Floats recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine (July 2013, p. 79) the other day, and it is delicious!!!!  If you like Aperol, try this drink.  It involves making a very easy thyme-infused simple syrup and then muddling it and the raspberries in a glass.  Add Aperol, ice cream, and club soda. . . Voila!

Recipe: Sambal Chicken Skewers

The cover photo of the July 2013 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine has Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers (aka Sambal Chicken Skewers - recipe is on p. 69).  This recipe is hot, hot, hot!  It was really easy to make -- it just takes 7 ingredients that I've listed below -- but beware of the heat (note that I love spice and found these HOT).  We served these with rice and a refreshing salad.

• light brown sugar
• rice vinegar
• hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek which you can find in the international aisle of your grocery store)
• fish sauce
• sriracha (go easy on this -- a quarter cup is a lot)
• ginger
• chicken

What's food would you save from your fridge?

Last night, our power went out.  We were watching a movie, and all of sudden heard a boom and then everything in the house went dark.  It turns out the wire running electricity to our house went kaput, so we didn't have electricity for almost 9 hours. 

Great.

We had just gone to the grocery store and loaded up on groceries for the week.

Today, we cleaned out the fridge, and it made me think -- the next time the power goes out and there's a chance that it'll be out for more than 4 hours, we'll be heading to the grocery store to get ice so we can save some of the food and place them in coolers. 

What would YOU save from the fridge?  (For us, I think it'd be whatever costs the most to replace. . . plus all cheeses )

BTW, here's a link to the CDC's website regarding food safety when your power goes out.

Art-inspired Dinner

Rothko-inspired bramble jelly shot

Phase-Mother Earth inspired chocolate & vanilla cake

A few weeks ago, our friends threw an art-themed dinner party which was inspired by Caitlin Freeman's book Modern Art Desserts.  Everyone invited brought a dish, and we each had to guess what artist/artwork inspired the dish.  It was tons 'o fun, and I'm hoping we do it again soon.

We made 2 items:

1. A bramble cocktail jelly shot that was inspired by Marc Rothko's work.
2. A cake inspired by Nubuo Sekine's Phase-Mother Earth which is considered to be a pivotal work of the Mono-ha Japanese art movement of the late 60s and early 70s.  Phase-Mother Earth was a large cylindrical tower made of packed earth which was removed from a cylindrical hole with the same shape.

The jelly shots were a hit and fun to eat.  (From now on, I think I'm going to make a fun jelly shot for every dinner party we have.)

The cake turned out fine, we just had to do some minor repairs at the end.  Making the cake was an interesting undertaking as you probably imagine from looking at the photo.  I do need to find a great cake recipe that produces somewhat dense and moist cake AND that is meant for layering so if anyone has a tried-and-true recipe, please let me know and respond in the comments!

Recipe: Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Cucumber Salad

We've been on a roll with testing new recipes -- another great dish!  This one is the Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Cucumber Salad recipe from Food & Wine Magazine's September 2013 issue (p.90).

It's a quick and easy dish to make during the weekday after work.  It took about 30 minutes max.

Tips:

• The pork was very peppery, so just beware!  
• Cut the salt in half.
• Used white peaches (my favorite).
• Take a look at the recipe link above to see the photo from Food & Wine Magazine.  The magazine didn't picture a photo, so I didn't think to dice up the cucumbers and peaches (I sliced them instead).  The dice looks nice.
• We had rice leftover from another meal, so I had that instead of naan, though, we'll try yogurt and naan next time.

Recipe: Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad

This Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad recipe from Cooking Light (July 2013, p.134) is a keeper.  We don't receive the Cooking Light Magazine, and I'm usually not a huge fan because their recipes often don't have enough flavor, but this one is GREAT, and we'll definitely be making it again as a quick weeknight meal.  Instead of having this as a salad, we had this for dinner as our main entrée over rice.

Few tips:

• We love garlic and so added extra
• We doubled the amount of red and yellow tomatoes
• Instead of Spanish chorizo, we used Andouille sausage
• Next time, we're not going to add as much lemon juice -- didn't think it was needed
• Added the basil at the very end