Dessert

     The dessert came out great. Cool fresh berry gelatin with homemade whip cream.

Tandoori Chicken with Coconut eggplant/ barramundi curry over brown rice

   I left the chicken the sous vide for 2.5 hours. It was cooking in tandoori spices. I took out of the sous vide, and grilled it. Afterward, I melts ghee on it and put it in the boiler for 3 minutes. It is delicious. The color is not red enough--just means I have to use more food dye next time.  The coconut curry is store bought from wholepaycheck under the brand name Maya Kaimal--these sauces are fresh with no preservatives. I put eggplants and a barramundi  fillet (Australian fish) in the curry as well.. The rice was made in chicken broth.

Now cooking for dinner starts-

     Finished the yard, going to have Nathan's hot dogs and sauerkraut--yes I know what goes into a hot dog but alas I do like them. I am going to try to do a Tandoori chicken but in the sous vide--I will bend the yogurt, spices and cook them in the sous vide, and  sear them and glaze them when they come out. Should be fun.

What to make on a Sunday Afternoon

Blueberries and blackberries simmering.

  Wife and son left to go to he playground.  I am just did the yard, and now looking at making food. I started making fresh blueberry and blackberry gelatin. I also added Kirsch to it.  Also, I am making Calvado gum following Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck recipe for whiskey gums.

Lime Ice Cream

     The lime ice creme came out great. I used lime from my tree and milk, sugar and heavy cream.

Sous Vide Pork Chop with dijon mustard sauce with peas, and roasted potatoes

  Cheese souffle was great. They came out puffed up. My son loved them.  Got to make it again.

Pork chop was very tender. It was cooked for two hours in sous vide at 149 degrees F. I used a rub I made up. The rub had brown sugar, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, and garlic. The peas we glazed with hollandaise sauce. The roasted potatoes have onion, garlic, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Unfortunately, the potatoes were slightly undercooked.

Dinner on Sunday, Feb 26

Going in the Oven

  Trying my hand with a Cheese Souffle--first time I am trying this.I will make sure I will not open the oven door too often.

Breakfast with a view

 Sometimes, with working and living I never take time to look at what a beautiful place Hawaii is. This is the view from my living room looking towards Kaneohe Bay. The weather is clearing up, after a rainstorm last night. 

Hollandaise Sauce

     Speaking of last night, my wife and I watched Kitchen Impossible---unbelievable that restaurants would charge you for pre-made food. In this case, Robert Irving was amazed that the chef used powdered hollandaise sauce--one of the easiest sauces to make. Well, this morning,  I decided to make poached eggs and a hollandaise sauce.

Poached eggs with Hollandaise Sauce

       I put three eggs in the Sous Vide at 149 degrees F for 60 minutes. I took out two eggs let them warm up room temperature. Water began to simmer, and I whisked fresh lime juice, with eggs yokes, and place the bowl over the simmering water. I proceeded to whisk in 4 oz of melted butter, and added salt, pepper and crushed red pepper herbs de Provence I then served the sauce over the poached eggs. Delicious! My 3.5 year old son, saw me and asked for a taste--then proceeded to say yummy. Luckily, I had made another poached eggs and gave him one. He ate everything.

Beef Stroganoff

  Plate looks good. I put some tomatoes in vice tomato paste to see what effect it has. It has a more acidic taste--which I enjoy as it cuts the fat from the sour cream. I needed to cook the meat a little longer. Overall--8/10 in my home rating.

Feb 25--Beef Stroganoff

Short week---decided to make beef stroganoff. Good, easy dish--really enjoy the mushrooms.

Cassoulet coming out and the wine we chose.

Cassoulet looks great coming out of the oven. The wine is Ibalzini, Sangiovese, 2003 from Tuscany. The wine has a subdued bouquet. The wine bounces off the tongue with a hint of blackberry.

Vine ripened tomatoes salad, with avocado, red onions, with a vinaigrette, and blue cheese foam (Point Reyes)

Wow--My blue cheese foam worked--Great Salad

Cassoulet going in the oven

Uploaded a photo of the cassoulet going into the oven. I made homemade bread crumbs from yesterday's bread. Also, used duck fat as a topping on the bread crumbs

Monday night dinner--Feb 21

Starting to make a cassoulet. Got the white beans simmering with the vegetables---browning the pork. Used real duck fat saved up.

Dinner on Sunday, Feb 20 with a good friend

  Had a good friend come. I started out with a glass of Prosecco and marinated olives,. artichokes, and pate. Next came homemade bread with a spicy aioli. The salad was vine-ripened tomatoes with a blue cheese foam--(foam was too watery). Main course was sous vide Chicken Marsala, over scalloped  potatoes, and haricot vert deglaze. Dessert was homemade pineapple ice cream. Overall a great night with great conversations. Too bad my wife had to work.