What are you eating for dinner tonight?

Good frying pan with hot butter to sear it first would have done the trick 😉

Last night,

So we hosted our holiday dinner with family yesterday. Didn't have time to take photos of everything since it was pretty busy. But trying to make a menu that satisfies the varying tastes of everyone involved, so had to have some traditional meat/potato things, plus add something that was maybe a little different. So the first thing made was dessert, and I decided Crème Brule would be a nice change. The good part about this is we could make it a day ahead...some shots of the process...it's actually very easy to make.

Lots of 35% cream...


Vanilla bean...

Making the custard...

Ready for baking...

I did the Brule the next day...

But had to test one - very good...

Of course we did a turkey. Prep for that started 2 days before with a dry brine, then letting the turkey sit in the fridge uncovered to dry out the skin (helps with making it crisp). Then a little paste of oil and baking powder applied, and it's ready to roast:


Cover the breast with foil...


Oven was pre-heated with a pizza stone under the roasting pan - this is done to help cook the dark meat a little quicker, so the whole bird is done at the same time...


After 45 mins the foil is removed, temperature lowered, and the bird cooked until done...


Now done - skin is crispy, and despite the outer appearance the bird is still very juicy, and all of it cooked at the same time...


We had pretty regular sides for most - mashed potatoes, dressing, and here's a shot of the gravy in progress...best I could do since I was cooking 3 things at a time...



We had roasted red bell peppers as a side dish, so roasted those, peeled the skins, put some nice olive oil on them, and serviced with goat cheese - they were a big hit with everyone...and the simplest thing on the menu...



And I didn't get a photo of it from yesterday, but I made a dish that I had once at one of Susur Lee's restaurants in Toronto a couple of years ago. King oyster mushrooms and snap peas...this is from an earlier time I made it as I was trying to get the flavours right in the sauce...



It was also a big hit. So overall the meal was great, and of course time with family even better. Hope everyone else enjoyed their family meals...

Cheers, Al

Thanks - looks good. This one came from a Spanish restaurant we ate while we were in Australia earlier this year. Along with all the wonderful dishes we ate that night (croquettes, pork dishes, quail, etc.) there was one that everyone universally loved...


So we have made it a few times since.

Sous vide prime rib last night...



Looks a little odd coming out after 6 hours in the bath...



But after applying a light crust, and 15 minutes at 425F in the oven, it's looking good:





Side dish of king oyster mushrooms and snow peas:



Aus jus:



It was amazing...



Tonight likely beef fajitas with what's left!

Not all haggis neeps and tatties north of the wall 😀

Anyone here try roasting Kale? I used to think of it as only garnish but I find roasting it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper is quite tasty. I started roasting most of my vegetables recently I think they maintain more nutrients than steaming or boiling but I have not read if it’s true it just seems to make sense in my small brain.

Used the 'ol Omega Apnea steak rest timer to try out Alton Brown's reverse-sear steak recipe. Turned out great!