Where my fellow cooks at???

[mac5155]

I do not have a smoker

I do want one, though

[shafnutz05]

I love boneless skinless chicken breasts, but a few weeks ago my wife accidentally picked up the marinated chicken thighs instead. Gross city.

[count2infinity]

chicken thighs are my favorite piece of the chicken (on par with wings if done correctly)

[count2infinity]

I do not have a smoker

I do want one, though

http://lifehacker.com/5350455/build-a-b ... r-under-50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[shafnutz05]

chicken thighs are my favorite piece of the chicken (on par with wings if done correctly)

Yeah, I normally grill all my chicken, so I'm sure that's not the preferred method for thighs.

[count2infinity]

Grilled thighs are fine by me. I know a lot of people don't like them. They have a strong chickeny taste and my girlfriend says they're "slimy" but i love 'em.

[Shyster]

chicken thighs are my favorite piece of the chicken (on par with wings if done correctly)

Totally agree. I pretty much exclusively buy chicken thighs when I’m buying chicken. They’re richer and tastier than breasts. Cheaper too. They’re easier to grill if de-boned, but they are perfectly capable good results when grilled; in fact, I believe thighs are better on the grill than breasts because the richer meat is likely to dry out from the dry heat.

My last batch of boneless thighs was marinated southeast-Asian style in a marinade comprising fish sauce, oyster sauce, medium-sweet Indonesian soy sauce (kecap manis sedang), garlic, and onion. Very tasty. I served it with steamed short-grain rice, grilled onions, and kimchi.

[viva la ben]

The vlb household soy sauce of choice is Kecap Manis. My kids will not use anything else.

[tifosi77]

I made mussels with white miso and sherry vinegar on Saturday, and then made venison burgers Cuban style (with ham, Swiss, pickles, mustard, pressed with a brick) on Sunday. But the, er, camera(man) malfunctioned and I didn't get any serviceable shots. Trust me, tho.... the mussels were great, but the burgers were a little overcooked.

The mussel recipe is actually one of my absolute favorite mid-week meals. But Mrs. Tif hadn't had them in a while, so it was special requested.

My last batch of boneless thighs was marinated southeast-Asian style in a marinade comprising fish sauce, oyster sauce, medium-sweet Indonesian soy sauce (kecap manis sedang), garlic, and onion. Very tasty. I served it with steamed short-grain rice, grilled onions, and kimchi.

Shyster, if you don't mind me asking; where do you get your Asian ingredients? I have a strong preference for the flavors of Southeast Asia and the Malay and Indo regions. (I actually had phở Chín Nạm Gầu Gân Sác for lunch today.) However, markets - even here in Los Angeles - are hard to find. I know of a few great Japanese markets, a couple so-so Vietnamese markets, a couple Thai markets, and.......... that's about it. I'd love to be able to get more than one or two brands of sambal, for example.

[Shyster]

Shyster, if you don't mind me asking; where do you get your Asian ingredients? I have a strong preference for the flavors of Southeast Asia and the Malay and Indo regions. (I actually had phở Chín Nạm Gầu Gân Sác for lunch today.) However, markets - even here in Los Angeles - are hard to find. I know of a few great Japanese markets, a couple so-so Vietnamese markets, a couple Thai markets, and.......... that's about it. I'd love to be able to get more than one or two brands of sambal, for example.

Sorry, but I actually bought the stuff at a local pan-Asian market that opened on the McKnight Road corridor here in Pittsburgh about a year ago. It’s creatively named “Oriental Market.” Based on my admitted incomplete knowledge of Asian-Pacific sauces and ingredients, I do believe it has a decent selection. For example, there’s an entire aisle of soy, oyster, fish, and shrimp sauces and pastes from more than half a dozen countries. I have no idea what half of the stuff is, let alone what to do with it. Every time I go in I try to buy at least one mystery item with no English on the label. It’s the only place I know of where I can get kimchi by the half-gallon jar.

[mac5155]

just housed crab legs corn on the cob and burgers..is there anything better

[shmenguin]

just cooked scallops for the first time...got 9 medium sized ones, dried them, salted them, dropped them in the stainless steel pan medium high heat with olive oil, flipped them after 1-2 minutes, lowered the heat, added some butter and basted them for another 1-2 minutes.

good freaking lord were they delicious. i'm pretty sure scallops are made of sugar. there's no other explanation how they can taste like they do. it should be a crime to deep fry those things.

[tifosi77]

Been a while since I shared anything fun.

Had friends over for lunch a couple weeks ago and I tried a new recipe from Le Bernardin

A Tribute to Gaudi: Monkfish with Firey Patatas Bravas, Confit Peppers, and a Chorizo-Albariño Emulsion.

(not my picture)

Except the two mongers I know of that carry monk came up empty on the day; one hadn't opened yet when I was there, and the other had this single sad little monk that looked like he had been in the case for a week. So I audibled and got Chilean sea bass that's sourced from a sustainable farm operation.

I used the same cooking technique as used for the monk in the recipe, which was a complete mistake. The fish was cooked well enough, but I think I lost some its essential bassyness by pan roasting instead of, say, steaming. And I stupidly forgot to re-emulsify the sauce before plating, so it looks all cloudy and grainy and stuff.

Last weekend I made:

Herb and Citrus Lamb Chops with Moroccan Spiced Maque Choux and a Peach & Champagne Vinegar Sauce


Overall, I was very pleased with this dish. The flavors came together nicely and played really well with one and other. Definitely a case of being more than the sum of its parts.

[canaan]

just cooked scallops for the first time...got 9 medium sized ones, dried them, salted them, dropped them in the stainless steel pan medium high heat with olive oil, flipped them after 1-2 minutes, lowered the heat, added some butter and basted them for another 1-2 minutes.

good freaking lord were they delicious. i'm pretty sure scallops are made of sugar. there's no other explanation how they can taste like they do. it should be a crime to deep fry those things.

there is never a bad time for scallops.

[tifosi77]

You know, Eric Ripert says he does not like to pan-sear scallops. Says the caramelization makes them too sweet.

Which is, of course, complete bollocks.

[columbia]

Low and slow day:

Beef stew made with chuck roast (that I started last night and will cook the rest of today).

I tried something different this time cooked some red potatoes in the stew for a few hours and pureed them in some of the broth, mushroom soy sauce and portabellas that were in the stew pot. Then threw that back in the stew pot....very earthen.

[tifosi77]

Wow, Columbia's Umami Stew. Sounds delicious.

One other trick I've learned for stewing is to put all the aromatics and veg on the bottom layer of the pan, then add a layer of muslin cloth, then on top of that add the browned meat and cover with your stock/broth/wine/liquid. When done, use the muslin to lift the meat out without any veggie bits. Then you can strain your remaining liquid and finish it more easily. The veg you removed can, as you did, be pureed into saucy goodness. Or you can strain out the solids, and then prepare some of those same veg separately (simply sauteing in oil or butter), so you have nice bright orange carrots and sweet onions to garnish the stew with, supporting the aromatic components of the stewed veg flavor that has been imparted into the sauce and meat. Bistro cooking at its most elegant.

[columbia]

Hmmmmm.....I will have to try that.

[columbia]

If anyone has a good lamb & artichoke recipe, feel free to post up.

[PensFanInDC]

No baking powder this morning so I used 2 parts cream of tartar and 1 part baking soda. I don't think ill ever use baking powder to make pancakes ever again.

[mac5155]

just cooked scallops for the first time...got 9 medium sized ones, dried them, salted them, dropped them in the stainless steel pan medium high heat with olive oil, flipped them after 1-2 minutes, lowered the heat, added some butter and basted them for another 1-2 minutes.

good freaking lord were they delicious. i'm pretty sure scallops are made of sugar. there's no other explanation how they can taste like they do. it should be a crime to deep fry those things.

there is never a bad time for scallops.

Wrapped in Bacon on the grill is my current favorite but iI may try the method outlined above.

[PensFanInDC]

Bacon wrapped scallops are not only the most delicious food on the planet, but very good for you (in the proper amounts)

[PensFanInDC]

Bacon wrapped scallops are not only the most delicious food on the planet, but very good for you (in the proper amounts)

[columbia]

I'm fairly certain that bacon is never good for you, but I did have some of this with breakfast:

Spoiler:

[PensFanInDC]

Bacon wrapped scallops are not only the most delicious food on the planet, but very good for you (in the proper amounts)