What are you cooking for dinner this weekend?

[Jonathan]

Holy Mary Mother of Jesus. Knuckles! Remind me never to look at this thread before dinner.

[BSUdude]

Sometimes you gotta cut a nice slab of Cabot Cheddar and slap a brick of Guava paste on it and....eat it:

dat cat tho.

[rwsaunders]

I hauled our middle kid back to college early this morning and driving conditions were less than stellar with the high winds and freezing rain/snow making for some white knuckle moments over the eight hour round trip. Waiting at home for me this evening was a roaring fire, a nice glass of red and homemade wedding soup.

[brc]

Hosted a fried chicken party last night for four friends. I have been raving about my Thomas Keller lemon-rosemary-thyme buttermilk fried chicken for the past year and they finally bugged me enough to make it.

image.jpg

[winmonster]

That looks tasty.

[Too Tall]

For the record that is one serving of chicken.

[fastupslowdown]

Tonite was Branzino, crispy kale, blue potatoes and South African Sauvignon Blanc(Iona tonite). If you have not tried either Iona or Downes Family Sauvignon Blanc I would encourage you to try a bottle as the are both great producers in my book. -Mike G

[Too Tall]

Making a "payback" dinner for good friends who care for my pup when we are out of town. They asked for lobster. Thinking split whole lobster with two sauces: chimmichurry and mole. Ideas, sides, tips all appreciated.

[UnfilteredDregs]

dat cat tho.

Sneaky bastard.

The wild part of the Bengal hybrid is Felis Bengalensis, the Asian Leopard Cat. They're tree cats found in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, etc..So, you can forget keeping them off high surfaces..As a result the counters are kept meticulously clean. As well as the feline support facilities..

Smart bastard too, he knows the sound of egg cartons. If I'm going to make two eggs...it's three, two for me, and his taxes.

Anyhow...I go to this amazing Asian market by me and it's chock full of, "I wonder what that tastes like?"

So...I bought some Chinese sausage and made a gringo fried rice with Choy Sum; next time I'm just going to steam the sausage with the rice, saute was good but I feel (a hunch) it takes away from it:

[UnfilteredDregs]

Hosted a fried chicken party last night for four friends. I have been raving about my Thomas Keller lemon-rosemary-thyme buttermilk fried chicken for the past year and they finally bugged me enough to make it.

image.jpg

Looks fantastic...I've done the same recipe but it always comes out too dark, what temp did you go with? I have a sneaking suspicion my deep fryers thermostat ain't a NASA grade precision instrument.

[UnfilteredDregs]

Making a "payback" dinner for good friends who care for my pup when we are out of town. They asked for lobster. Thinking split whole lobster with two sauces: chimmichurry and mole. Ideas, sides, tips all appreciated.

Jasper White Pan Roasted Lobster.

Done.



I've seen Jasper do it...this video isn't exactly spot on but close...this guy forgot the shallot .

[UnfilteredDregs]

Jasper White Pan Roasted Lobster.

Done.

I've seen Jasper do it...this video isn't exactly spot on but close...this guy forgot the shallot .

USE FEMALES.

I like to use a Derby Bourbon, Blanton's...

NYT has it down pat:

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. For each lobster, place it on a cutting board, facing you. Place the front tip of a heavy knife in the center of the lobster, near where the carapace meets the tail. In one forceful, swift motion, split the front half of the lobster lengthwise, which will kill it instantly. Turn it around and repeat this motion, splitting the tail and the lobster in half.

Pull the head sac out of both halves. Use fingers or surgical tweezers to remove the intestines. Place the tomalley and roe, if there is any, in a small bowl and use a fork to break it into tiny pieces; cover and refrigerate. With a knife, remove the claws and knuckles by cutting the thin sections where the knuckles meet the body. With the back side of the knife, tap the claws until the shells crack. In another swift, forceful motion, cut the tail from the body on both sides.

Place a heavy 12-inch saute pan over the highest heat possible and heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the oil and heat until it forms a film over the bottom of the pan. Slide the lobster sections, shells down, into the hot oil. Using tongs, move the pieces and flatten them to sear all the shells evenly. The claws need to be seared on only one side.

Add the tomalley and roe and stir; place in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove, return to high heat on the stove top, add the shallots and stir. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bourbon; return to the heat, where the bourbon will probably ignite. Cook until the flames die down, add the wine and cook until the pan is almost dry. Reduce the heat to low.

Quickly remove the lobster and place shell-side down on warm plates. Return the pan to low heat, add the butter, chervil and chives and stir until the mixture resembles a creamy sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, spoon the sauce over the lobster and serve.

[brc]

Looks fantastic...I've done the same recipe but it always comes out too dark, what temp did you go with? I have a sneaking suspicion my deep fryers thermostat ain't a NASA grade precision instrument.

320 F. I use one of those candy thermometers and a Dutch oven. The key is that once you put in the chicken you have to turn the heat up because the temperature of the oil is going to drop immediately. Once it's stabilized back at 320 F, lower the heat to maintain that temperature. You're going to be adjusting the burner controls a lot. Not sure if you can control the heat the same way in a deep fryer.

[UnfilteredDregs]

320 F. I use one of those candy thermometers and a Dutch oven. The key is that once you put in the chicken you have to turn the heat up because the temperature of the oil is going to drop immediately. Once it's stabilized back at 320 F, lower the heat to maintain that temperature. You're going to be adjusting the burner controls a lot. Not sure if you can control the heat the same way in a deep fryer.

320...Same as in the book. I need to find my candy thermometer and double check my fryer. It has to be running on the hot side...They do auto-regulate which is nice.

[Too Tall]

Loving the Lobster idea and it scares me a bit. I need a test run before serving a roomfull of guests not to mention there will be incredibly good booze nearby sooooo.

[UnfilteredDregs]

It's worth the test run. Made my wife all randy. It's easy, all you need to think is, "Screaming hot skillet, screaming hot oven."

It could definitely be a bit of work with a crowd though. In a 12" skillet, that's basically one decent sized hen. I would use 2 skillets and only serve 4 people.

[Too Tall]

It is practically irresistible d@mnit. I've certainly got the stove and pans for this.

It's worth the test run. Made my wife all randy. It's easy, all you need to think is, "Screaming hot skillet, screaming hot oven."

It could definitely be a bit of work with a crowd though. In a 12" skillet, that's basically one decent sized hen. I would use 2 skillets and only serve 4 people.

[jdp211]

No after photos, too busy eating. I can assure you, though, a perfect medium rare every single time is a thing to behold. Finished in a screaming cast iron and served with roasted potatoes.

Untitled by jacob Perlmutter, on Flickr

[jdp211]

I've got some corn and salmon in bags waiting to drop in a water bath shortly. I'll try to be less gluttonous and grab some pics of tonight's finished results.

[spopepro]

Oysters Rockefeller
Chausson aux champignon et marron
Cress, arugula, sour cherries, Meyer lemon vinaigrette