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IronGAF Cookoff (hosted by OnkelC)

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E

Ecrofirt

Member
I made braciole last night for dinner. My butcher was out of the top round that I usually use, so I got some thin sirloin and pounded it out. I made three individual ones filled with breadcrumbs, parmesean cheese, herbs/spices, egg, and a bit of milk.

Made homemade sauce to go along with it, based loosely on my grandmother's recipe that I typically use for big batches.

It was a damn tasty meal, and I (yet again) forgot to take any pictures.

Then while my toddler was eating with my wife he started to choke (either he had too big of a bite, or he was too full), and he threw it all up.

My wife is pregnant, and an hour after dinner our soon-to-be-born daughter was giving her a workout, and she ended up throwing it all up.

3-4 hours of cooking and prep time, and both my wife and my kid threw it up :-(

Fuck it, I've got a ton left that I'm going to eat.
 
E

Ecrofirt

Member
CrankyJay said:
Cornballer shared this link with me in the BBQ thread if anyone is in the market for a Thermapen...I just got one.

Open box sale....

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_2013.html
Click to expand...

If only there were an upvote or like button.

Instead, you get this.
eNK6Y.jpg
Click to expand...
 
E

Ecrofirt

Member
I'm making two coppa/lonzas at home right now. They weigh around 2.5lbs each, and I'd get bigger ones if US butchering styles didn't cut the muscle to make a nice shoulder butt :-( (Perhaps at some point I'll convince my wife to let me buy a whole hog and butcher it down in the kitchen).

One of them is my 'traditional' black pepper lonza, and the other is a pepper/fennel lonza that I found in my Salumi book. I really hope they both come out well, as they smell awesome.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
bovo said:
I took this picture a couple of weekends ago, and was about to post my new favourite weekend lunch when it was announced that mackerel is no longer a sustainable fish, and shouldn't be eaten...
Click to expand...

I assume you are in Europe? American mackerel is still considered sustainable at this point but yeah that sucks, I love mackerel and don't know what I'd do if I had to stop eating it.

CrankyJay said:
Cornballer shared this link with me in the BBQ thread if anyone is in the market for a Thermapen...I just got one.

Open box sale....

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_2013.html
Click to expand...

Nice deal, I love mine and I paid $89 for it during Christmas.

Ecrofirt said:
I'm making two coppa/lonzas at home right now. They weigh around 2.5lbs each, and I'd get bigger ones if US butchering styles didn't cut the muscle to make a nice shoulder butt :-( (Perhaps at some point I'll convince my wife to let me buy a whole hog and butcher it down in the kitchen).

One of them is my 'traditional' black pepper lonza, and the other is a pepper/fennel lonza that I found in my Salumi book. I really hope they both come out well, as they smell awesome.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to get into dry curing. I really need to keep at it, after my failed guanciale attempt I haven't done anything else.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
CrankyJay said:
Add some beef oxtail to it...brown it the same way you would the ribs. It will add an incredible richness and thickness to the sauce.
Click to expand...

That's a really great idea. I'll see if I can find it cheaply enough.

Funny thing...I've made braised beef twice now. The first time was from a proper butcher, and while the texture and taste of the meat was similar, the meat from the butcher made far better gravy. It was the beefiest, most rich gravy I'd ever tasted. Hopefully the beef oxtail can replicate that. :)
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
TheExodu5 said:
That's a really great idea. I'll see if I can find it cheaply enough.

Funny thing...I've made braised beef twice now. The first time was from a proper butcher, and while the texture and taste of the meat was similar, the meat from the butcher made far better gravy. It was the beefiest, most rich gravy I'd ever tasted. Hopefully the beef oxtail can replicate that. :)
Click to expand...

Let it coooook. The bone releases various glutinous collagens and other substances that thicken and enrich the sauce, as well as acres of deep, deep flavors from the marrow, meat and fat in an Oxtail. And Oxtails are usually quite cheap compared to other bits of cow.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
TheExodu5 said:
Will do. Can I overcook it? I'm off on Friday so I can let it simmer for a good 5 hours if I want to.
Click to expand...

I usually just braise them as long as I do the beef ribs...3 to 3:15 hours...maybe the tails normally take longer?

You won't be disappointed tho.

Oxtail is usually around 4.99/lb everywhere I've seen it.

edit: Just so we're not unclear, I add oxtails in with my beef ribs....I've never done oxtails just by themselves. Not sure if you plan on doing that.
 
E

Ecrofirt

Member
I'm making sausage right now I've got the meat firming up in the freezer before I run everything in the grinder, and then I'll let it firm up a bit again before stuffing it into casings.

Wish me luck!
 
M

Metroid Killer

Member
Made my second entremet!(here's my first) I made this Rouge Entremet which I've been eyeing for quite some time. Very difficult to make and very time consuming.

Rouge Entremet
rouge1_zpse7466b8d.jpg

rouge2_zps13cf3be8.jpg

rouge3_zps2da7e967.jpg

rouge4_zps6dc98e3e.jpg


Layers (from the bottom): Chocolate spongecake, bitter chocolate mousse, pistachio cream, raspberry mirror glaze.

Considering how many problems I had making it, I'm shocked that it ended up looking(and tasting) so good.
 
T

thespot84

Member
Metroid Killer said:
Made my second entremet!(here's my first) I made this Rouge Entremet which I've been eyeing for quite some time. Very difficult to make and very time consuming.

Rouge Entremet
rouge1_zpse7466b8d.jpg

rouge2_zps13cf3be8.jpg

rouge3_zps2da7e967.jpg

rouge4_zps6dc98e3e.jpg


Layers (from the bottom): Chocolate spongecake, bitter chocolate mousse, pistachio cream, raspberry mirror glaze.

Considering how many problems I had making it, I'm shocked that it ended up looking(and tasting) so good.
Click to expand...

You get paid to do this right?
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
I've never eaten brussel sprouts prior to last week. I figured I'd try them. I have to say, I've made them twice since, and they may very well be my favorite vegetable. I've roasted them with olive oil, and tonight I sauteed them and finished with butter and Italian bread crumbs. Delicious. I don't know what all the hate is about.
 
N

Nihilistic Monk

Member
nakedsushi said:
That looks pretty good. Is the texture like a regular cake, or is it more bouncy/chewy?
Click to expand...

It's really rice pudding like. You can serve it warm or cold and the consistency is like a firmer, drier rice pudding, crossed with a cake, as it is made with Aborio rice. You get that nice warm fuzzy rice pud feeling when it's warm, or that crisp sharp sweet coolness combined with the the orange liquor when it's cold. It really is something special.

My wife couldn't stop eating it when I made it. I kept seeing her walk through the kitchen, moan "damnit!" , walk back then break a piece off. She's from a long line of cake bakers, and she was seriously impressed with it. Much more so than any other cake I've ever done. It's really something special. I bit unique & different as well.

-Pyromaniac- said:
wow that beef man. I need that.
Click to expand...

Metroid Killer said:
Both look splendid!!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much guys.

I plan to take my cake baking semi-pro this year and get my kitchen Health Authority cleared, then start selling at a local market. Just for fun, won't ever make my fortune, but I just really see it as a challenge I want to attempt. Baking gets my head outside of work bullshit in a really nice way, and it'd be nice to have something "productive" to do in my downtime.
 
N

nakedsushi

Member
TheExodu5 said:
I've never eaten brussel sprouts prior to last week. I figured I'd try them. I have to say, I've made them twice since, and they may very well be my favorite vegetable. I've roasted them with olive oil, and tonight I sauteed them and finished with butter and Italian bread crumbs. Delicious. I don't know what all the hate is about.
Click to expand...

That's because you made it using the most delicious method! Roasted brussels sprouts are wonderful. Sauteed and finished with butter is second best. Boiling till mush is the worst and has turned many a brussels sprout eater away. I also don't like them shaved raw in a salad. I especially don't like it when they're under-done and still hard, like many places do them.

I had a most delicious snack just now. Natto on a rice cracker! I mixed it up with ponzu, yuzu pepper, and roasted seaweed. I can see how the sliminess can turn some people off, but I think of it as a feature, not a bug.

8431538930_7a259a81c2.jpg
 
T

thespot84

Member
nakedsushi said:
That's because you made it using the most delicious method! Roasted brussels sprouts are wonderful. Sauteed and finished with butter is second best. Boiling till mush is the worst and has turned many a brussels sprout eater away. I also don't like them shaved raw in a salad. I especially don't like it when they're under-done and still hard, like many places do them.

I had a most delicious snack just now. Natto on a rice cracker! I mixed it up with ponzu, yuzu pepper, and roasted seaweed. I can see how the sliminess can turn some people off, but I think of it as a feature, not a bug.

8431538930_7a259a81c2.jpg
Click to expand...

I think the smell bothers more people than the sliminess lol
 
N

nakedsushi

Member
That's weird. It doesn't really smell like anything to me when I eat it normally. If I heat it up in the microwave though...ugh. But then, most people don't heat it up, right?
 
C

ClassyPenguin

Banned
nakedsushi said:
That's because you made it using the most delicious method! Roasted brussels sprouts are wonderful. Sauteed and finished with butter is second best. Boiling till mush is the worst and has turned many a brussels sprout eater away. I also don't like them shaved raw in a salad. I especially don't like it when they're under-done and still hard, like many places do them.
Click to expand...

That goes for most vegetables which I guess is why Americans typically have an aversion to vegetables.
 
T

thespot84

Member
ClassyPenguin said:
That goes for most vegetables which I guess is why Americans typically have an aversion to vegetables.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wonder when steaming/boiling became popular here. I feel like it was the 50's along with other awesome stuff like nuclear weapons and thalidomide. Broccoli I like steamed but passing up the chance to caramelize all that sugar? what a waste.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
nakedsushi said:
That's because you made it using the most delicious method! Roasted brussels sprouts are wonderful. Sauteed and finished with butter is second best. Boiling till mush is the worst and has turned many a brussels sprout eater away. I also don't like them shaved raw in a salad. I especially don't like it when they're under-done and still hard, like many places do them.
Click to expand...

Yep. Boiling the brussels sprouts (to mush) is one of the worst things you can possibly do. It kept me away from them for almost two decades, up till this last Thanksgiving when I decided to be brave and try a recipe that involved roasting them and then adding bacon and golden raisins. It was incredible and it even made believers out of the other haters in my family.
 
K

Keen

Aliens ate my babysitter
Tr4nce said:
Could you both please share your recipes? :)
Click to expand...

Didn't really follow a recipe, but I'll try to write down what I remember.

Deer stock (or just use store bough game bullion or something)

Roast deer bones in the oven for 45-60 minutes at around 200 degrees C (I sprinkled them with some skim milk powder, as per Hestons chicken stock recipe, to aid the Maillard reaction).

Caramelize one finely sliced onion for about 45 minutes until well browned, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Medium to high heat if you're stirring all the time, otherwise use lower heat.

Finely slice a couple of carrots and add to the pot, cooking until soft (about 20 minutes).

Add a bunch (100g or so) of quartered button mushrooms, and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, and cook until soft (another 20 minutes).

Add the roasted bones, a splash of wine (125ml), a bay leaf, and whatever spices you want to the pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and skim off any impurities.

I used a pressure cooker, so put on the lid and seal. Bring to full pressure under high heat, and then lower the heat to low and let it cook at 1 bar of indicated pressure for 2.5 hours.

Strain, preferrably through a muslin cloth, but a fine sieve will do.


Stew

Slowly cook one yellow onion, finely diced, and some diced garlic for 15-20 minutes. I added the filling from one salsiccia as well.

Brown meat in a separate pan, and add to pot once done. Deglaze the pan with wine and add that as well. Add some more wine (I had some leftover Chablis that I used, but red is probably better.).

Add stock so it covers the meat, season with pepper, bay leaf, thyme, or whatever you want.

Cook until the meat is soft. I again used a pressure cooker and cooked at full pressure (3 bars) for 20 minutes. I love my pressure cooker.

Remove meat and set aside. Add heavy cream to the stock and reduce until desired consistency. Add roux to thicken if you want.

Add the meat back and cook for a little while. I also pan fried some more bacon with shallots and button mushrooms, that I added as well.

Eat with rice, mashed potatoes or whatever.
 
M

Metroid Killer

Member
I hate brussels sprouts, but now you fuckers are actually making me crave those damn things... Well I've only had them boiled to a mush, so roasting them in oil and garlic does sound pretty awesome.

Anyway I'm baking a cake today and want to do some chocolate decorations for it. I see them in the windows of a lot pâtisseries.
ct3.jpg

So how does one get that spiral shape? My guess is you pipe out the melted chokolate on a line of plastic, then curl the plastic in a spiral and insert it in a tube... Or is there an easier way which I'm not seeing?
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Metroid Killer said:
So how does one get that spiral shape? My guess is you pipe out the melted chokolate on a line of plastic, then curl the plastic in a spiral and insert it in a tube... Or is there an easier way which I'm not seeing?
Click to expand...

Maybe get a food safe metal pipe, put it in freezer and cut a plastic stencil to wrap around it and then pipe the hot chocolate?
 
T

thespot84

Member
Why would you need a stensil? If you can get a small stream of chocolate and a cold foodsafe metal pipe like was mentioned, just twirl and pull the pipe laterally while you're piping the chocolate, it'll make that shape. Might take a bit of practice though.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
thespot84 said:
Why would you need a stensil? If you can get a small stream of chocolate and a cold foodsafe metal pipe like was mentioned, just twirl and pull the pipe laterally while you're piping the chocolate, it'll make that shape. Might take a bit of practice though.
Click to expand...

If you're a robot or have done it a bunch of times, if you want to make it consistent a stencil is the best way. It's easy too just but a long piece of cellophane in a diagonal and glue it onto the pipe.
 
C

Cosmic Bus

pristine morning snow
Metroid Killer said:
So how does one get that spiral shape? My guess is you pipe out the melted chokolate on a line of plastic, then curl the plastic in a spiral and insert it in a tube... Or is there an easier way which I'm not seeing?
Click to expand...

It can't (well, shouldn't) be just melted chocolate, it needs to be properly tempered in order to hold its shape and maintain the shine -- otherwise it will bloom and be streaked or cloudy.

You're basically right about forming the curl, though. It's spread onto sheets of acetate which are then combed or scored to create the desired width, then the acetate is twisted so the chocolate is on the inner side and they're secured until cooled and hardened.
 
E

Etrian Oddity

Member
So I tried (and cooked) scallops for the first time today.

Very odd texture and flavor, especially given that I have no real experience with shellfish. I'll have to refine my palate for this.

(I prepared them in a miso garlic/ginger marinade that actually hid the gamey flavor fairly okay.)
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Shellfish is extremely hit or miss for me. It needs to be cooked perfectly and have no briny taste at all otherwise I don't like it. Good shellfish is fantastic, though.
 
R

RobotChant

Member
Etrian Oddity said:
So I tried (and cooked) scallops for the first time today.

Very odd texture and flavor, especially given that I have no real experience with shellfish. I'll have to refine my palate for this.

(I prepared them in a miso garlic/ginger marinade that actually hid the gamey flavor fairly okay.)
Click to expand...

Did you get "dry" or "wet" scallops? Wet scallops are scallops that have been brined in a chemical solution to help it stay fresh longer. It absorbs extra water and is harder to sear. It also leaves behind a chemical aftertaste.

I've only had scallops once and didn't like them. I'm fairly certain they were the wet variety because of where they were bought. Have avoided them since.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
RobotChant said:
Did you get "dry" or "wet" scallops? Wet scallops are scallops that have been brined in a chemical solution to help it stay fresh longer. It absorbs extra water and is harder to sear. It also leaves behind a chemical aftertaste.
Click to expand...

That must have been what I ate last time. Awful.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
So I attempted to buy oxtail at the grocery store...yeah, not happening. They only sold it under some ethnic brand and at $19/kg. Ridiculous.
 
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