Made some awesome meatballs for Xmas Eve festivities. The ingredients: -1 - 1.25 lbs of ground beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio -1 lb of sweet Italian sausage -1 onion -1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese -1/3 cup of Italian bread crumbs -1 large egg -1/2 tablespoon of dried basil -1/8 - 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper -4 small garlic gloves -Dash of sugar -2 tablespoons of water The steps: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until everything especially the sausage and beef is well blended. Form tightly rolled meatballs about 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. Roll each meatball into an additional plateful of breadcrumbs until lightly covered. Layer a shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet (not a flat one) with foil and lightly coat with olive oil. Broil on low for 10 minutes. Flip each meatball, broil for another 10 minutes. Take meatballs out and throw them in a crockpot with some marinara and let simmer for 3-4 hours. Enjoy! The pic:
11.5 lb prime rib. stuffed with garlic and rosemary. On the Big Green Egg for 3 hours at 250* followed by a nice sear around 600-650*
I got a bit of Christmas cash burning a hole in my pocket and want to pick up some nice knives, hopefully both a chef's knife, paring knife, and set of steak knives. I have been researching the internet, but no clear answers (German knives are the best....no wait Japanese are...no ceramic is where it's at...you get the picture). So, first hand experience from anybody? I don't want to spend a fortune, I am looking more moderately priced. What do you like?
Re: Re: The Cooking Thread I went with Global knives, I haven't had one complaint about them, got a complete block set on ebay for a steal.
Forgot to snap a pic of it right off the smoker but here it is about half cut. Everyone seemed to love it so I'm calling it a success. What you see already sliced are the end pieces which were a little more done than the middle chunk waiting to be cut.
This question really depends on how much you are willing to spend. For starters, don't buy a "knife set". Those 21 piece sets have shit in them you'll never use and you are better off just buying three or 4 good knives and adding more in if you find them lacking. A 7" chef knife. A Santoku knife. A utility knife of some sort. A paring knife. Japanese or German or ceramic is mostly about marketing, but I'd stay away from ceramic and stick with metal. I personally have a mix of knives I happen to enjoy with a butcher block to hold them. I have 2 Wushtof knives, 2 Shuns, and 2 Victorinox. If you are looking for a good price and a good knife, the Victorinox are some of the best you will find. With all the above said, you will be better off buying an awesome sharpener than you will buying expensive knives. Dull knives suck regardless of whose name is on the blade. This is by far one of the best sharpeners out there for the money and ease of use. It's a must buy with whatever knives you decide on. Buy Me!
I agree with Mya about not buying a set, but I would add a carving knife and a honing steel to the purchase, and also buy a boning knife rather than a paring knife. I've had my Henkels for close to 25 years and some day, they'll get passed on to my kids. Once a year, I bring them to Bass Pro Shops knife department and get them sharpened. And if anyone still has leftover ham, try ham salad. Chop it up in your food processor along with some onion and sweet gherkins and mayo. Pumpernickel or seeded Jewish rye is the way to go.
I used to only buy Henckels. I've had my 8" chef's knife for almost 10 years and it is still my go to knife for cutting meat, carving, and big tasks. I now get my knifes from this place: http://www.knifewear.com/index.asp I have a nakiri that I use for cutting vegetables and I've never had a better knife for cutting veggies. The blade is flat so the entire length of the blade contacts the cutting board at the same time. This does away with getting accordion vegetables. I also have a kobunka that I use for small stuff. The point on the end is nice for scoring and things like that. These are my three knifes that I can rule the world with....at least in my kitchen. My advice would be to spend as much as you can on a really good chef's knife. It will be your kitchen workhorse. I spent ~$200 (on sale from $250ish) on my Henckel. My other two knifes were in that range as well. Some places will also put Henckels on sale periodically (the bay in Canada for instance will often have 25% off sales).
I've got a log of goat cheese that I am going to cook tonight, and I need some ideas for recipes that aren't pasta dishes. I've had pasta a little too much the last week. Thanks
Cheap: <a class="postlink" href="http://gordonramsaysrecipes.com/03/gordon-ramsays-broccoli-soup/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://gordonramsaysrecipes.com/03/gord ... coli-soup/</a> Tasty. Can oversalt easily so be careful.
Burger. Make a tapanade of olives and roasted red pepper to go with it. Think of it as a Greek burger. Goes good on steak too. Quiche. 3 eggs, 1 cup cream, toss in herbs and goat cheese, maybe some ham if you have it. Tart. Puff pastry, roll it out. Layer the goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini, bacon, red onion. Bake until done at 350F. Egg wash or butter the edges so they brown well. Omelette. Butter a pan, medium heat. Whisk 3 eggs and an ounce of milk/cream, salt and pepper. Throw the eggs into the hot pan, throw in chunks of the cheese and fresh green peas. When the bottom is done, flip (carefully, the whole thing should be loose enough to slide around) the omelette/frittata and brown on the top side.
Thanks everyone, I actually made a frittata with lobster mushrooms, asparagus, red pepper, garlic, scallions, chives and the the goat cheese. I paired it with a simple green salad and champagne vinaigrette and for dessert some red wine poached pears. I realized that I still have quite a bit left over so I am going to make the broccoli soup and the tart this evening. I appreciate all the suggestions, y'all rock.
I went to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London on Friday, and it was fucking amazing. Thought any foodies might like to see some pics: Impeccable food and service by the way, worth the hefty price tag.
Sorry the pics fucked up in the previous post and I can't seem to edit it. Here goes again: Spoiler IMG_4625 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr An amuse bouche of roast pumpkin veloute with smoked bacon. Spoiler IMG_4626 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Spoiler IMG_4629 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon with a chervil veloute and light bisque. (Been to my fair share of fancy restaurants, and I'm a chef myself - I can honestly say this may be the best thing I've ever tasted). Spoiler IMG_4627 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Smoked potato and poached hens egg ravioli with a leek veloute and roast chicken jus. Spoiler IMG_4630 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Spoiler IMG_4631 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Oven roast pigeon from Bresse, sauted foie gras, polenta and belly pork with date sauce and confit legs. Spoiler IMG_4632 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Line caught sea bass with steamed charlotte potatoes and caviar. Spoiler IMG_4638 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Sharing desert, this is one miniature version of every sweet on the menu (there's more deserts just not in the pic). The damage: IMG_4649 by TOMSEGS88, on Flickr Half of the stuff we got we weren't charged for therefore doesn't show up on the bill. Amazing meal, would go back in a second.
Does anyone have a favorite way to cook chicken kebabs in the oven? I have seen pretty much every combination of time and temperature online, as well as the suggestion to broil them (which would be closest to grilling and might be the best option). I chopped all the ingredients last night and let them marinate in the fridge. I also know to soak the skewers to prevent them from catching on fire. I just need a cook time! Here is the pasta salad I made to go with the kebabs:
It is shrimp season in the sea of cortez and I was lucky enough to have these brought to me yesterday. Best shrimp I have ever had, just gave them a bath in boiling water for 3 minutes, the heads were a nice touch but my wife did not think so. I am told the guy has some that are bigger than this and I am going to try to get some next week.