Baby mangoes:

Juicy little sugar bombs.

mhill95149 wrote:the dude with the hair is Charles Smith of K Vintners, WA

Great pics - what was the rolled pork-looking item on the grill?

BTW - I think you misidentified the gentleman with the hair. That is actually German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), on one of his frequent time-travel jaunts.

Santander wrote:
Great pics - what was the rolled pork-looking item on the grill?

Looks like porchetta to me. Agree on the pics, great job mhill!

lunch today

quiche with salami

GORGEOUS quiche, mhill. And, Mmmmmmmmmmm....salami.

Volunteered to do a b-day cake for a friend this weekend and recently found out he living gluten-free now. Since I didn't want to (right now), invest in 3 or 4 MORE kinds of flour that won't fit into my already-overstocked baking pantry and didn't want to go the boring old "flourless chocolate cake" route, I gave a shot at trying my first mousse cake.

Since I didn't have a ring form or acetate (that would have made things much prettier), I used a 10" cheesecake pan and lined it with plastic wrap. Not a perfect solution, but I ended up trimming it up into a square anyway.

Pistachio joconde/biscuit base, dark (72% cocoa) chocolate mousse, orange cream and milk chocolate chantilly cream garnished with pistachio macaron, chopped toasted pistachios and shaved dark chocolate.

I had to breathe into a paper bag for a minute.... Wow.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Porterhouse, Sous-vide @130F, WFO @ 1025F.

Bill/SFNM wrote:1025F

Ha! For literally anyone else in the world I would have assumed this to be a typo!

Incredible, Bill.

Were the results worth the effort over normal grilling? How about the beef - any details on it?

When I grow up I want to be like Bill.

Bridgestone wrote:

Bill/SFNM wrote:1025F

Ha! For literally anyone else in the world I would have assumed this to be a typo!

Incredible, Bill.

Were the results worth the effort over normal grilling? How about the beef - any details on it?

Thank you. I would say this method is much easier than grilling. This was a spectacular piece of 40-day aged prime-reserve Flannery beef for a very special celebration. Getting both the interior and the crust perfectly cooked simultaneously is not easy. There are all kinds of tricks (e.g. the CI method of starting with direct heat and then finishing with indirect), but it can often be hit or miss depending on the thickness of the cut, fat content, sun-spot activity, etc. And then there is the whole ritual of letting the meat rest while the temp coasts up and the juices are reabsorbed.

The method I used allows me to precisely target the temp I want for every part of the interior, including all the little nooks and crannies around the bone that are often undercooked. I like 130F for this cut; the flesh is just cooked to rare - the proteins have started to denature but almost all of the moisture remains. The fat has started to soften, but hasn't melted out. So juicy and tender. Then I just pop it in the WFO for a minute or two to get a nice crust - browned but not carbonized and acrid. No resting ritual fighting off the ravenous hordes. Also very convenient for a party since the steak can sit in the water bath almost indefinitely and then popped in the WFO right before serving. All in all, much easier if you have the proper equipment.

Bill/SFNM wrote:Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Porterhouse, Sous-vide @130F, WFO @ 1025F.

I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you, I love you.......................

I discovered a boatload of hazelnut flour in the freezer that I'd forgotten about, so a marjolaine is a really nice way to use it up.

Charcoal chimney or jet engine? You decide.

tgoddess wrote:I discovered a boatload of hazelnut flour in the freezer that I'd forgotten about, so a marjolaine is a really nice way to use it up.

tgoddess' magnificent marjolaine inspired me to make this cake since I had a bunch of toasted hazelnut powder and toasted pecan flour. This is Pastel de Avellana y Nuez de Mamá Luz, a Mexican recipe I have been wanting to try for a while. Hazelnuts, pecans, a million egg yolks, and cognac - it was rich, moist, and tender. The amount of butter cream frosting called for wasn't nearly enough for adequate coverage dictated by decadence . Next time I'll double the icing recipe.

I try and shoot a chive flower shot every year....

Bill/SFNM wrote:

tgoddess wrote:I discovered a boatload of hazelnut flour in the freezer that I'd forgotten about, so a marjolaine is a really nice way to use it up.

tgoddess' magnificent marjolaine inspired me to make this cake since I had a bunch of toasted hazelnut powder and toasted pecan flour. This is Pastel de Avellana y Nuez de Mamá Luz, a Mexican recipe I have been wanting to try for a while. Hazelnuts, pecans, a million egg yolks, and cognac - it was rich, moist, and tender. The amount of butter cream frosting called for wasn't nearly enough for adequate coverage dictated by decadence . Next time I'll double the icing recipe.

Bill,

That looks GREAT. Can you let me know where to find the recipe, please?

tgoddess wrote:Bill,

That looks GREAT. Can you let me know where to find the recipe, please?

tgoddess,

Thank you. It is from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Alquimias-Atmosfe ... 9685208042

I think it is only available in Spanish. It has some amazing and different recipes, but does suffer from lack of proofing (e.g. some recipes have ingredients that are never mentioned in the directions - I hate that). One of the reason I love baking books from Mexico City is that they are already tried-and-tested for high altitude; I live at about the same altitude above sea level as Mexico City. Not sure how well they might translate down where you live. PM me and I will scan the recipe in and email it to you.

mhill95149 wrote:I try and shoot a chive flower shot every year....

Love your photos, that is one gorgeous chive! Hey, we* took a chive photo this weekend too-- but it is a little out of focus...

Grilled Heartland Meats tri-tip with yogurt-chive sauce.

*I cooked, my husband photographed...

Jen

Jen,

Your tri-tip looks PERFECT. Mmmmm....

My neighbors' rhubarb crops are of the bumper variety this year and everyone seems to be offering it up, so I'm going a bit rhubarb dessert happy right now.

This one is another mousse cake; coconut sponge base, fresh strawberry mousse, white chocolate mousse and rhubarb mousse.

The rhubarb just keeps comin'.

Strawberry rhubarb tart.

I can't seem to get enough of rhubarb.

Cream enchiladas filled with chicken in the style of the Mixteca Poblana region of Mexico:

Bill, I'll be right over with my fork and napkin.

This was my lunch today. I just made the strawberry jam this week.

Trimmed out a PISMO this afternoon and made myself a couple of burgers from the chain meat

had to add back some fat I took off the tenderloin

WOW! That's beautiful!
Where do you get your PISMOs?

Costco!
the tenderloin was seared and baked (225˚) till it hit 122˚ then rested till it hit 127˚ ziploked and 'fridged till dinner on Sunday for tenderloin sammies

Coconut Custard Pie

Inspired by this LTH thread by Suzy Creamcheese

This time of year when the basil really begins taking off I want to eat pesto, and lots of it. With the two kids at Grandma's I had the time and inclination to make the pasta and pesto by hand.

Mandilli al Pesto



Jeff