9-25-02
TS Isidore Eve (in New Orleans uptown)
Roast Pork Shoulder
I was going to pressure cook it - it was too big. Seared it - added onions, garlic. Went to Rio Mar then banks - came back - took out burnt onions (on 425) added more garlic, onions, carrots, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, red wine, tomatoes, s & p. Went to Sav A Center three times today - we are well prepared. Started around 11am - turned off temp at 3:10 pm. Added cayenne, potatoes, mushroom, smoked sausage.
9-29-02
Lime Sesame Chicken
Seared thighs in sesame oil, added zest, salt and pepper, lime juice, water, cayenne, (ginger tea - shhh secret ingredient) baked in oven - served w/rice noodles boiled with philippine saffron. Yum!!!
10-11-02
I was wondering what I wold make as a dish in honor of the Food Pimp - funnily enough, he came home and said he was doing a demo 2 Saturdays from now - and he asked what his signature dish was - I said something southwestern/mediterranean, something with bold flavors - peppers, fresh herb, garlic w/fresh mediterranean type produce - veggies - greens finished with olive oil. Never chicken - fish - shrimp, rich meat - lamb or beef. Not pork - that is me - I'm a cannibal.
Thanksgiving (02)
Big Picnic Roast for about $10 @ 10#
Kinda carribean flavor - I guess I make everything sweet which I guess comes from the Philippines in me. I made a paste w/dried fish, herbs, garlic, hot peppers, vinegar, pineapple, OJ, champagne, ginger tea, brown sugar, oil, probably some other stuff. I poked holes all over the meat & stuck the paste deep in, baby. While roasting I would add the paste, diluted with more OJ & champagne, vin. It took 2 1/2 to 3 hours I guess. I Fuckin love Roast Pork!!!
Christmas dinner 2002
I went to Kim Phat on the westbank. My main purpose was to get some of those freaky asian ducks. In the Sav A Center a duckling is about $22 frozen. In whole foods one gigantic breast is around $15-20 - and the whole ducks were, I want to say almost $30.
BACK TRACK
Sausage Sunday.
2 weeks ago we bought lots of sausage from Whole Foods
chorizo
habanero pork
lamb mint garlic
bratwurst
steak fajitas - given free because we got so much
We made a yukon gold, red yellow bell pepper hash. The steak fajita sucked - of course. It tasted like steak, it dryed out - didn't have enough fat. The bratwurst was not so good - I shouldn't have cooked those two with the others. The bratwurst had a strong rosemary taste. Habanero was not spicy at all if I recall. Lamb was the best! Chorizo was okay - pretty spicy. I love sausage - I'm crazy for it - I guess it adds to the cannibal concept. I haven't wanted any since then - of course at work - for the last two weeks we have been running sausage specials! It's like some kind of evil sausage karma.
side note
I went with CMG to Byblos - I feel like I go there a lot with him - although it's only been 3 times I think. The first time with the FP for lunch (FP was grumpy). That was the day he embarrassed me by asking CMG why he was in love with Maria & not with me. Then the second time - FP was sick so he didn't go. CMG got the amberjack kebab. I got the lamb schwarma or whatever. We had a good smoked salmon appetizer.
This time CMG got the Mahi Mahi kebab. I think he goes there because he likes the waitresses there. He reminds me of Moulon in that way - although whereas Moulon is vocal & whimsical (makes a comment about how she's hot every time she walks by, flirts) CMG is quiet and kidlike. I...I think she's...I like her. Whenever she walks up to the talk he looks at me, looks anywhere but directly into her eyes - so I look right at her - as if I'm the one flirting. Anyway, my whole point is that (was) is this Byblos on Magazine is beautiful. Cherry wood bar (I don't really know - I just like to sound knowledgeable, and then I have to tag on a disclaimer so that no one will value my opinion - then I'll complain that no one listens to me later.) Painted brick walls - spacious feel, open kitchen with arched opening - but the food isn't half as good as at the original Byblos. Tarek - the owner - is there a lot - but I get the feeling like he didn't train the cooks - or they don't believe in standardized recipes. I know consistency is important - but it seems that every place has off days - fairly often. If you think about it - sometimes standardized recipes are the culprit - like the laminated shrimp gravy incident.
Everyone from day one told me how the shrimp gravy is a nightmare. I think that didn't help me out psychologically. So after weeks of trying to figure it out - everyone was making it different - Kevin settled on quantities and laminated the recipe & taped it to the inside of my reach in. I made it according to his specs - but I don't think I cooked it long enough - so it was too loose - Chef got pissed said don't use a recipe - ripped it off & tossed it. The same time my chicken and dumpling was too thick. Chef said I needed to write down quantities - which one is it? I know. I knew what he meant - did he have to be so mean?
Getting back to the ducks - they have heads, feet too.I want to have "a Christmas Story" Christmas dinner. I'm going to wack the heads off & sing fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra. So I rinsed and dried the plucked dead carcasses. Then I made a brine of soy sauce, salt & vinegar. I let them sit breast side down - then this morning I flipped them. They look so creepy. They have eyes - beaks - webbed feet. Am I supposed to poke the eyes out? That is too gross. I hate having to touch the neck. This is the most grossed out, quasi vegetarian I have ever felt. These are probably, most likely, going to be the best thing I ever cooked - if I don't overcook them. That is tricky though, because with our last brining experience (turkey - thanksgiving last year) we grossly overestimated the cooking time. I'm guessing 340 2/3 minutes {this is what it looks like I wrote - it's kinda scratched out, so I'm not sure what I was trying to write!} 375- 400 we have a hot oven, I think. But I have Alan's handy dandy meat thermometer.
I brined it for almost 48 hours. I dried & rinsed them and let them sit for one day. Then I made a sauce with lemongrass, kumquat, lime broth, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch - then I coated the ducks overnight. I had to make a sauce to finish - caramel (w/lemongrass broth) soy sauce, tamarind, vinegar, red wine, more sugar. For a side - edamame, abalone mushrooms, straw mushrooms, garlic, onions, ginger, kumquat - sauteed with coconut oil. I cooked the ducks about 2 1/2 hours 375- 400 - skin didn't gt crispy!!! Then let some of it cook on what I thought was low heat - I accidentally left the broiler on high!!!
TS Isidore Eve (in New Orleans uptown)
Roast Pork Shoulder
I was going to pressure cook it - it was too big. Seared it - added onions, garlic. Went to Rio Mar then banks - came back - took out burnt onions (on 425) added more garlic, onions, carrots, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, red wine, tomatoes, s & p. Went to Sav A Center three times today - we are well prepared. Started around 11am - turned off temp at 3:10 pm. Added cayenne, potatoes, mushroom, smoked sausage.
9-29-02
Lime Sesame Chicken
Seared thighs in sesame oil, added zest, salt and pepper, lime juice, water, cayenne, (ginger tea - shhh secret ingredient) baked in oven - served w/rice noodles boiled with philippine saffron. Yum!!!
10-11-02
I was wondering what I wold make as a dish in honor of the Food Pimp - funnily enough, he came home and said he was doing a demo 2 Saturdays from now - and he asked what his signature dish was - I said something southwestern/mediterranean, something with bold flavors - peppers, fresh herb, garlic w/fresh mediterranean type produce - veggies - greens finished with olive oil. Never chicken - fish - shrimp, rich meat - lamb or beef. Not pork - that is me - I'm a cannibal.
Thanksgiving (02)
Big Picnic Roast for about $10 @ 10#
Kinda carribean flavor - I guess I make everything sweet which I guess comes from the Philippines in me. I made a paste w/dried fish, herbs, garlic, hot peppers, vinegar, pineapple, OJ, champagne, ginger tea, brown sugar, oil, probably some other stuff. I poked holes all over the meat & stuck the paste deep in, baby. While roasting I would add the paste, diluted with more OJ & champagne, vin. It took 2 1/2 to 3 hours I guess. I Fuckin love Roast Pork!!!
Christmas dinner 2002
I went to Kim Phat on the westbank. My main purpose was to get some of those freaky asian ducks. In the Sav A Center a duckling is about $22 frozen. In whole foods one gigantic breast is around $15-20 - and the whole ducks were, I want to say almost $30.
BACK TRACK
Sausage Sunday.
2 weeks ago we bought lots of sausage from Whole Foods
chorizo
habanero pork
lamb mint garlic
bratwurst
steak fajitas - given free because we got so much
We made a yukon gold, red yellow bell pepper hash. The steak fajita sucked - of course. It tasted like steak, it dryed out - didn't have enough fat. The bratwurst was not so good - I shouldn't have cooked those two with the others. The bratwurst had a strong rosemary taste. Habanero was not spicy at all if I recall. Lamb was the best! Chorizo was okay - pretty spicy. I love sausage - I'm crazy for it - I guess it adds to the cannibal concept. I haven't wanted any since then - of course at work - for the last two weeks we have been running sausage specials! It's like some kind of evil sausage karma.
side note
I went with CMG to Byblos - I feel like I go there a lot with him - although it's only been 3 times I think. The first time with the FP for lunch (FP was grumpy). That was the day he embarrassed me by asking CMG why he was in love with Maria & not with me. Then the second time - FP was sick so he didn't go. CMG got the amberjack kebab. I got the lamb schwarma or whatever. We had a good smoked salmon appetizer.
This time CMG got the Mahi Mahi kebab. I think he goes there because he likes the waitresses there. He reminds me of Moulon in that way - although whereas Moulon is vocal & whimsical (makes a comment about how she's hot every time she walks by, flirts) CMG is quiet and kidlike. I...I think she's...I like her. Whenever she walks up to the talk he looks at me, looks anywhere but directly into her eyes - so I look right at her - as if I'm the one flirting. Anyway, my whole point is that (was) is this Byblos on Magazine is beautiful. Cherry wood bar (I don't really know - I just like to sound knowledgeable, and then I have to tag on a disclaimer so that no one will value my opinion - then I'll complain that no one listens to me later.) Painted brick walls - spacious feel, open kitchen with arched opening - but the food isn't half as good as at the original Byblos. Tarek - the owner - is there a lot - but I get the feeling like he didn't train the cooks - or they don't believe in standardized recipes. I know consistency is important - but it seems that every place has off days - fairly often. If you think about it - sometimes standardized recipes are the culprit - like the laminated shrimp gravy incident.
Everyone from day one told me how the shrimp gravy is a nightmare. I think that didn't help me out psychologically. So after weeks of trying to figure it out - everyone was making it different - Kevin settled on quantities and laminated the recipe & taped it to the inside of my reach in. I made it according to his specs - but I don't think I cooked it long enough - so it was too loose - Chef got pissed said don't use a recipe - ripped it off & tossed it. The same time my chicken and dumpling was too thick. Chef said I needed to write down quantities - which one is it? I know. I knew what he meant - did he have to be so mean?
Getting back to the ducks - they have heads, feet too.I want to have "a Christmas Story" Christmas dinner. I'm going to wack the heads off & sing fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra. So I rinsed and dried the plucked dead carcasses. Then I made a brine of soy sauce, salt & vinegar. I let them sit breast side down - then this morning I flipped them. They look so creepy. They have eyes - beaks - webbed feet. Am I supposed to poke the eyes out? That is too gross. I hate having to touch the neck. This is the most grossed out, quasi vegetarian I have ever felt. These are probably, most likely, going to be the best thing I ever cooked - if I don't overcook them. That is tricky though, because with our last brining experience (turkey - thanksgiving last year) we grossly overestimated the cooking time. I'm guessing 340 2/3 minutes {this is what it looks like I wrote - it's kinda scratched out, so I'm not sure what I was trying to write!} 375- 400 we have a hot oven, I think. But I have Alan's handy dandy meat thermometer.
I brined it for almost 48 hours. I dried & rinsed them and let them sit for one day. Then I made a sauce with lemongrass, kumquat, lime broth, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch - then I coated the ducks overnight. I had to make a sauce to finish - caramel (w/lemongrass broth) soy sauce, tamarind, vinegar, red wine, more sugar. For a side - edamame, abalone mushrooms, straw mushrooms, garlic, onions, ginger, kumquat - sauteed with coconut oil. I cooked the ducks about 2 1/2 hours 375- 400 - skin didn't gt crispy!!! Then let some of it cook on what I thought was low heat - I accidentally left the broiler on high!!!
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