Food

@ Markyboy. Apologies for the over-reaction on my part, your posts read as a direct moral challenge, to which I felt obliged to respond.
Internets eh? x

No worries ;^)

so just stick over hob, leave to heat for a while, then whack something on it?

sweet, might try some butterfly'd chicken breasts tonight

Yeah definitely - Wait 'til it's smoking hot then sear with it, or you could sear and then throw it in the oven to finish. But really you can use cast iron pans for so so much, baking eggs, making pizza/bread, hitting people over the head... so many options!

^^ tchoh! thanks for ruining some perfectly agreeable potential popcorn with your mutually magnanimous, grown up yet light hearted persiflage.

dicks.

damn grown ups and their rational approach to dispute resolution. where's Jeez when we need him?

back to food though I made Nigella's Ham in Coke on NYE. came out quite well I think.

i'm sure nigella's ham in coke came out quite different ;)

probably looked a bit more festive too.

Gonna try this recipe:

http://m.molecularrecipes.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.molecularrecipes.com%2Fgelification%2Fbalsamic-vinegar-pearls%2F#3040

So a bit of a delay, but how did this go? Success?

Dracula - if you felt like doing a step by step with those steaks pics, then I wouldn't complain.

Looks cracking!

Sure - it wasn't too tricky....

Steak...

1. Pat Steak Dry and season with lots of salt and peps and pop a sprig of thyme and sprig of rosemary on top.
   
2. Wrap steak in cling film tightly and pop into good quality re-sealable sandwich bag.
   
3. Remove Air from Zip Lock by dunking whole thing in water up to the lip, then seal so as vacuum packed as it can be!
   
4. In a big pot (or better, something with insulated walls) heat water to 130F. Once you've reached target temp, drop in bag with steak... I wedged in a cheap wooden spatula to keep them submerged.
   
5. How long you leave it in there for is up to you, I think mine were in about 2 hours in total while I pottered about and played with my cat. Just keep checking back to ensure water hasnt dropped in temp (mine sat between 135f and 125f, depending on when i'd added the water... I think you want somewhere between 127 and 130 for medium rare... btw using F as more accurate)
   
6. Remove from bags/cling film and pat dry...
   
7. Into a screaming hot pan with a little oil, quickly sear the sides... I did consider using a blow torch to really get the sear going...
   
8. Rest for 2 or 3 minutes (you shouldnt need as long as a normal steak).
   
   

Other stuff was simple...

Red Wine Sauce / Shallots

1. Add whatever bones you've taken out of the steak to a pan with a little olive oil and brown as much of the meat thats on there as you can.
   
2. While you're doing this quickly steam the shallots until tender.
   
3. Turn down heat in meat pan and add a generous knob of butter and tender halved shallots, keep an eye on them until they start to brown up and get caramelised.
   
4. Pour in a couple of glugs of Balsamic Vinegar, (White Wine Vinegar and sugar) and let the shallots get sticky.
   
5. Pour in a large glass of Red Wine and add a glove of garlic and a sprig of Rosemary. Let the wine bubble 'til reduced to 1/3 of original volume.
   
6. Strain Sauce into seperate pan, add shallots to small baking tray and bang in a low oven to roast a little.
   
7. To stock pan - add in stock (i used chicken, beef would be better, probably) - about 300/400ml. Again let it reduce down to 1/3 of original volume.
   
8. Whisk in butter and check seasoning before serving.
   
   

Potatoes were just new potatoes, steamed, then crushed in a pan with some slowly sauteed minced garlic, finished with a little parsley and S&P.

Sounds, and looks great. Haven't tried sous vide yet, but it is on my (never ending) list of projects.

Pulled a whole pig cheek out of the freezer last night, took it off the jawbone this morning and trimmed it up, now marinading Thit Nuong style. It is not just the little cheek oyster morsel, but has has quite a lot of fat and connective tissue as well as 'jowl' meat. Thinking of slow-roasting it, rather than slicing and grilling which would be more authentic.

Got a carrot pickle on the go too. Gonna have it with rice or vermicelli tonight, then with the leftovers bring on the heinous foie gras banh mi style sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

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fish fingers night tonight. can't wait.

^chips & peas?

of course!

and trainsmash. none of this tartar sauce poncery.

Square Pie

Sounds, and looks great. Haven't tried sous vide yet, but it is on my (never ending) list of projects.

Pulled a whole pig cheek out of the freezer last night, took it off the jawbone this morning and trimmed it up, now marinading Thit Nuong style. It is not just the little cheek oyster morsel, but has has quite a lot of fat and connective tissue as well as 'jowl' meat. Thinking of slow-roasting it, rather than slicing and grilling which would be more authentic.

Got a carrot pickle on the go too. Gonna have it with rice or vermicelli tonight, then with the leftovers bring on the heinous foie gras banh mi style sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

hope you're going to do a chilli heavy nuoc cham with that!

Sounds, and looks great. Haven't tried sous vide yet, but it is on my (never ending) list of projects.

Pulled a whole pig cheek out of the freezer last night, took it off the jawbone this morning and trimmed it up, now marinading Thit Nuong style. It is not just the little cheek oyster morsel, but has has quite a lot of fat and connective tissue as well as 'jowl' meat. Thinking of slow-roasting it, rather than slicing and grilling which would be more authentic.

Got a carrot pickle on the go too. Gonna have it with rice or vermicelli tonight, then with the leftovers bring on the heinous foie gras banh mi style sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

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Sounds dope! Love some Bun! Whats your Marinade recipe?

Mainly nicked off the internet and tweaked a bit, its:
3 sticks lemongrass
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 tbsp fish suace
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp dark soy
1 tbsp caster sugar

Going in the oven now. Yes there will be a hot dipping sauce!

back to food though I made Nigella's Ham in Coke on NYE. came out quite well I think.

is that 2kg joint as recommended?

gna do this but dont think i need that much

Need?

You're doing it wrong

on my own, can i get through that much before it goes off?!

Yup - will be good for a good 10-14 days*

You can freeze it as well

*im still eating Xmas ham, which is what I'm basing this on

Ehrmagerd. Perk.
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oink!