On my plate
I've been coding up a storm for Tinderbox 3.5, but in spare moments I've managed to cook a little. Today's July 4 fireworks started with a breakfast of home-cured Norwegian salmon, but the main meal plan includes
- grilled flatbread (Moroccan tinged, because I was reading El Moro last night)
- homemade pickles
- veal paté (or maybe not: the preliminary indications point to abject failure)
- Italian sausage crusted with mango chutney, fresh cilantro, and pecans
- baby back ribs, marinated, gently roasted in foil for two hours, and then slowly barbecued
- home-made cole slaw
- berry tarte (thanks to Meryl!)
Saturday night, we started with fresh figs. I brushed them with olive oil, salted them liberally, and threaded them on a metal skewer. Onto the hot part of a very hot grill for a few minutes, until they just begin to blister. Off skewer, whomp each fig in half, serve with a slice of fresh goat cheese. (The branzini was good, too, rubbed with olive oil and aggressively seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne, and then grilled over that very hot fire until sizzling and lightly singed) Sunday's potatoes, parboiled and then finished in duck fat, were tasty, accompanied with a mixture of 3T butter, 3T bleu cheese, 1 minced shallot, and a little salt.
Paté update: Dance 10, Looks 3. Or, in this case, taste fine, texture terrible. It seems I need a proper grinder. Ouch. But Cumberland Sauce turns out to go well with cold chicken.