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What are you cooking for V-Day? [+chicken soup]

What are you cooking for V-Day? [+chicken soup]
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  • Post #61 - February 14th, 2007, 8:48 pm
    Post #61 - February 14th, 2007, 8:48 pm Post #61 - February 14th, 2007, 8:48 pm
    Two excellent things to have on Valentine's Day: a tart--

    Image
    Tarte a l'oignon, with homemade bacon

    And a big sausage--

    Image
    Sausage was a bit on the dry side. Not enough fat in the mix. It looked about right when I made it but I guess not. Still tasty, though my wife said, "Needs little pieces of foie gras."

    Dessert was the lavender creme brulée recommended in this thread. I didn't take a picture of the end result, hey, it's creme brulée, you know what it looks like. But here's what it looked like when the lavender was steeping in the hot cream before baking:

    Image

    I'm not wild about lavender as a flavor overall... but in creme brulée, it's just about perfect.
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  • Post #62 - February 15th, 2007, 5:47 am
    Post #62 - February 15th, 2007, 5:47 am Post #62 - February 15th, 2007, 5:47 am
    Mike G wrote:Two excellent things to have on Valentine's Day: a tart--

    And a big sausage--

    Mr. G,

    As opposed to going into double entendre tailspin I'm simply going to say great looking meal and that the tart looks particularly hot

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #63 - February 15th, 2007, 5:58 am
    Post #63 - February 15th, 2007, 5:58 am Post #63 - February 15th, 2007, 5:58 am
    LTH,

    While a large steaming lobster with clarified butter is a perennial special occasion meal favorite, ten bucks worth of PEI Mussels and pan toasted day-old bread were the winners of the evening, at least for me.

    V-Day Mussels

    Image

    Mister Mister the 4.5-lb Lobster

    Image

    Hope all had a lovely Valentines Day.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #64 - February 15th, 2007, 8:29 am
    Post #64 - February 15th, 2007, 8:29 am Post #64 - February 15th, 2007, 8:29 am
    I decided to cook a simple preparation from Arthur Schwartz’s Naples At Table, paccheri with a sauce of cherry tomatoes, shrimp and monkfish, which recipe he got from a restaurant called Da Gemma in Amalfi. Jewel did not have the requisite cherry tomatoes but in lieu thereof had the most gorgeous, perfectly ripe, package of something whose silly name I forgot but were a bit larger than ordinary cherry tomatoes. The sauce couldn’t be simpler: halve the tomatoes, cook them down in garlic-infused olive oil (minus the garlic), add a little hot red pepper and a generous bunch of finely chopped parsley plus a bit of salt. That’s it. After the sauce has reduced a little, put in the fish, throw in the shrimp, and finally, some calamari. Finally, toss in some paccheri (a local pasta in the shape of very large tubes. For those without access to the book, Schwartz’s website has a nice (but different) recipe and story about the pasta in the dish.) I didn’t like the calamari on offer so I simply skipped it, though I will happily add it in the future. And knowing Lovely Dining Companion’s petite appetite, I decided that the pasta would make the entree too filling. So I skipped it as well. That means, I guess, that I didn’t actually make Schwartz’s recipe so much as adapt it. But I gotta tell you, the tomatoes were so sweet that they almost became the star of the dish. I don’t think I have ever had sweeter tomatoes. Lovely dish.

    The rest of dinner was likewise quite simple: brussels sprouts sauteed in butter with a tiny bit too much nutmeg. Nice whole grain bread. I accompanied it with a glass of gruner veltliner; LDC with something I prefer to overlook. For dessert, vanilla ice cream with fresh blue, rasp-, and strawberries, topped with a homemade grapefruit syrup.

    The proverbial good time was had by both.
    Gypsy Boy

    "I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food." (Erma Bombeck)
  • Post #65 - February 15th, 2007, 9:59 am
    Post #65 - February 15th, 2007, 9:59 am Post #65 - February 15th, 2007, 9:59 am
    Started with fake sushi - smoked salmon wrapped in cucumber slices, with pickle, green onion and carrot and a wasabi sauce (on an unfortunately messy plate - it didn't travel well):

    Image

    Then on to a crab "tower", adapted from Cook's Illustrated - from bottom to top, avocado, lump crabmeat, diced tomato, and mung sprouts, and a basic vinagrette (with a glass of Domaine Ste Michelle Blanc de Noirs in the background):
    Image

    No photos of the three artichoke hearts per plate, each topped with a souffle of smoked chicken, mushroom/garlic, or walnut/parmesagn, served over lentils with a roast salsify puree.

    Dessert was a chilled passionfruit soup with blueberries.

    Overall, I think the meal came out okay.
  • Post #66 - February 15th, 2007, 10:59 am
    Post #66 - February 15th, 2007, 10:59 am Post #66 - February 15th, 2007, 10:59 am
    We started with a salad of spinach, blue cheese, red pepper, olives, walnuts, and won ton strips (yeah, they don't go, but they're crunchy), with a simply splashed olive oil/balsamic dressing.

    Main course is the Steak We Don't Talk About From That Warehouse Club. MrsF talked me into cutting the portion size down, so there will be some nice steak for another meal. I topped it with a mixture of more blue cheese and panko (a recipe from epicurious, I think) for a quick sun tan under the broiler, and made a sauce from shallot, garlic, broth, thyme, and port, reduced and mounted with butter. A few sliced mushrooms pan-roasted in the juices left from the steak, and deglazed with a little red wine, made a wonderful accompaniment (and sop for more of that port sauce).

    Side dish was a rosti from Cook's Illustrated. Tasty, but MrsF made a big deal over something that's basically just a big-ass potato pancake, less onions, just because it's swiss and so is she.

    Dessert was chocolate souffle, also from Cook's Illustrated. Probably too dry for some, but just right for me.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #67 - February 15th, 2007, 11:54 am
    Post #67 - February 15th, 2007, 11:54 am Post #67 - February 15th, 2007, 11:54 am
    TonyC wrote:i did the right thing by NOT cooking at home. by the time i'm done, pretty much any resemblance of romance has drained out of me.


    After one particularly spendy and disappointing Valentine's dinner at a restaurant when we still lived in NYC, I vowed never to go out on this occasion again. I choose, instead, to cook at home, but I now realize the libido-snuffing pitfalls of taking on the task of making a romantic Valentine's feast, as TonyC points out.

    I had such great success with the sausage-making endeavour, I'm now obsessed with grinding meat. I ground up a few strip steaks--bought on major sale--that were slightly freezer burned (due to getting lost in the depths of a cube freezer...but I digress) and some boneless pork country ribs (which I now realize were probably too fatty for the recipe) and purchased ground veal (the only kind Dominick's had) to make homemade bolognese.

    It's not a difficult recipe, but the problem started when I decided, 'WTF, I've got at least a pound of each type of meat, why not quadruple the recipe?', which called for 1/4 pound of ground beef, pork and veal. So I did.

    If only I had read the recipe start to finish, and realized that the cooking time for a single recipe was three hours, a doubled recipe would be four hours...you do the math. Say, five or six hours of slow and low simmering time?

    The recipe requires the liquids (first milk, then white wine) to evaporate. When you jump from one cup of each liquid...to FOUR, well, it takes a long time.

    I started prepping at 3, so the milk simmer started around 4, the wine simmer started at around 5, the addition of the tomatoes and reserved liquid happened around 6...and then the real cooking started. Suffice it to say, we didn't have bolognese, sauteed rapini and a lovely bottle of red for dinner. We had turkey cold cut sandwiches and beer. Oh, and three (yes, three) tasty Vosges truffles.

    But it's hard to get mad at a misfired dinner when I still have a refrigerator and freezer full of delicious bolognese.

    Image
  • Post #68 - February 15th, 2007, 3:22 pm
    Post #68 - February 15th, 2007, 3:22 pm Post #68 - February 15th, 2007, 3:22 pm
    Gypsy Boy wrote: Jewel did not have the requisite cherry tomatoes but in lieu thereof had the most gorgeous, perfectly ripe, package of something whose silly name I forgot but were a bit larger than ordinary cherry tomatoes.


    G B,

    I'm guessing that you were using either Campari or Strawberry tomatoes. I've never bought the Strawberry variety, but the Campari's are wonderful.

    Flip
    "Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
    -Ben Franklin-
  • Post #69 - February 15th, 2007, 6:36 pm
    Post #69 - February 15th, 2007, 6:36 pm Post #69 - February 15th, 2007, 6:36 pm
    Since TPA was originally scheduled to be out of town, we've postponed our celebration until Saturday night.

    This is the proposed menu:
    We're starting out with some salmon consomme (made from the poaching liquid used for salmon rillettes) with salmon roe and creme fraiche.
    Cheese Fondue served in my tiny Staub fondue pot, which was a great sale find from Sur la Table
    Yogurt-Rose Water Marinated Butterflied Quail on top of ruby red chard which is served on top of a round of couscous with dried cherries, pistachios & roasted shallots
    Chocolate-Raspberry "Bread" Pudding served in a coulis of the last of my IQF raspberries from last summer. I asterick the bread as I'm actually using the scraps of sheet pan of truffle cake that went towards tiny ganache topped chocolate cakes.
    MAG
    www.monogrammeevents.com

    "I've never met a pork product I didn't like."
  • Post #70 - February 16th, 2007, 7:58 am
    Post #70 - February 16th, 2007, 7:58 am Post #70 - February 16th, 2007, 7:58 am
    Flip wrote:I'm guessing that you were using either Campari or Strawberry tomatoes. I've never bought the Strawberry variety, but the Campari's are wonderful.


    I checked following your post and then, unsure, went back to Jewel: they're Strawberry tomatoes. About the size of a golf ball, about a dozen on a stalk...the most amazing tomatoes I think I've ever had. Almost too sweet...and definitely tomato-ey. Even on sale, they were two packs for $7. But frankly my take is, these were so good that they were worth the price--especially this time of year! Thanks for reminding me (and others) of the name. I'm curious now--where have you found Camparis? When I returned to Jewel, they had about four or five different cherry-like varieties.
    Gypsy Boy

    "I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food." (Erma Bombeck)
  • Post #71 - February 16th, 2007, 6:28 pm
    Post #71 - February 16th, 2007, 6:28 pm Post #71 - February 16th, 2007, 6:28 pm
    HI,

    I don't really do Valentine's Day, though I did host a small dinner party for friends on Monday evening:

    - Butternut squash and roasted garlic soup

    - Bulgarian Shopska Salad, largely due to the quality of Campari tomatoes (chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and green onions lightly dressed in olive oil and wine vinegar plus some salt. Grate on top some feta cheese)

    - Pot roast (seared, seasoned with French four-spices, then resting on a bed of sliced onions and chopped garlic in a sealed pan. No broth, wine or water introduced, all the liquid came from onions and the beef)
    - Mashed potatoes
    - Peeled and boiled asparagus

    - German plum cake with whipped cream

    For Valentine's Day, I visited a friend who is widowed. We ate a meal of ground beef cooked with onions, chopped tomatoes and salsa with macaroni mixed in. Green salad with Ranch dressing. Chocolate pudding with Cool Whip for dessert. Dinner was pleasantly homey and the company terrific as always. We then sat around solving the world's problems. Could not have felt more happy.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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  • Post #72 - February 16th, 2007, 7:42 pm
    Post #72 - February 16th, 2007, 7:42 pm Post #72 - February 16th, 2007, 7:42 pm
    At Oakton Market I got something called "super cherries" that seem similar to the tomatoes you describe; they weren't notably sweet, but were very tomato-ey and delicious.

    We finally "celebrated" V-Day on Saturday, largely with spoils from ransacking H-Mart: Monkfish in a saffron broth with confetti veg and sour cream/masago garnish, collards (which didn't particularly go, but I needed to cook them) and barley/orzo pilaf with enoki mushrooms:
    Image
    Which Sparky ate with relish after we looked up what we were eating on the Internet (bless Google Images!) Always good to eat a bad guy from Finding Nemo! Image
    And I got appropriate props as the cook
    Image
  • Post #73 - February 11th, 2009, 3:17 pm
    Post #73 - February 11th, 2009, 3:17 pm Post #73 - February 11th, 2009, 3:17 pm
    Perhaps I am just looking for some inspiration/fresh ideas with V-day creeping up quickly,(not going to go out for dinner - been there done that...never again) or maybe I'm just curious what others are planning to cook this year.

    I was thinking the typical surf and turf dinner for Saturday, however I doubt I will have time to procure any live lobsters, so that kind of takes some of the luster off of the surf and turf for me. I could always opt for some prawns, but I am kind of on the fence. Prime beef(a couple nice porterhouses are my choice) I can get at my local butcher, so that is covered. Luckily I have a couple days to menu plan, and all day Saturday to cook.

    Like I said maybe some prawns, or maybe some shrimp paired with the slab of beef, shockingly I am kind of crabbed-out right now.

    Desert will be another tough one, I dont eat desert, but I gotta make something.
    Last edited by jimswside on February 11th, 2009, 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #74 - February 11th, 2009, 3:29 pm
    Post #74 - February 11th, 2009, 3:29 pm Post #74 - February 11th, 2009, 3:29 pm
    jimswside wrote:Perhaps I am just looking for some inspiration/fresh ideas with V-day creeping up quickly,(not going to go out for dinner - been there done that...never again) or maybe I'm just curious what others are planning to cook.

    I was thinking the typical surf and turf dinner for Saturday, however I doubt I will have time to procure any live lobsters, so that kind of takes some of the luster off of the surf and turf for me. I could always opt for some prawns, but I am kind of on the fence. Prime beef(a couple nice porterhouses are my choice) I can get at my local butcher, so that is covered. Luckily I have a couple days to menu plan, and all day Saturday to cook.

    Like I said maybe some prawns, or maybe some shrimp paired with the slab of beef, shockingly I am kind of crabbed-out right now.

    Desert will be another tough one, I dont eat desert, but I gotta make something.


    Why not ask your wife? She may have some ideas on this! :)

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #75 - February 11th, 2009, 3:34 pm
    Post #75 - February 11th, 2009, 3:34 pm Post #75 - February 11th, 2009, 3:34 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:
    Why not ask your wife? She may have some ideas on this! :)

    Regards,


    I imagine I can get some input on desert from her, but all other menu planning & shopping falls on my shoulders(better than doing laundry, and dishes that's for sure). :lol:
  • Post #76 - February 11th, 2009, 4:51 pm
    Post #76 - February 11th, 2009, 4:51 pm Post #76 - February 11th, 2009, 4:51 pm
    If she's at all into chocolate, I highly, highly recommend this recipe.
  • Post #77 - February 11th, 2009, 11:21 pm
    Post #77 - February 11th, 2009, 11:21 pm Post #77 - February 11th, 2009, 11:21 pm
    Starter: brandade de morue with celery-root chips
    Main: Coq au vin
    Dessert: Pear-almond tart
  • Post #78 - February 12th, 2009, 11:54 am
    Post #78 - February 12th, 2009, 11:54 am Post #78 - February 12th, 2009, 11:54 am
    This year's dinner is a joint effort:
    Some nice steaks which my honey will chivalrously stand outside in 30-40 degree weather to grill
    Grilled vegetables (ditto above chivalry)
    Fresh baked baguettes (me)
    Nigella's chocolate orange cake (me - because chocalate and orange is his favorite flavor combo)

    In past years we've done a champagne and sushi picnic and last year a jamon iberico and Spanish cheeses and Spanish wine picnic.
  • Post #79 - February 12th, 2009, 12:23 pm
    Post #79 - February 12th, 2009, 12:23 pm Post #79 - February 12th, 2009, 12:23 pm
    Ooh, HelloDali,
    How romantic to have a collaborative dinner.
    Mind if I ask if you are making the chocolate variation of the clementine cake with whole oranges blitzed with almonds? Do you happen to have a link to a recipe in US measurements?
    With thanks!
  • Post #80 - February 12th, 2009, 2:14 pm
    Post #80 - February 12th, 2009, 2:14 pm Post #80 - February 12th, 2009, 2:14 pm
    I have the recipe in her Feasts cookbook which I think is with US measurements. I didn't see anything on line. I will try to remember to e-mail the measurements to you tonight. You might want to nag me with a PM.
  • Post #81 - February 12th, 2009, 2:25 pm
    Post #81 - February 12th, 2009, 2:25 pm Post #81 - February 12th, 2009, 2:25 pm
    We are going to movie in the morning & after that will have lunch in Mc donalds & then for i have not planned yet but got some ideas from this thread.
    Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working
  • Post #82 - February 12th, 2009, 2:32 pm
    Post #82 - February 12th, 2009, 2:32 pm Post #82 - February 12th, 2009, 2:32 pm
    Found some frog's legs in the back of the freezer. Thinking of braised frog's legs in a red pepper sauce over buckwheat noodles. Cheese course for dessert. Accompanied by a Cristalino rosé.
  • Post #83 - February 12th, 2009, 11:31 pm
    Post #83 - February 12th, 2009, 11:31 pm Post #83 - February 12th, 2009, 11:31 pm
    Ooh, HelloDali,
    How romantic to have a collaborative dinner.
    Mind if I ask if you are making the chocolate variation of the clementine cake with whole oranges blitzed with almonds? Do you happen to have a link to a recipe in US measurements?
    With thanks!


    Smitten Kitchen posted this recipe a few weeks ago (http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/clementine-cake/) with US measurements. I was really curious about it so I made it, but wouldn't recommend it. It was alright just out of the oven with a subtle flavor and nice texture, actually more interesting than anything else. But once it cooled became very dense and mushy, almost waterlogged. I shared the cake with some friends and all of them threw it away.
  • Post #84 - February 13th, 2009, 12:23 am
    Post #84 - February 13th, 2009, 12:23 am Post #84 - February 13th, 2009, 12:23 am
    Donuts and Hot Dogs (sorry, just had to do it).

    I'll be baking some fresh French bread early in the day, and we'll be eating that with some cheese and smoked meats to start. I'm making Champvallon as the main course (accompanied by more of the bread). I'm still trying to figure out what exact desert to make (or buy) but it will be some type of extremely dense chocolate accompanied by some Framboise.
    It is VERY important to be smart when you're doing something stupid

    - Chris

    http://stavewoodworking.com
  • Post #85 - February 13th, 2009, 8:19 am
    Post #85 - February 13th, 2009, 8:19 am Post #85 - February 13th, 2009, 8:19 am
    Since Bossy II's heart met with an unfortunate defrosting accident, I think I'm going to make Steak and Kidney Pie, which the 'spouse has mentioned he's had a craving for since he lived in the UK. Fortunately, kidneys were unscathed.

    Nothin says lovin like guts in the oven! :D
  • Post #86 - February 13th, 2009, 9:56 am
    Post #86 - February 13th, 2009, 9:56 am Post #86 - February 13th, 2009, 9:56 am
    Got my menu set(pretty basic, and nothing over the top):

    - basic green salad(romaine, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, red onion, green pepper, avocado) - with homemade 1000 Island Dressing.

    - baked potato with bacon, Kerry Gold Butter, and sour cream

    - steamed broccoli

    - brined, beer battered, & then deep fried butterflied shrimp - served with lemon wedges, and homemade cocktail sauce

    - Approx. 40 oz. Prime Porterhouse steak(to "share") grilled to a rare temperature over lump charcoal, and some mesquite(I am going to my local butcher tomorrow morning to have him cut this steak to order).

    - Dessert - gonna be lazy, and pick something up at the local bakery - perhaps a pie of some sort

    - drinks - beer and tequila of course.
    Last edited by jimswside on February 13th, 2009, 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #87 - February 13th, 2009, 1:18 pm
    Post #87 - February 13th, 2009, 1:18 pm Post #87 - February 13th, 2009, 1:18 pm
    We are having dinner with the kids at El Jardine in the glen (its a long story). Afterwards, once the kids are tucked away, I will have a 1 pound tub of kelleyskatch american paddlefish caviar and a bottle of Pascal Doquet rose champagne at the ready if the wife hasnt passed out from the margaritas.

    -Will
  • Post #88 - February 13th, 2009, 3:05 pm
    Post #88 - February 13th, 2009, 3:05 pm Post #88 - February 13th, 2009, 3:05 pm
    Happy Valentines Day to all of you .Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!
    Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working
  • Post #89 - February 13th, 2009, 4:01 pm
    Post #89 - February 13th, 2009, 4:01 pm Post #89 - February 13th, 2009, 4:01 pm
    We are trying out the braised short rib recipe as posted in the Chicago Trib on 2/11 and chocolate fondue for dessert. We are celebrating as a family and wanted to keep things simple and kid-friendly rather than complex and romantic this year.
  • Post #90 - February 13th, 2009, 4:44 pm
    Post #90 - February 13th, 2009, 4:44 pm Post #90 - February 13th, 2009, 4:44 pm
    WillG wrote:We are having dinner with the kids at El Jardine in the glen (its a long story). Afterwards, once the kids are tucked away, I will have a 1 pound tub of kelleyskatch american paddlefish caviar and a bottle of Pascal Doquet rose champagne at the ready if the wife hasnt passed out from the margaritas.

    -Will


    PADDLEFISH - 16 OUNCE PLASTIC TUB $ 207.20

    I was pleasantly surprised to see a 4-ounce container was proportionately priced at $51. I think a combined purchase for several people to distribute the S&H could be done very conveniently.

    How will be eating this? I remember reading Jackie Onassis ate her sturgeon caviar on a baked potato with sour cream.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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