Cooking Posts - 2019

Another year, another year's worth of cooking! As with prior years that I've been catching up, this is a collection of all the one-off cooking posts from 2019. Enjoy!

Lamb Kafta

I happened to be watching Nigella Lawson on TV one day and she made a similar version of this dish. It looked great and I decided to recreate it at home. It was delicious!

Shepherd's Pie

Arancini

Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've made these cookies a few times and they stand as my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. They're enormous and just a little bit salty. I have to laugh every time I make them, as according to the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, their crepe cake, which I made a few years ago for one of my dinners with Al, is the easiest recipe in the book. Nope. Pretty sure these cookies are more than a little bit simpler. 

Superbowl

Mozzarella Sticks w/ Marinara Sauce

Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dressing

Nachos - Sodium Citrate Queso, Pickled Onions & Jalapeños, Cilantro, Cholula

It's no secret that while I don't care about the "Big Game" itself, I love Superbowl food. It's tradition that Leah and I make a bunch of junk food and gorge while we watch commercials and the Puppy Bowl. 

Fried Fish & Coleslaw

Dinosaur BBQ Peanut Butter Pie

BBQ Night!

Oven Ribs

Jalapeño Cornbread

Ham Hock Collard Greens

Stuffed Peppers

This delicious dish was Leah's idea to make. We used cauliflower rice and I think ground beef for the filling, topped with cheese and enchilada sauce and baked until bubbly. Wonderful!

Baked Ziti

Garganelli w/ Lamb & Peas

Whenever we visit our dear friends Al and Megan in Katonah, NY, we like to stop in the excellent Katonah Pasta Shop and pick up a few pounds of homemade pasta. Their garganelli is one of my absolute favorites. 

Spanish Coffee

1 oz Bacardi 151

1 1/2 oz Kahlua

1 dash Triple Sec

Coffee

Nutmeg

Whipping Cream

Lime Juice & Granulated Sugar (for the rim)

I used to watch a fantastic cocktail show on the Esquire Network. The hosts would travel to different places and enjoy cocktails, often posting the recipes on-screen. I would pause the screen and take photos to add to my recipe archive for any that stood out to me, like this incredible Spanish Coffee. 

Lasagna

Another amazing meal courtesy of the fresh pasta (in this case lasagna sheets) from Katonah Pasta. 

Mussels & Fries

Pork Chops & Cauliflower Purée

Vegetable Fritters

Hotpot

Another visit to Al and Megan's in Katonah, NY - we were treated to this spectacular Shabu Shabu hot pot extravaganza!

Lemon Pasta w/ Clams

The last of the pasta from Katonah - they make this amazing lemon fettuccine. Leah and I were strolling through the farmer's market near Lincoln Center and saw a fishmonger selling great-looking clams. We picked up a couple dozen and I threw together this wonderful dish. Only problem was I forgot to stick the clams in water first to let them expel their sand, so it was unfortunately a bit gritty. 

Cheesesteaks

Sodium citrate, that magical salt-like additive, is endlessly fun. Here we used it to make whiz-like cheese sauce for reasonably authentic Philly cheesesteaks.

Mac N' Cheese

Roast Chicken & Vegetables

In late October when the weather starts getting cold, nothing beats the comfort and warmth that a nice plate of roast chicken delivers.

Sugar Pumpkins

Leah's project making filling for pumpkin pies.

Au Pied de Cochon Apple Cake

As you may know if you read my post about our visit to the legendary Montreal temple to gluttony, Au Pied de Cochon, we were sent home with a couple cans of Martin Picard's maple condensed milk product. One we gave away as a gift, and the other sat in our pantry until I finally decided to use it to make this indulgent apple cake served with maple syrup. Yum. 

Aged Eggnog

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown. We made a big batch of this eggnog in early November and let it age until Christmas time. It was delicious immediately after making, but as it aged became more mellow and smooth. We have additional stock still in the fridge (I'm posting this the following year in May 2020) and it's still absolutely amazing. We'll see this Christmas what it tastes like after a full year of aging!

Dutch Baby

I can't take credit for this spectacular-looking blueberry Dutch baby - this was my mom's doing. Amazing as always!

Swedish Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash

Pumpkin Gin Sours

2 oz Gin

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Pumpkin Butter

1 Egg White

Dash of Cinnamon & Fresh Thyme (for garnish)

Chicken Hearts & Grits

Store-bought chicken usually comes stuffed with a bag full of giblets. You'll usually get the heart, liver, neck, and maybe the kidneys and/or gizzard. On this occasion I opened up the bag and it contained almost a dozen hearts! Too good to be true. I set about dicing them up and cooked them with onions and thyme. Served over creamy grits, there's almost nothing better!

Orecchiette w/ Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

I feel like the older people get, the more difficult they are to shop for. Some things are always a hit with me though, like a big bundle of delicious food! This classic dish came courtesy of my brother's Christmas gift to Leah and I - a care package of great Italian ingredients. 

NoMad Bar Library

I had a minor issue scheduling an evening at NoMad Bar in late 2019 - long story short, the management offered us a reservation with a few drinks and small bites on the house to apologize for the snafu. Leah and I gladly took them up on their offer and ended up being seated in the beautiful Library, which we had never been in before. 

NoMad Bar

1170 Broadway, New York, NY

thenomadhotel.com/new-york/dining/spaces/the-nomad-bar

It was the day after Christmas, so the space was still festively decorated. Everything looked beautiful, and we felt very warm and relaxed. 

Coq-Tail No. 5

Elyx Vodka, Pumpkin Spice, Lemon, Ginger

NoMad Bar has served this fun two-person cocktail for a while, though this particular variation incorporated fall and winter flavors, and sported more cute holiday decorations.

 

Carrot

Tartare with Quail Egg, Sunflower Seeds, & Rye Crisps

I've written many times about this delicious dish, which is pound-for-pound the best on the entire menu. We get it on every visit. 

Charcuterie

Variations with Pickled Vegetables, Olive Jam, & Swiss Cheeses

A slightly awkward situation - our invitation said "drinks and snacks with our compliments". However when we arrived nobody actually spoke to us about what that would entail, so we just ordered what we wanted. Then on top of what we ordered, a few free items came out, like this charcuterie platter. It's not that it wasn't appreciated, but I wish somebody had just been direct with us and said they were going to send a couple things out on the house. In the end it added up to too much food and we ended up spending more money than necessary. Oh well, not the worst problem to have. 

As for the charcuterie itself, everything was great. We had ordered this dish once a long time ago and were disappointed by the portion size - this version felt more substantial. 

Fried Chicken

Chili-Lime Yogurt

This dish has been on the menu for a long time and we always passed over it. I'm glad we finally ordered it though, as the portion size was very substantial and the taste was fantastic. 

NoMad Hot Dog

Bacon-Wrapped with Black Truffle & Celery

Another item we almost always order - we love hot dogs and this fancy version is always a hit with us. 

French Fries

Herbs, Ketchup, Lemon & Pommery Mayo

NoMad Bar's fries are another great menu value. Crisp, delicious, and very substantial. 

Ice Cream Sandwich

One of the newer additions to NoMad Bar's dessert menu is a trio of ice cream sandwiches. Their desserts have always been pretty weak, so we were really happy that this item was absolutely amazing. This wasn't one of the regular flavors, but rather a seasonal version with, if memory serves, maple. 

Milk & Honey

Shortbread, Honey Brittle, Milk Ice Cream

NoMad Restaurant's trademark dessert, which is wonderfully light and delicate. This was another complimentary dish, which we were more than happy to receive.