the brine just makes it more tender. doesnt add really any flavor or anything unless you add it in there.

I like doing marinades of olive oil, some peppercorns, herbs, garlic...maybe some minced onion.

the combination of both imo makes the best steak in the world.

do you cook it the whole time on the grill? im not a big fan of that.
if im going to do direct heat id rather do it in a pan so i can baste it with buter and oil while its cooking...maybe with a sprig of rosemary in it.

otherwise id rather grill/sear then finish in th oven. imo the grill seems to overcook parts of the meat before i can even get the middle med-rare. I get like dark, then grey, then pink, then red.... i prefer a crust and pure red throughout...or as close to that as i can.

id like to experiment with using an oven the whole time and searing at the end with a torch and see if theres a noticable difference...mainly because i like using a torch

FU FU.

But mine was mostly a brag because I usually have to pay 3 times that for the same cut.

yeah but arent your lamb prices like like half to a third of ours?
I think your seafood is hella cheaper too isnt it? How much did those scallops back a few pages cost you?

I think those scallops were about close to $1 each?

I live in Denmark, everything is expensive. EVERYTHING.

i see... i thought you were somewhere else.
yeah that kinda sucks....
have you ever looked at ordering online? would it be any cheaper?

got a treat for you guys pretty soon.... my seatle friend is bringing me home black truffles from pikes market.

Ive got a few ideas but would love some suggestions.

I always like truffles with pasta so for a very simple thing, I like fresh pasta tossed with butter, topped with shaved truffles (white is better for this but black still super good).

for something a bit more complex, I like a truffled mac and cheese.

I also like truffles with shellfish. the earthiness matches very well with seafood in my mind.

So for something a bit fancier but still shouldn't be too hard, I like a lobster raviolo with truffled cream sauce or with lobster jous topped with shaved truffle.

(I posted the following pic in another thread ) or you can always make this (I will fly to where you are if you do).

this was one of my ideas.... im going to do the one from topchef season1...you know the gay crybaby guy?

whats all in that bottom pic?

It is the

feuillete-de-truffe-fraiche-bel-humeur

from one of the most expensive restaurants in the world, the 3 star Michelin L'ambrosie in paris.

It is basically a sandwich made with a whole black truffle substituting as bread, a thick slice of foie gras, baked in puff pastry, with truffle sauce.

thats indulgent....and wouldnt taste like anything other than a mouthful of fat and truffles....and the puff is obv. soggy in that pic.

I hate this type of food. Dont get me wrong i absolutely f'ing love foie and truffles...but this is just the definition of pretencious food that only appeals to amateur foodies and status seeking rich diners. I mean truffle sauce on truffles? c'mon now....enough's enough. not to mention that unless its done on the rim of the plate you're just destroying your puff with that sauce. Deconstruct this.... add some greens, slice the truffles, put some acid in that truffle oil for a vinagarette, maybe even add some chili oil as an accent. Sounds like a bomb salad to me.

nothing against you of course... hope that didnt come across wrong.

I have never had it. But I really don't think its that pretentious. Its like just 3 ingredients and they definitely speak for themselves but they just happen to be very decadent ingredients. I think there are times when you overload with luxuries and just pig out and this is the one item I want to try when I am in that mood.

There is no truffle oil there, there maybe some oil mixed with actual chopped truffles and some other stuff but no truffle oil in what we think of as truffle oil.

anyways, here is a better picture

yeah that sauce is killing that puff....to each their own i guess but these flavors only work by and large when added to something else....and i dont think the foie is remotely pungent enough to compete with two huge slabs of truffles.

cookie... i was serious in the oot thread. I'll do a cook off "iron chef thread" with you if its confined to the lounge. Maybe one of the mods can be chairman with the secret ingredient? 2-3 dishes?

im not really super competitive or anything...i just think it would be really fun.
we'd need an ingredient thats pretty common or general though i'd think. lol weve established theres a bit of difference in the availibility of products between us.

I would like to pick the ingredient if possible. I have a very good yet common one in mind.

Ive been doing other stuff for the last couple of hours, happens sometimes.

Im down for anything.

"Iron Chef of the Lounge"? You can just make up the rules or we can use the ones from the old one, I cant find them though.

I agree availibility is indeed important.

amoeba, feel free to suggest something, didnt they have like a month in the old format, so its not like it is going to be a big surprise.

Breakfast


Cooking fish stock







Pollack, brown mushrooms, garlic, vealstock wine vinegar reduction.

damn.... thats impressive.

im gonna have to bring the big guns.

It better not be salt.

Alright. For your Iron Chef competition, I will pick the secret ingredient of Eggs.

This can be any poultry egg as the star of your dish.

Good lord, I don't even know where I would look for monkfish. Nice looking dish!

I love eating Japanese food, anyways some pictures from dining out both today and last week. This is the first time I've had live lobster sashimi and I was impressed with the flavor. I was surprised by how long the head still moved while removed from the body (like 10 15 minutes) and the lobster tail meat quivered when salt was applied on top even well after removing from shell and shocking in ice water. The meat is truly succulent, sweet and super clean and taste of the best amaebi (sweet shrimp) without any unpleasant aftertaste.

Ankimo (monkfish liver) topped with caviar, green onion, fresh wasabi, in ponzu sauce



Japanese ekaba, Sayori (needlefish), King Mackerel


Anago (Sea Eel)


Chutoro (medium fatty tuna), Kinemadai (golden eyed snapper), Smoked Sea bass, Uni


Live lobster Sashimi


cooked lobster claw meat nigiri from same lobster


lobster soup made from head of same lobster

There are black leaf-like things in my Garlic Chicken chinese food, slightly crunchy.

Does anyone know what they are or might be? Am I not supposed to be eating them, like a tamale husk? I kind of like them.

drawing a blank there kioshk....

all that Japanese food looks amazing.

Re: Eggs
meh... i guess. I think cookie's going to have a lot more options with that than i will. Hes got access to duck and quail eggs i think. lol Ive got grade a chicken eggs and thats it.

I was kinda thinking along the lines of like mushrooms, Bacon or maybe some seafood...something generalized that we both have a lot of options with.

lol im already chuckling with the pics im going to use in the OP on this....

I figured id make an op and Pm a mod to add the rules and secret ingredient.

You down for this cookie? i smell epicness a brewin'

if they are small, kind of clover like, and crunchy, I'm going to guess its wood ear fungus which is completely edible.