Posted by johngl
In one of her forays into the wonders of our freezer, the most glorious spousal unit made a brilliant discovery: a very large bone-in 2″ thick sous vide ribeye that was leftover (unopened) from a dinner gathering that took place a few months ago.
Since all I had to do was thaw and sear-off the steak, I could focus on some more unusual side dishes like carrots braised in beer and gnocchi “tater tots.”
It was quite a lot of fun not having to focus on the meat…
Posted by johngl
Labor Day is upon us! Time to wrap up this Burger Quest.
You might wonder: Why would anyone in their right mind grind a duck into burger meat?
Well, I like duck and I think duck is under-appreciated in this part of the world. Why not burgers? We burger everything else! Is it really such a stretch? I’ve roasted it, confit’d it, grilled it, and made stock out of it. I hadn’t yet tried burgering it (spell check is trying to turn “burgering” into “buggering” which would give that last statement a whole new meaning).
So when Brittany (aka: Stems) suggested that for my finale, I should do “duck burgers and fries cooked in duck fat” it took about 10 seconds before I said: “OK! You’ve got something there.”
I hereby introduce to the world: The Maple Leaf Farms Duck Burger!
What do you mean it looks just like a hamburger? Of course it does, that is the whole point.
Posted by johngl
I had such great success with the sirloin & chuck burger, which created a great meaty taste along with a good texture and flavorful juices (that were helped along by a bit of butter), I thought I would go ahead and see if the addition of tri-tip added or detracted from the flavor and texture.
It’s all just a great experiment anyway, right? What did I have to lose?
Sirloin, Chuck, and Tri-Tip Burger with Pommes Souffle
Posted by johngl
Burgers, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
Your buns can reach, while tasting outta sight
To the ends of chewing and ideal last bite!
Please forgive my corruption of Sonnet 43 (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese, 1850) but I just can’t help myself.
Sirloin, Chuck, and Brisket Burger with Hand Cut Burbank Russet Fries
How could anyone (‘cept maybe a Vegan) resist this oozing buttery burger with melty sharp cheddar and home made fries?
Posted by johngl
So, the other day I had a few friends over for a long lunch. There were a few items leftover including three baked potatoes. I’ve come up with a number of things to do with leftover spuds over time, but today for lunch, I decided on some pommes frites.
Exquisitely crunchy, these “fries” are a great way to use up some extra baked potatoes
Posted by johngl
Every once in a while, I get really lazy and just want something simple for dinner. Since I picked up a whole beef tenderloin last Wednesday, it seemed like a tenderloin tournedo was the answer. Paired with a baked potato, it is hard to beat.
Pan Seared Beef Tournedo with Baked Potato, Crème Fraîche, Butter, and Fresh Chives
Posted by johngl (200902280843)
Some friends of mine poke fun at me because I enjoy the consuming caviar, foie gras, and other fancy foods. But really good food doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. In fact, some of the best meals I’ve ever eaten have been made from inexpensive cuts of meat. So what if I enjoyed a dinner of cognac infused pâté de foie gras and Jean Laurent champagne last night? Earlier in the week, we had a night of oh-so-tender braised beef shanks with veggies and another night of beef stew over a baked potato.
Braised Beef Shanks with Potatoes, Carrots, and Cauliflower
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Posted by johngl
While wandering the aisles of Austin’s Central Market South the other day, the most glorious one spotted some Berkshire pork “porterhouse” chops. Back home in Iowa these were referred to as Iowa Chops by local grocers. It is about the only thing Iowa was proud enough to stamp with the state name. You sure as hell don’t see the Iowa Edition of a Chevy truck there.
Back on topic, Berkshire pork is real pig. Think of it as a sort of Wagyu of the pork world. Wagyu is the breed of beef that is referred to as Kobe. The Japanese even have a special name for the Berkshire pig, too: Kurobuta. It is known for it’s wonderful marbling and therefore its extreme porkiness. It looks different, it smells different, and it tastes different.
Posted by johngl
I buy large quantities of meat. For instance, last Friday, I picked up seven pounds of chuck, three of which went for sliders over at Charlie’s. Obviously, I had four pounds left, so into my dry-aging fridge it went. Several days later, we had some braised beef and potatoes for dinner.
This is about the easiest dish ever…
Posted by johngl
In the Battle Belly posting (a week ago), I mentioned that I was marinating some baby back ribs in that fantastic combination of soy sauce, sambal chili paste, and a litany of herbs and spices.
Well, they’re all gone now and my, were they tasty!
To begin…
Posted by johngl
Any recipe that you see that begins with three gallons of duck fat in the list of ingredients has got to give you fair warning that this may be just a tiny little bit beyond the realm of home cooking. However, when issued a challenge of this sort, I am hard pressed not to accept it. In fact, it makes me a little giddy.
This is my version of Chef Tre’s Crispy Pork Belly, Ginger Sweet Potatoes, and Spicy Sesame Glaze.
Posted by johngl
Back in the old days, prior to the change in millenniums, the most glorious one had a recipe for a potato gratin that used beef or chicken stock and gruyere cheese rather than the usual cream. We loved the recipe and since it was hers and not mine I didn’t keep track of it.
Sadly, it managed to get lost, misplaced, shredded, or burned as a direct result of our move to Austin from the Great Midwest. We searched and searched to no avail. We tried improvising but always managed to get something with too much liquid (or not enough), stringy cheese, or potatoes that slithered around rather than stick together.
I am happy to report that those days are gone thanks to Cooks Illustrated and their index.
Sadly, I don’t have much of a picture of the finished product other than this blurry thing. This came from a pic where the potatoes were hidden behind the roast beast at the party the other night:
Posted by johngl
Bourbon Reds, sometimes called Kentucky Reds or Bourbon Butternuts, are a heritage turkey breed that originated in Kentucky and Pennsylvania back in the late 1800′s. It officially became an approved breed in 1909. It’s been around a while.
Posted by johngl
I had a whole pork tenderloin left over from doing some pinchitos the other day (you’ll see the pork pinchitos in a future post), so I thought I would do something completely different.
Posted by johngl
I’ve heard those exact words from two people in the past week.
One, Brittany, a reasonably young and svelte female coworker eats real food like a bird, but devours anything sugar-laden with gusto. The other (we’ll call him Snotty) is a reasonably old and wealthy friend who eats real food like a bird and still thinks that Cocoa Puffs is a food group. If you stood them together and took a snapshot of them, it would look like this: ||
So, it was to my advantage that I grilled a whole beef tenderloin for the latter individual on Friday — an old friend I hadn’t seen in long while was in town and Snotty wanted to do a little get-together at the manse. Now, normally, I would think that a single whole tenderloin wouldn’t be enough for seven adults, so I included the petite tenders with it.
I also made a five-pound-bag sized pile of roasted garlic mashed potatoes (1-1/2 heads of roasted garlic replete with a cup of heavy cream and a half-stick of butter). These were to be topped with the oh-so-good Avruga (herring roe) caviar. I was happy to hear that even my well-traveled friends hadn’t seen that before, but it is a natural pairing.
So, the whole point of this post is leftovers.
During clean-up, Snot uttered the fateful words and suggested that I take them home. “SURE!”, says my frugal not-so-wealthy self.
Parmesan Encrusted Garlic Mashed Potato Galette with Philly Cheese-Steak French Dip sammy
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A spirited and irreverent journey into the world of food, alcoholic beverages, and the innovative use of construction materials
