@Angie_DIY: Yum yum marrow on toast!!! I would make a meal out of that... the plate looks fantastic.

whoa...angie that is amazing. I haven't had osso bucco in an age...I love the marrow on bread too ! I hadn't thought of a sous-vide machine for home. I think you are the first person to use one oh here during their remodel. It is brilliant. Beef shanks are wonderful ...very creative. c

Goodness, everything looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!

This is a quick and delicious meal I sort of replicated from the Yard House Restaurant. Here's the description off the website:

CUBAN ROAST PORK DIP
pepper jack, pickles, roasted roma tomatoes, dijon & garlic a�oli on garlic french bread with bbq au jus

There is no whiskey or bourbon in the description, but I seem to remember it was in the au jus when we went several years ago. So I used a combo of chicken and beef broth, a little bbq sauce, whiskey and dark brown sugar. It tasted just like I remember and the family (even my littlest ones) LOVED it!

I used onion rolls because I was originally going to make straight BBQ. I'll use french rolls next time. Homemade coleslaw, of course!

I hadn't thought of a sous-vide machine for home. I think you are the first person to use one oh here during their remodel. It is brilliant. Beef shanks are wonderful ...very creative. c

Thanks for the kind words. The funny thing is that I hadn't done any sous vide during the reno until last month. My plan going into the reno last May was to do a lot of barbecue during the summer and a lot of sous vide during the winter. (I was at least somewhat realistic about how long this darn thing would take! :) However, I hadn't pulled out the sous vide gizmo until the holidays. Now I will use it a lot more!

Houseful: Yum, indeed!

This is what I brought to a playoff party last night. My apologies to the Niners fans. It was made tongue-in-cheek and not made to offend anyone. Justin Tuck knocking the ball out and the helmet off of Alex Smith.

I also made some lobster scoops that I forgot to take pics of.

Angie, good Lord, that looks good!

LAX...good decorating !

Angie what machine do you have ? I saw this one on Amazon...pricey !!

houseful..past the "7" LOL ! hold the sandwich :)

Here is a link that might be useful: sous vide

Trail: It is homemade. I use a regular Rival crockpot for the bath. I bought a PID temperature controller, and use it to turn on and off a relay to regulate the electrical supply to the crockpot. (That is the black box at the left.) This cost me about $100 to put together. You can use a rice cooker instead of a crockpot if you prefer.

A couple of places, including Auber Instruments and Sous Vide Magic, sell essentially the same thing in a turnkey package for about $150. (See link below.)

Don't finish off the "7," save me some! And I do believe I will have one of those sandwiches, if you don't mind!

Here is a link that might be useful: Auber Instruments Sous Vide controller

Trailrunner, LOL! That bottle is from the holidays and will probably be around until next Christmas. Seriously!

OK...I am doing a hard sell to DH..."why would anybody want over cooked meat ?" ha....he is so funny..this is Mr. Stir fry...cooks in seconds. Thank you ! c

Trail: Ask him if either of these looks overdone:

Osso Buco, cooked 54 hours (and remember what a normally braised osso buco would look like):

and chops from a rack of lamb, cooked ~10 hours. (If their shape looks odd to you, it is because they are not Frenched):

'overcooked'. That IS funny since one of the main advantages to sous vide methods is that they help you not overcook the meat. That lamb probably scares the well-done meat lovers, but looks incredible to me! And look at all that melty-good fat.

Ohh, zartemis, that free-range lamb was SOOOO good. You wouldn't believe it! :) Thanks for the thumbs-up!

Not nearly as beautiful as Angie's food... but this was a "leftover" special for the Giant game this past Sunday. Leftover meatball, left over dough, some smoked gruyere cheese I had left... makes a new calzone like product!

Leftover creations are often the best food. Ours are often shredded potato 'quesadillas' or omelettes, the calzone is a a great idea.

After a day or two of what passes for winter here in CA (bit of a chill and some light rain), we indulged in some toasty desserts (individual blueberry and raspberry syrup bread puddings) and a hot toddy:

Only slightly leftoverish, with a bit of stale french bread and old eggs:

Found this photo on my tablet -- I must have pushed the camera button as I picked it up by the corner off the table:

Salmon in Thai green curry - my comfort food!

Yum! Everything looks SO good! And since we have some French bread bread left over (DH was laughing about using it as a baseball bat!), we may try Zartemis' bread pudding tonight. Do you add the berry syrup on top, or does it bubble up from the bottom?

Yesterday our weather was in the high 50s (after getting 6+" of snow on Saturday and shoveling paths for the Beagles in the back yard on Sat. and Sunday), so we celebrated by firing up the pizza oven -- something that usually doesn't happen much this time of the year. We made regular pizzas and concluded with a "lemon drop" pizza that has a mascarpone base and a topping of thinly sliced lemons.

Here is a quick wrap put togther with asian pita bread and hot italian sausage and grilled red peppers w parm:

This was tonight Chicken Gizzards and Hearts which i use as a base for a lot of things including h'orderves, pies and garnishing. (takes a long time to make)

I had it with garlic cheese spreaded on thin bagels... phenominal!

Kashmi! That is awesome that you have a wood-fired pizza oven. I am impressed!

jmith: Looks like an "offal good use" for gizzards/hearts! ;-)

kashmi, we added the berry syrup after they came out from the oven. On top, right at the end. Blueberries were layered throughout. Here they are in the oven, before the syrup:

@angie_diy: they are one of my favs ;) sadly no one shares my love for internal organs except for a few work colleagues.
You'd be surprised how many things have them that we eat everyday.

Hot dogs, almost all fast food restaruant burgers etc.

Oh, I hope my penchant for bad puns didn't mislead you. I am not in any way opposed to them! I think the best yakatori I have had was all gizzard/hearts. Chewy but delicious. Should I infer (from your post) that you low/slow cook them to tenderize them? Have a favorite web-accessible recipe?

Oh, my!! Lobster on the dryer! I wouldn't attempt a meal like that NOW, let alone mid-reno. You are all so talented, and I can't get over how you make it seem so easy--SO inspiring.

The food photos are always so much fun to look at. My fried rice last night was such a pretty rainbow, I decided to photograph it. The pics just don't do justice to the pink shrimp and green peapods. Posting anyway.

I always pre-fry the rice and eggs:

then strifry shrimp, carrots and peas

then fry it all together and serve with some eggrolls. We all overate to the point of being uncomfortable.

...And since I was taking pictures, I had to capture this pretty breath of spring on the island where the kids and I ate the rice. (-8

plllog, I hadn't noticed your double-chop lamb delicacy before! How did I miss that. And I adore kale chips, too. Now I am hungry and I just ate breakfast. Yum!

Shanghai: I agree, LOVE the colors. And the flowers! (Channeling Dave Barry, I think "Lobsters on the Dryer" would make an excellent name for a rock band. ;-)

I made Emeril's Asian-style pork belly yesterday. I'd post a pic but pork belly is not the prettiest dish in the world to look at, lol. OMG it tastes awesome though!

Here is a link that might be useful: Emeril's Asian pork belly

@Angie_DIY: Sometimes hard to know how comments are meant online cannot see the expression or the smirk on ones face heh.

Yakitori is fantastic i have developed a few sauces for them unfortunatly no one gets em so we have option of white meat or original yakitori on menus as apps.

Well i don't know of recipes on the net... but how i make them is basically this:

room tempertature gizzards.. chefs pan, fry pan or pressure cooker.

Put them in the pan or pressure cooker liberaly salt and pepper evenly and throw in few sprigs of your fav herb and cook for 45/60 mins (less if in presure cooker). Check water level as it will release a lot of juice and if it is drying up before time is up add some water. Cook very tightly covered and check with fork for doneness.

After that cook time throw in hearts... cook again for maybe 15-30 mins. Check water levels and fork for doneness (hearts dont have to be over cooked).

After the first cooking they can be eaten or they can be cut and cooked in varius sauces... or can bbq with dry rub or with a sauce.

The one i used was tomato based with some spices. The organs are very strong flavoured yet delicate so don't overspice them and don't use very strong spices.

I would use woody spices (thyme, cumin - varius variets ok) and garlic n onion and not any spices like anise or szechuan peppercorn as they will increase the pallette range and taste buds will be going crazy (some people do like this so depends on your liking). Feel free to add some red wine as well (small amount).

Cheers.

Some late night leftovers, regenerated in the steam oven (and we still, a month later, haven't used the microwave):

Pork and daikon stew, cauliflower roasted with butter and salt, and kale saag. I forgot that the somewhat jellied stew sauce would spread all over when heated, but, eh, it's leftovers (or is it: oh boy, it's leftovers!).

I was just browsing Dorie Greenspan's book Around My French Table and she has a sidebar about 'purees' often being mostly butter and cream. Reminded me of plllog's comment above about same. And yes, there is cream (but not a lot) in the spiced kale puree.

Zartemis: Thank you for the info about the berry syrup and for the drool-worthy just-about-out-of-the-oven picture.

Shanghaimom: That fried rice looks wonderful. Rice is such comfort food (for us, at least). But those tulips! Our poor daffodils were poking their leaves up through the ground because of the mild winter when we got hit by 8'' of snow this weekend.

jmith: thanks for taking the time to write that up. I will definitely have to give that a try!

DH did his stir fry tonight. We eat Chinese more times than not. He did a sweet sour chicken tonight. The key ingredient is the black vinegar. There are about 10 different kinds at the market we frequent in Atlanta. We have tried about 1/2 of them so far. We have a very old Hitachi rice cooker that just keeps on delivering perfect rice. Our wok was a wedding gift...to our BIL who didn't want it so he gave it to us ! That was 41 yrs ago...he is now a wonderful cook and is so sorry to have lost this now very well-seasoned gem.

Trailrunner: did you decide on a favorite black vinegar? Also, did you find a difference between the traditional ones that were just aged (rice, salt, water) and ones with added caramel coloring, sugar, etc?

I apologize for flooding the market with sous vide pictures. However, once I got the machine out and remembered how nice it is, I HAD to keep going.

I made short ribs that turned out wonderful. After browning and bagging, I cooked them for about 52 hours at 140 F. (I cooked another beef shank/osso buco at the same time, but that is in the fridge now.) The short ribs were exquisite: intense beefy taste and wonderful texture. It was soft, but not falling off the bone. Kind of like prime rib (which is just a few inches away on the animal, after all). Again, not overcooked.

Here it is coming out of the bag:

The dish was rounded out by sauteed brussels sprouts and navy beans with garlic and butter. And no, I did not eat all that was on that plate! That made two meals. It was just easier to carry up from the basement on one plate!

Here is the short rib after slicing. Notice how pink it still is.

@Angie_DIY: No worries.. let us know how it turns out.

@trailrunner: Too funny i made stirfry at a friend's house as well.

I was too busy doing it didn't have time to take pictures and i realised almost too late but caught some shots.

I use a stainless steel wok instead of carbon steel. I made vegetables seperately than the meat. Veggie wise very smokey and a good medley of whatever i found tonight at the store. Meat wise it was angus beef in spicey sauce w ginger and spring onions.

DH got up and made WAFFLES !! Buttermilk and White Lily self-rising flour. DH says "2 of everything". flour, buttermilk, eggs" and then add 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 oil and 2 Tbsp sugar. Mix ever so lightly and leave good lumps. This makes great pancakes too. Our Dazey waffle/griddle is a "vintage" according to Ebay LOL. I hope we never ever have to replace it. At least there are 6 right now on Ebay.

Zartemis: DH says " let the Krebs cycle do its thing ! " he is a chemist. Few ingredients and good anaerobic fermentation. The link below shows the best so far...bottle on right. Believe it or not it tastes somewhat like coca-cola :)

{{gwi:1639440}}

{{gwi:1639441}}

jmith and angie...gorgeous food !!

Here is a link that might be useful: Black vinegar

Looking at all these photos makes me just want to keep cooking in the new kitchen!

Anyone out there interested in doing a GardenWeb cookbook.....or new sub-category? From TKO to TKRO (kitchen and recipe obsessed) !? LOL!

Thanks to those who've posted recipes as I'm always looking forward to trying new things.

Trailrunner, thanks for linking to your favorite!

I've got a real sour tooth and also love fermented foods, whether acidic from lactic fermentation or letting acetobactors do their job and make vinegar. Vinegar is easy (sometimes too easy) to make given that acetobactors are so common in the air. It's happened that I've had a brew intended to be alcohol end up as vinegar because I've accidently given it too much oxygen and those acetobactors take hold (they love the oxygen). Making good, consistent, vinegar is another matter.

I've been surprised how easily things like bacon, sauerkraut, and other cured or fermented foods are to make. I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow who runs a Vinegar Museum in South Dakota once. He's on a mission to get more people to make their own vinegar and I tried after that. Very fun. His website has some info, but is falling into a bit of disrepair.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinegarman's Vinegar Museum

I don't know if you have tried your hand at charcuterie but my DS1 , the chef, is making amazing things at his restaurant The Red Hen in Lexington VA. He cures anything that stands still :) Rolled pig face has been very popular and he can have as many as he wants from the butcher ! He attended at workshop last year with Mrs Wheelbarrow and others that was directed by a woman and man from France. They are premier folks at curing and butchering. He learned a lot and has been working on it non stop since. He hopes to stop cooking and do it full time in the near future.

Thanks for the link . c

so i had planned to take pictures of the dinner gathering tonight... as usual i got too involved and forgot completely.

I will see if any guests took some pics. In the meantime is some description:

Appetizers 3 kind; On toast w soft cheese w garlic, roasted red pablano pepper, toasted mushroom and curry foam. On toast carmalized onion w organic tomato and anchovy. On garlic toast with gizzard/heart combo with parm.

Bake fish with soy ginger sauce.

Mixed veggies baked w goat cheese.

Dessert was baked pear with kahlua whipped cream.

Lots of red wine and offcourse i managed to spill a glass all over the table.

trailrunner: we've done a few charcuterie items (from Ruhlman's book) and some years back there was a fellow working as a butcher trying to build up interest in artisan charcuterie. We had him do a whole pig for us and got lots of interesting parts. Alas, the bay area proved to be too expensive for him to make a go at and he moved to Pennsylvania and is working in a restaurant there. Lucky you with the family expert.

jsmith -- foams! What do you use to make them? I've been considering getting an iSi.

Today I tried a savory flan from Dorie Greenspan's book: Pumpkin Gorgonzola. Done with the steam oven instead of the specified water bath. So simple and easy and quite nice if you like gorgonzola (though I think for a second pass it could use less egg and more cream and maybe with a creamier less pungent cheese (I love the gorgonzola, but not everyone does), something from our local Cowgirl Creamery, maybe).

jmith...would love to have had the pears !! Everything but the "chicken parts " LOL. I mince the gizzards and use them in things but out go the hearts !!

zartemis: the steam oven does sound wonderful. I didn't have any info on it and wasn't sure I would use it 6 yrs ago. We all change the way we cook , it seems as we get older. I know our tastes have sure changed. I went through all our saved recipes 6 yrs ago when we were doing the kitchen. I tossed an entire city size garbage can of stuff...starting from 1971 . I still have so much that we will never use.

How much space does the steam oven take ? I have a place where my really large and old micro/convection oven sits and I am thinking a steam oven might fit...so give the details.

Your savory flan sounds yum...but I am not crazy about gorg...you will have to make some variations. c

Kashmi--That lemon drop pizza looks amazing! When we fire up the WFO, we always end with a dessert pizza made with Nutella, dollops of mascarpone, and a liberal sprinkling of brown sugar. The brown sugar caramelizes into these little bits of crunchy goodness and adds amazing texture, the creamy mascarpone is the perfect contrast, and, well, Nutella is always delicious! Our guests love this so much that once when I had a different dessert planned, we had guests leave the party to go to the store to get the necessary ingredients. It really is seriously good.

But I've always been a fan of tart fruit desserts, myself. That lemondrop pizza is singing a siren song. Especially since our lemon tree is overloaded with beautiful fruit. Do you blanche the lemons at all? Peel off the rinds? Looks like it's sprinkled with powdered sugar when it comes out of the oven? I think we need to have pizza this Friday!

@zartemis: I don't really have a device i just "froth" up the mixture with a hand blender (chilled) and it does great job. To do foam can use cream, egg white or gelatine as well... You can use the iSi too, everyone uses it but i have never used one. If you came over to my kitchen id give you a corner and youd be responsible for the foam aspect.

@trailrunner: Yes pears are/were very good... the gizzards one you have to try and then you will never look back. Lots of people tried who hate spare parts and ate more than a few pieces.

@modthyrth: Your pizza sounds good.. i make a version of it as well. I make my own chocolate sauce as base and fruit apples or pears on top and drizzle with dulce de lece (after cooking) and raw cane sugar on top instead of brown... some cinnamon or other woody spice after cooking as well. it is fantastic. :)
Please post a pic next time you do it sounds fantastic!

some pics to get everyone salivating...

Angie, do you post on the cooking forum? You would have a sous vide soulmate over there ... Dcarch. Maybe you should check it out.

Tried a new Brussels Sprouts recipe recently ... Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Shallots

Here is a link that might be useful: recipe

jsmith: Salivate, salivate, salivate! That dessert pizza looks yummy!

modthyrth: The Nutella pizza does sound wonderful. I'd read about a version with marshmallows, but not mascarpone. (Salivating again!) We're doing pizza tomorrow, weather permitting, so I'll have to try that as we DO have all the ingredients on hand. Can't wait to try it.

About the lemon drop pizza, it's a direct steal from the Forno Bravo website. A company called the Pizza Gypsy made it for the first FB Expo last spring. Here's a link to the recipe, as well as a discussion about tweaks to the recipe.

We've decided that we like it best when we cut off the rind before slicing the lemons. We tried taking off all but the barest minimum of the rind and pith, but that still left the lemon slices with a tough edge. Your idea of blanching might work well. If you try it, please let me know the result. Whatever approach you take, it's very, very tasty.

BTW, we blithely ignore the "spread a thin layer of mascarpone," instruction and spread a thick layer!

Kashmi--Our nutella pizza is taken directly from Frances on the Forno Bravo forums. :-)I haven't been over there for quite a while, though. I'll bet there are some other great recipes there just waiting to be found.

@zartemis - I have made those pumpkin flans....they were yummy and a big hit! Have you made the french version of gnocchi from the same book (can't remember the name right now)? They took all day (not really but almost) but OMgee...heaven on a plate!

We had kebabs and I made Mister a pumpkin cranberry nutella cake...he was happy!

All the food looks so good!

Natal, double thanks for the two tips. (No, I rarely venture off kitchens! Maybe I will start poking around.)

MichelleDT: Both the kebabs and the cake look delicious. And the presentation for the kebabs is restaurant-worthy.

Would you share the pumpkin cranberry nutella cake recipe? Anything with Nutella has to be good!

MichelleDT: I haven't cooked anything else from Dorie's Around My French Table cookbook yet. I only recently got a copy of the ebook. Love how swirly your nutella cake turned out. Oh, and I did nearly completely redo the flan recipe and it is even better (and more of a crowd pleaser): I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin, triple cream Mt Tam cheese instead of gorgonzola, took out 2 eggs and added 1/4 cup cream. I can see this is going to be a basic recipe for us to riff on.

Butternut squash version:

jmith: you've got me wondering whether some other sweet dessert cocktails might translate into nice pies or pizza treats. We're not big drinkers, but have recently gotten into making cocktails (very late to the party, us). Been mixing from the PDT cocktail book and Modern Mixologist. I only had my first cocktail 'lemon drop' 1 month ago!

Kashmi: it was your 'lemon drop' pizza I was thinking of wrt cocktails and modthyrth's and jmith's comments/photos on dessert pizzas in general.

no one is cooking nowadays? :)