Top Chef Dinner

There’s not much better to do on a Wednesday night during the summer than to meet up with friends (and fellow teachers) and be able to relax and unwind without having to worry about being up (too) early in the morning.  Last night, Steph and I met up with our friends Mike, Laurie, Chris & Katelyn for an evening of eating, relaxing and watching Top Chef.

As I have learned from doing dinners like this once or twice before, it’s always a better move to plan on smaller portions and a wider variety of food to be eaten – part of the fun is to eat as many different things as possible!

Indian-Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Raita

Mike had these ready to go as soon as we walked in the door!  Ground lamb, garam masala (homemade!), cumin, coriander and a bunch of other spices, combined with some minced onion, created a tender and flavorful meatball.  The raita (not pictured) was a good complement, made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, and mint (I think).  I’m a big fan of  ground lamb and kofte-style kebabs like these, and I’ve got to say these came out rather well.

Poached Florida Gulf Shrimp with Horseradish Consommé

This was one of my dishes so I’m going to be able to speak more about it.  When thinking about what I wanted to make, I wanted something that was light, cold and spoke of summer, so I couldn’t have asked for better than this recipe.  Of course, like all recipes from the Restaurant Nicholas cookbook, this one came out rather well!

The consommé was made from blending tomatoes with some salt and sugar, then straining the mixture overnight through a few layers of cheesecloth, leaving behind a golden, slightly pink liquid that was the essence of tomatoes.  Horseradish was then allowed to steep in the tomato water to impart its spiciness to the “broth”.  Unfortunately, I was unable to track down fresh horseradish so I had to use prepared (which I drained first to get rid of the vinegar).  The shrimp were poached in Nicholas’s recipe for courtboullion and then peeled and cut into bite-size pieces.  Halved grape tomatoes and cucumber balls finished out the presentation.

How did it taste?  Light, refreshing and delicious.  I’m normally not the biggest fan of cucumber, and I wouldn’t necessarily eat it raw, but I’m beginning to appreciate it in dishes.  The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and were rather flavorful.  Next time, I would add more horseradish as I found the flavor didn’t come through as much as I’d like, and perhaps a touch less salt for my tastes.  However, a successful first course that I will definitely be making again!

Pizza with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Provolone & Parmesan

Let us stop for a moment and  marvel at Katelyn’s amazing photography skills.  Isn’t that a pretty picture?  I’m highly impressed, and I’m glad I have made a cool new friend who has skill ranks in photography.  That said, that is one delicious pizza!  Crispy but chewy crust, the secret of which I hope to get sometime soon, along with some fresh tomatoes, pizza sauce (a Nesi family recipe) and mounds of delicious cheese.  Steph didn’t get to snap a picture of the finished pizza, because we were too busy eating it as soon as we were sure we would not be singing the roofs of our mouths on deliciousness.  I think we can all agree, though, that Katelyn’s picture is an adequate placeholder

Thai Turkey Sliders with Peanut Sauce and Quick Pickled Vegetables

I’m normally not a fan of cooking the same meal two nights in a row, exceptin the case of leftovers.  However, I had made these on Tuesday, and were such a hit with Steph and I that I knew I had to make them again for our friends.  I was looking for something that was small in size and big in flavor, and these fit the bill perfectly!

Ground turkey comes in 2 varieties at my store, 99% and 94% lean.  The 99%, while being healthier and lower in fat, is also very prone to drying out and becoming crumbly and mealy when cooked, so I (like I tend to when cooking with it) went with the fattier mix.  The turkey was combined with minced scallions, sambal oelek (my favorite), lime zest, cilantro and salt, then formed into patties and griddled.  The peanut sauce consisted of creamy peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar.  The vegetables (English cucumber and red onion) were dressed in a combination of fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar as well.

How did it taste?  The 94% turkey provides a nice meatiness without being greasy, and the sambal provides a nice spiciness to contrast against the sweet/tart pickled veggies.  The peanut sauce adds to the savoriness of the dish (and for you doubters out there, spread some peanut butter on your cheeseburger the next time you are grilling for a revelatory experience) and this was a course not to be forgotten.  I’ll post the recipe later, if not tomorrow.

Pork en Fuego

This was the second dish that Mike prepared, and I’m glad that it was the last savory course before dessert, because the description is not exaggeration – this was a seriously spicy meal!  Pork tenderloin strips coated with a spice rub and grilled (sauteed, in this case) then combined with a sauce made with tomatoes, tequila and hot cherry peppers, then all combined, topped with some havarti cheese.  Mike spent a good part of the day preparing his own homemade ciabatta bread, and I’ve got to say it was rather high quality, with a crunchy crust and a good internal crumb.  Even though this was a Guy Fieri recipe (I am not his biggest fan) it was very good, but I doubt I’d prepare it myself as it was far too spicy for Stephanie.

Dessert Pizza with Nutella, Chocolate and Marshmallows

Another offering of pizza from Chris & Katelyn.  Not much more needs to be said other than I would eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could.  When I get better at making pizza dough, I will be making this quite often.

We finished off the evening with a viewing of Top Chef, where I am still roundly disappointed with both the quality and capability of the chefs that are present this season.  We also had a scoop of frozen yogurt (courtesy of Johnny Iuzzini) that I had made last week with some blueberry sauce that I quickly whipped up earlier in the afternoon.  Perfect end to a perfect evening!