Quail Dish Again....

Nowadays I into spinachs, I love the texture and the taste of it.This side dish i cooked with onions.Quail was pan fried after it was marinated with thyms,olive oil, salt and pepper.

Tartar sauce ingredients are mayonaisse,mustard,shallot,lemon juice,parsley finely chopped, salt and pepper and as well relish optional.

Spinach and bacon risotto

Yesterday i cooked risotto for the 2nd time only, this time i use spinach and bacon to make this dish and i know we should use parmesan but i use mozarella instead.Mozarella taste a bit more salty than parmesan but it do well to subsitute parmesan.Cheers...

Lunch Today

This past few days i didnt cook anything since my wife made nice home cooked dinner.Today i made dory fillet for lunch today with spinach and asparagus as side dish

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pan Sauce

Last afternoon I use leftover chicken breast and vegetables to make this dish.......is a bit of a rush so i make pan sauce rather than other sauce that required more attention.So here it is...

My attempt

My attempt on presenting the foods with better outlook....need to try again :)

Beef Parts

UPPER HALF

Chuck - Most common source for hamburger
Rib - Short ribs, rib eye steak
Short loin - From which strip steaks are cut
Sirlion - less tender than short loin but more flavorful
*Tenderloin - Most tender from whick filet mignon is served
*Top sirlion
*Bottom Sirlion
Round - Lean cut,moderately tough.Lack of fat and marbling does not allow round steak to tenderize

LOWER HALF

Brisket - Often associated with barbecue beef brisket
Shank - Used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served in any other way due to it being the toughest of the cuts.
Plate - Produces short ribs for pot roasting and types of steak such as the outside skirt steak for say fajitas and hanger steak. It is typically cheap, tough and fatty meat
Flank - Used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flat flank steak, best known for use in London broil. Once one of the most affordable steaks on the market, it is substantially tougher than the loin and rib steaks, therefore many flank recipes use marinades or moist cooking methods such as braising. Popularity and leanness have resulted in increased price

Lunchies

Ingredients and Tools

Pictures above show the tools and ingredients i mostly use when I cook.

I have 3 knifes as shown above : From top paring knife, normal chef knife and a santoku knife.Noted the different between the chef knife and santoku is the tip of the blade. Santoku knife is actually modified from a chef knife by the Japanese to adapt to their cooking styles. Santoku blade design allow a more accurate and acute cutting especially fish.

Second picture : Top left to right - White wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar.

Bottom left to right - chives, oregano, basil, rosemary, parlsey, thyme, dill and black pepper.I bought dried herbs for easier storage and it can last longer. Dried herbs flavor is so inferior to fresh one so last week i bought a pot of fresh basil and parsley to grow by myself. Hope they will grow well at my backyard.

Salmon

This is the lunch I made yesterday : Pan fried salmon fillet in butter sauce

Quails Stew

This is a lunch I made today. Actually stew is a very simple dish to do. All you need are vegetables. I used celery,red pepper, carrots and tomatoes,mushrooms,bacons, quails, bouquet garni : bay leaf,thyme and parsley.I used bacons as well for the smokiness. First heat up olive oil in a pan and pan fried the quails.It doesnt need to be cooked thoroughly as we will put it in the stew to cook. Once browned,put the quails aside. Second part of the procedure is sauted the vegetables. Once down,pour in the chicken stock to cover the vegetables,put in the bouquet garni(add in white wine as well if desired). Add salt and pepper to taste.Once done, put in the quails to cook.Simmer for about 20-40 mins and serve.

My Lunch Today

Lunch I cooked today consist of rib eye with pan sauce and creamy celery soup chilled.

As you can see the celery soup looks a tad white because i pour a splash of cream to much...hehe but the celery taste is still there definitely.I put a dash of extra virgin olive oil as well.The rib eye dish do not have any garnish at all. Just the steak and Im a carnivore...(If my wife see this she will nag me hehe)

A few dishes I cooked during holidays

From the top :

1)Rumpsteak with red wine vinaigrette reduction

2)Bacon rolls and poached egg with caviar

3)Steamed salmon fillet with salsa chiles

4)Pan fried quails with pan sauce

5)Pan fried quails on top of caramilized onions and shiitake mushrooms

Lamb Cutlets

This was the grilled lamb cutlets I cook yesterday with red wine vinaigrette.The 2 red lumps beside it is the caviar.The lamb cutlets were put on top of a handful of oyster mushrooms.Simple dish and a touch of rosemary scent really make a different. This will be the last post before holiday begins. Au revoir et merci

Pan fried cod and seared scallop with White Wine Vinegar Reduction

Preparation for this Saturday dinner is on full swing now..meantimes i pamper myself with a nice little dish yesterday.This is the cod fillet and seared scallop with a little sidedish of pasta in alfredo sauce. Rock and roll mates

Chicken Breast with vegetables stuffings and Peasant Pasta

The lunch I cooked yesterday...

Peasant Pasta : Such a simple dish no fuss at all. Ingredients use is just pasta cooked al dente and minced meat only. Thats why I call it the Peasant Pasta

The chicken breast : Create an opening on the middle of the breast

Vegetable stuffings : I use diced carrot,celery,tomato and red pepper as stuffings.First heat up the pan with olive oil.Once hot, throw in some chopped onions and cook until fragrant.Add in all the vegetables and sauteed the vegetables with seasoning of salt and pepper. Stuffed the vege into the opening and add in mozarella cheese with stuffings.You can use any cheese as well.Leave spme vege for garnish.Once done use toothpick to seal the opening. Heat up the pan.Once hot pour in the olive oil, brown the presentation side first.Once it nicely brown, turn to other side and cooked.Once done, put it aside. Take a spoonful of butter, put into the pan and let it melt.Once melt, pour in chicken stock and a few rosemary sprigs as well.Let it simmer and reduce. Once done,pour on to the chicken breast..there you go pan sauce.

Sous vide

One of the unconventional way of preparing food in culinary nowadays. What is sous vide?

Sous-vide (pronounced /su ˈvid/),[1] French for "under vacuum",[1] is a method of cooking that is intended to maintain the integrity of ingredients by heating them for an extended period of time at relatively low temperatures. Food is cooked for a long time, sometimes well over 24 hours. Unlike cooking in a slow cooker, sous-vide cooking uses airtight plastic bags placed in hot water well below boiling point (usually around 60°C or 140°F).

Actually this method was developed in mid 1970 by George Pralus. Refined by Bruno Goussault and use by many reknown chefs until this days.
It do actually keep the food in very fresh condition but will it take arts out of culinary arts?
That is remains to be seen

Rumpsteak

An old picture of the rumpsteak that i cooked. Very bland indeed as no dressing is used. Just an
Experiment that I want to try out. Simply want to taste a dish without any dressing or sauce or gravy. Just sauteed diced tomatoes and mushrooms and asparagus.Medium rare rumpsteak on top.

Easy dressing using reduction or vinaigrette

Having fish, shellfish or meat in a menu at home, serving with a sauce or gravy is not a must. When we dine outside, we were serve with mushroom sauce, red wine sauce etc....is it really necessary we follow? Good sauce will definitely will enhance the flavour but a bad sauce will totally spoil the food regardless how well the dish is cooked or grilled. When cooking at home, using simple method to complement dish is an option as well. Beside gravy or sauce, you can use the 2 above mentioned methods. Reduction or vinaigrette.

Reduction : Use leftover meat that stuck in pan or tray or vinegar(balsamic, red or white wine or even cider vinegar) with broths or wine or even just butter. Put a bit of butter into tray or pan and let it melt.Pour in the vinegar, broth or wine to simmer.Scrap of the meat bits off the bottom and let it reduced to wanted volume and serve.

Vinaigrette : 3 parts olive oils and 1 part vinegar. Emulsified both ingredients in a blender or mixing bowl. Add in a bonding medium like butter, mayonaisse, herbs or etc (up to your preference).May add sauteed vege into emulsied mix and serve.

Try it. Both style is very very flexible, you may add whatever you want and you will amazed how different the flavour will be. Remember, we are not working in a restaurant we dont need approval from clients.

Mussels in White Wine with Ethan Twist

Mussels in White Wine easy recipe but I change a bit of the ingredients and I will call it Mussels with chillies In Shaoxing Wine. Chinese fusion as someone may called it. Simple steps to follow...First step heat up the pan add a bit of olive oil, once hot stir in the chillies and garlic. Sweat it for a while then throw in the mussels, dont let it cook sauteed it for a while then add in the shaoxing wine and chicken stock, dont close the lid(to release the alcohol) and let it simmer for 15-20mins max. The mixture will reduce, add in salt and pepper for seasoning in add in chopped parsley or chives. Stir it a while and take off from heat. Sieve the mixture out and pour into a pot. Set a aside the mussel on a bowl. Simmer the mixture in low heat dont let it boil, drop in a spoon of butter let it melt.Stir a while and pour into the plate of mussels. Add more parsley and serve. Taste the sauce add in salt or pepper if flavor is not enough and serve.

Asparagus soup and scallops

This both is a nice entree before the main course. The scallops provided it were fresh, just seared it in a pan and then drizzle it with dressing and it were ready to be served. The asparagus as well is very simple preparation. First of all ,blanch the asparagus on hot water for about 5-6 mins and put into iced water to stop it from continuing cooking. We need the vibrant colour of the asparagus.Put into food processor and add hot water or broth for consistency, puree it add salt and pepper for seasoning and serve. You can sieve it first to make a clearer broth. You can add cream or butter if you want