Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
Sitemap ·
Our Recipe Book ·
Steven's Recipe Book ·
Ann's Recipe Book ·
Meal Ideas ·
Copied Recipes
Random ·
Random Links
Home > 216
KitchenKatalog: Blog 216
Monday, February 15, 2016, 08:10 PM
We had planned sea scallops anyway, but after the lobster tail was frozen last night so we made that tonight.
We seared the scallops for about 2 minutes per side (with a bit of butter). We also grilled the butterflied lobster tails for about 10 minutes then topped it with green sauce and butter mix.
Not much to the meal, but it was quite fancy...especially for a Monday night. Also very easy though.
Sunday, February 14, 2016, 09:44 PM
The plan for this meal was to be surf and turf, but the lobster tails were, unknown to us, frozen. Thankfully, I had prepped cauliflower fritters for the next day and we decided to make them for tonight (though we ate them after)
Anyway, we had sous-vide beef tenderloin (same cut as filet mignon). We had some at the Santa Fe Foodie Classic. I knew I had done it before so I figured we'd dit it again.
I was a bit nervous since Meredith really doesn't like steak and this cut was very expensive (especially since it was from Whole Foods).
I used the same method as the first time (2015-03-27). I used my STC-1000 based temperature controller with the crock-pot. The controller is more a thermostat so it's either one or off (and there was no cooling method).
I followed the Serious Eats (LOCAL) guidance and did it with 131°F aiming to be around medium-rare and medium. Actually, I had to use celsius so I did 55°C (<==> exactly 131°F). I set it with a 0.3°C (the minimum) with the heat on the high setting. Again, there was no cooling so I watched the temps and it seemed to go between 54.7°C (130.46°F) to 55.5°C (131.9°F).
I couldn't find the vacuum sealer bags so I just used heavy-duty freezer bags and I submersed them in the water to get rid of all of the air. I was also able to weigh them down with the meat at the bottom of the bag so they staid in the water (see the set up).
I prepped it with some salt and pepper (before I read in the Serious Eats article that you shouldn't do that). I started it around 5:30 and let it go for about 2.5 hours.
They really came out extremely tender and flavorful. It was great since it is so easy to overcook this cut of meat, yet this was cooked through perfectly!
The asparagus was just cooked at 425 for 5-8 minutes or so (while searing the steak) with pepper and smoked salt.
I prepped the cauliflower fritters before for tomorrow but decided to make it tonight. Actually, we really didn't need it but we ate some (and took the rest for lunch)
The caprese came from this Whole Foods recipe (local copy). Actually, we just used it for inspiration. We roasted the potatoes, used mozzarella, and then topped it with sage and balsamic. It was actually pretty...ok. The mozzarella, or at least this mozzarella, had very little flavor. I would try something like this again but with better cheese.
Sweet Potato Winter Caprese Salad (from Whole Foods)
Local Copy (U:guest, P: name of my dog, all lower case)
Sunday, February 14, 2016, 08:00 PM
I made beef jerky again. I was a bit more time constrained. I made the marinades, let them sit to meld flavors for a little bit and then I marinated the meat for about an hour (out of the fridge).
I think I may have come to a stable recipe. It is basically like the one from last time but less juniper and I replaced the water with extra apple cider vinegar.
It started around 4:30 and I took it out around 8:40 after drying it at 145°F.
Combine all but the beef and heat just enough to dissolve the sugar. Let flavors meld for 10+ minutes and marinate with the beef for an hour to a day.
(2016-02-19: Final version of this recipe is now here)
I wanted to try to make something New Mexican so I went with red chile. The plan was to do it with close to normal amounts of liquid and blend it but the vitamix needed more liquid to grab everything. I think I ended up with about 1/2 a cup which made for a very wet jerky. I had to let it dry for about an hour more than the other one. I also did this one with the sticks instead of strips but I think from now on, I will just use the strips. I got some of the ingredients from red chile sauce recipes.
Flavor wise, it has a little kick and was overall ok. It could probably use some work on the flavors and more heat.
Toast the whole chili pods about half way, then cut off the stem and let the seeds stay in the pot. Finish roasting and add the water and turn off the heat (the water will likely boil right away). Let steep for ~5 min.
Remove the peppers but reserve the water. Combine all other ingredients but the beef in the blender. Add the minimal amount of water possible to the blender to get it going, starting with the pepper water (with the seeds removed). I needed about a 1/2 cup total. Use as little as possible.
Friday, February 12, 2016, 07:00 PM
We made the same stir-fry as 2016-01-18. We followed the recipe pretty closely except again taking out the vegetables before doing the shrimp.
It was still pretty good though not as much as the first time but it was still pretty healthy and easy. We again used cauliflower rice.
Tuesday, February 09, 2016, 08:00 PM
I made beet pickled eggs using my Dad's recipe from last time. I followed the recipe pretty closely with the only real change being that I split the extra stuff as top and bottom and I used only 8 eggs. I used my regular method for "boiled" eggs. One egg actually broke but then I remembered that I made hard boiled eggs before and took an extra from there.
After about a week (made on 2016-01-31) they got a great color and some good flavor. I wonder if I can reuse the brine for another batch even if it won't have all of the onions. Or, maybe I will add another can and half an onion with the same brine. (to be continued)
After I finished all of the original eggs, I added more hard boiled eggs to the "brine". I had also already eaten probably half of the beets and some of the onions.
Still, after a week, the new batch looked pretty good. It was a bit less intensely colored and slightly less flavorful, but I would do this again. Maybe try to leave more of the beats until after the second batch. Or, maybe add another can (even though that would throw off the amounts1)
Picture of a second-batch egg:
I guess I could halve the recipe and just keep growing it. Maybe.... ↩
Tuesday, February 09, 2016, 08:00 AM
Meredith and I threw together Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps for lunch. But we also tried to make it healthier. First of all, we used rotisserie chicken. But instead of some of the noodles, we used cabbage which worked perfectly well. We also made a smaller portion but forgot to reduce the sauce so it was saucier than usual.
Still, it came out really good. It is such an easy sauce (3 simple ingredients) and it works out to pretty few calories; especially when you use cabbage as filler. To be done again for lunch.
Monday, February 08, 2016, 12:00 AM
We had bought kohlrabi and some type of bok choi for another recipe, but a lot of things had gone bad and we just weren't in the mood. So we made a stir fry with them instead. We did it a la broccoli beef. I diced the kohlrabi and started that stir-frying. I then prepped the sauce and Meredith chopped the bok choi. I added the bok choi along with the ginger and garlic and let it fully cook. Meanwhile, I separately sautéed tofu (with salt), then combined it all.
Really simple and good as usual. Not much to it either.
Sunday, February 07, 2016, 12:00 AM
(Forgot to take a final picture)
We decided to make falafel for a super bowl party but also wanted to experiment. I tried to place another tray on top (with the non-stick foil) to brown both sides. However, as you can see from the picture, they basically just spread. And it was essentially steamed. So this didn't work.
But I let them cook until they were sufficiently done and it came out ok.
Meredith made a large batch of tzatziki. We served it (for a party) with cut up pita bread.