On the lighter side

Cape Chef,


Wonderful dishes for me when time has allowed and will allow : Osso Bucco / Gremolata, Pot au feu , patee champenoise, fresh pasta , Basque seafood stew, pork liver pate, terrines de campagne , Navarin d'agneau, making baguettes. Souffle with a rum sauce, fresh fruit with maple syrup , flamed bananas, creme brulee (rum & nutmeg)...., my comfort foods.
I try to always look for a place that is warm and chaleureux, Bistro style with salads and soups, or steak & frites.


Then there are days when I go to the Bakery and buy an aged cheddar or brie de Meaux, salami, go home and eat just that with a glass of wine and an apple. Drinks ? Gin Martini, wines : not expensive yet taste good all the same, Chateau d'Aydie, La Crema, Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Sauvignon, Thorn-Clark shotfire Shiraz Barossa , Fleur du Cap,a good Port for cold days.
Music: Liszt- Liebestraum for cooking. (a few times) Thank You for asking.(it could have been a bigger list ! )

 

I am a sucker for fresh pasta and bolognaise sauce. I have pasta at least 2 times a week with fresh percorino romano, and of course a caesar salad. What can I say, I am a sucker for the simple things in life.

Also, potstickers and chinese dumplings are awesome as well. They are a PIA to make, but they freeze well.

Finally, a good roasted chicken with lemon and rosemary will always set up the tone good and great.

 

With an 18 year old son at home and a busy schedule I find myself duing the tried and true, quick and easy things. Chili, Stews, soups, Kung Pao chicken, Ma Po Dofu, and Cuban dishes are family favorites, otherwise it all depends on what I find at the store and what strikes my fancy. We don't eat nearly as fancy as we used to, mostly comfort foods for the winter and easy things. But once in a while I break out the old chops and make something fancy. Having a lot of fun though with my pressure cooker!

 

roasted pork shoulder, then made a stoup with the bone and left over meat with adzuki beans. Also when we got snowed in here I made a big batch of fruit soup, keeps the chill out better then Irish coffee.

 

I cook lots of steak, fish, chicken recently, gain some weight...
going to cook more vegies instead...

 

Where I am is very upscale. So all I want to make and eat when I am home is comfort foods. Meat loaf, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, roast chicken, stuffing, baked ham , Pastas , pot roast Etc. When I go out , there are a few good places here for food , but Florida is the PITTS for service. I look for a place where the waitstaff knows the difference between mustard and mayo/ and if there are only two of us ordering , then bringing the food and asking who gets what? That really gets me. Having to ask for more water. Or bringing pancakes and the cold syrup 5 or 10 minutes later. Or the burger platter and no catsup on the table. I do not ask for much but even halfway good would be nice here in Florida. I truly believe some of these people are eligable for an Academy Award for imitating a waiter or waitress.:chef: Have a Great Holiday

 

Gnocchi and pasta are my staples. If I'm ever in need of something to eat, I throw a potato in the oven and make gnocchi. The same goes for pasta, if I'm hungry when I walk in the door I put a pot on the stove and pour myself a well of flour and grab an egg. If it's just me eating I'll forgo the pasta roller and just roll it with a pin and cut tagliatelle with a knife.

I like to eat pretty hearty at home, lots of starch, lots of 35 (If I can afford it), lots of butter. Food that puts me to sleep the moment I'm done eating.

One of our suppliers had 50% off on grade B Quebec foie gras, so I bought a lobe last week. Vein-y like nothing else but I sear the crap out of it and eat it on some stale brioche, which is also great for mopping up the cast iron afterwards :thumb: I've never actually had foie gras to work with at home before, so it's a real special treat.

 

roast chicken, banana nuetske lardon pancakes, egg foo young, veg sandwiches, when it's cold....shredded wheat with hot milk....mixed/cooked 7 whole grain cereal (kamut, quinoa, amaranth, rye, barley, spelt, millet) man that stuff stays with you....there's always yogurt, right now Rachels, Emi and Fage...emi is the only fruity one that has me coming back for more.

 

Quick and satisfying is the theme just now.

Simple Rissottos
Lentil or thick veg soup
Thai Tom yum soup for something light
Good cheese and good bread home made pickles n chutneys

 

banana nueske bacon lardon pancakes with maple butter= heaven.
easy to make, cook off lardons, I bake um. make thick pancake batter....after reading Kenny Shopkin's cookbook (he's the nut restauranteur in NYC that makes 800+ dishes at his diner) I use box mix, really....couldn't believe it myself....anyway, slice cook longer on first side add banana & cooked lardons to top, flip....cook until done....these are outrageously addictive. It's unusual for me not to have a slab or partial slab in the freezer.....I keep trying other bacons but none beat it. IMO
Odessa Piper told me that Mr. Nueske has NO IDEA that his bacon has "rock star" statis amoungst eaters.


Restaurants.....usually it's pho or vietnamese or thai....or sit at the bar of a friends' fine dining and have shtuff off the bar menu....unusual to have an entree....when it's cold it's not unusual for me to order 2 soups.

 

Shroom,

Anything compared to "heaven" in my books deserves trying. Glad you spoke about it again, now you described it .....I will try...

I must add pizza to my list. :thumb:....and a dessert I would love to make which was posted in someone's restaurant picks who had on the menu ....clear chocolate , among a few other things.

 

description from their site:
This is the same premium-quality bacon as our popular sliced varieties... made from the leanest pork available, and slowly smoked over Wisconsin Applewood embers for a full 24 hours. Another sign of superior quality: It shrinks a fraction as much as typical supermarket bacon.
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One of the wholesalers in town carries slab, but it looks like it's much cheaper on line.....possibly shipping makes it comparable in cost.

 

Lately I've been experimenting with different raviolis served with a simple butter sauce. My favs so far are one I made with asparagus and thyme and another with mushroom and oregano.

I also recently made an award-winning turkey and beef chili that the family has requested frequently, since I won that particular competition. I think they just like the bragging rights.

In a pinch, I still throw a whole chicken into the oven and roast it.

Arroz con Polo, quick style. Sort of my version. Not quite the all-day cooked version. I use a jointed chicken and bake the chicken and rice in the oven.

Pasta with oregano cream sauce.

For this time of year, the family is always asking me for my butternut squash soup, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheese cake.

Anytime I'm invited anywhere, I take bouchees (vol-au-vent) with a creamy concoction of mushrooms or asparagus and people can't get enough of my cheese puffs (an oldie, but goodie that seems to be making a come back).

 

burgers.....really jonsing burgers.....salt ciabatta rolls cooked with butter, medium 80/20 or approx burger cooked in hot cast iron skillet, red onion, lettuce or arugula, my bread and butter pickles, mayo.= yumminess.....

 

I cooked turkey during christmas and new year eve.