tomahawk66 Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 First proper cook since my daughter was born on August 4 (the in-laws have been providing nutrition while I focus on the diapers, soothing and burping!) Say hi to Angelina (AKA Angie) Now... On to the cook! I had a whole leg of New Zealand lamb kicking around in the freezer for a while (excuse the pun!) so decided to prep it for an old school British Sunday Roast tomorrow. As some of you may know I'm currently stuck in a small 2 bed apartment in Shanghai, China with no outdoor space, but will be moving to Singapore soon and I've already told my realtor over there that my main requirement is "outdoor space for a 500lbs ceramic grill" until we move and get a KK I'm stuck in doors trying to make do with no grill whatsoever ðŸ˜. So my Anova immersion circulator and blow torch are my best friends (along with an oven with a rotisserie that does a mean chicken) First I grabbed the lamb by the leg: I trimmed quite a bit of the fat and then rubbed down with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chopped fresh rosemary: This is the first cook where I thought my chamber vacuum sealer might not be big enough! It's a small industry standard vacuum chamber that I picked up from a factory here for about U.S.$150 (one reason I love living in China). It was a tight squeeze and I had to trim a little bone to fit, But fit it did! The first attempt to bag the leg ended in failure as the bone punctured the vacuum bag. I was wracking my brain for a solution when my gaze fell on the fat trimmings... Eureka! I wrapped the sharp bone in a long trim of fat and the bag sealed perfectly! There's a couple of bay leaves in there along with some extra sprigs of rosemary. I didn't add any fat (oils etc) this time as my experience is that when you do sous vide with added fats you end up with a fragrant oil but no flavor penetration of the meat. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong... We'll see tomorrow! Into my Anova/beer-cooler/bubble wrap cooker at 57.5C (135.5F) - going for a kinda medium/medium rare as some folks are a little squeamish with too pink lamb so I'll try and hit a bit of a 'blush' rather than my preferred beefsteak style rare. I'll see it again in 20 hours or so tomorrow. I'll probably roast up some potatoes in duck fat and Rosemary along with some sous vide baby carrots and perhaps a little greenery like spinach sautéed in garlic and lemon zest or maybe a spinach pea and mint dish? Ah... Why I love sous vide for big cuts: I've got 20 hours to choose my sides. Anticipation is almost as good as the eating (but not quite 😜) I'll post updates when the leg comes out tomorrow along with some food porn of the carving and final plated dish. In the meantime I will dream of what I'm gonna cook when I have a place big enough for a KK! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Beautiful baby girl. You should be very proud of that little princess! I anxious to find out how the lamb turns out. But sorry, baby Angie trumps the food porn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 I totally agree with Poochie, it's your daughter that has stolen this show. She is gorgeous, simply gorgeous The leg of lamb is a distant second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Cook? Is there a cook here! All I see is an absolutely beautiful, precious baby girl contentedly sleeping. What a wonderful picture! Congrats! Angie is stunningly gorgeous. You are indeed blest. Oh, yeah, I went back and looked for a cook. Nice leg of lamb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Congratulations! Ingenious to use the leftover fat scraps as padding on the bone!! Eagerly awaiting the porn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Congratulations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted August 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks all for the kind words! Woke up this morning (who am I kidding: woke up every 2 hours during the night!) and checked on the water bath: all going well and looking good! That bubble wrap keeps the water from evaporating and is working very well! Sides decided on: potatoes roasted in duck fat and rosemary, baby carrots sous vide with butter and thyme, spinach & fresh green peas steamed with mint and lemon zest. Couple of bottles of champagne on ice to toast the birth of little Angie with SWMBO, the in-laws, my closest friend and his better half. Nice to have a family gathering even though my folks are 6,000 miles away with my sister and her new born, Freya who is two days younger than Angie! We'll skype them in the afternoon so we can all sorta be together Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted August 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Sitting back after a good days cooking... Not much better feeling in this life! I got up pretty early this morning and the girls were both sleeping so I snuck out to make some breakfast This odd combo is courtesy of my neighbor and best friend who's a Dane. My take on a smorgasbord using Danish mackerel in a tomato sauce, sliced boiled eggs, mayo and paprika followed by a little grapefruit so I feel healthy... Then on to the cook! After 20 hours the lambs looking good The guests arrive and we start with some caviar a friend brought back from Russia for us. His way of eating it is on a dark seed bread with sour cream, onion, egg white, yolk and pickles. We also cracked a bottle of champagne to celebrate the new addition to the family After that I got the sides ready: Baby carrots in thyme butter (185F for an hour with the anova) below the carrots in the small pot is a gravy made by sautéing some shallots and deglazing the pan used to sear the lamb with white wine, simmering the lamb juices until reduced then passing through a fine sieve Fresh green peas and spinach sautéed with mint and lemon zest Classic roast potatoes in duck fat and rosemary - par boiled, roughed up in a colander and then into the oven Then on to the lamb leg. As always with sous vide it comes out looking a little anemic: This is where I wish I had a KK... 😠My best fix really doesn't get close to what I'll be able to do when I get one. On the table: And the money shots: Tasted great! Super tender (almost getting to the mushy stage but not quite). Bucket loads of flavor and the crust was good considering it was pan and torch. But the real star of the show? Welcome to the world little Angie, your daddy is looking forward to cooking you many fine meals in future! For now you'll just have to taste them 2nd hand! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 What an outstanding cook!! Everything looks delicious and I'm sure it was. Baby is awake from smelling all that yummy food in the house. Congratulations on a great cook and a wonderful little baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted August 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks Poochie! We ate and drank to her good health. I'm looking forward to having a KK one day to make these cooks even better. I know the tools don't make the chef but I find that they do inspire me: the anova has led me to cook big expensive hunks of meat with confidence that I'd otherwise not have had. With a KK the sky is the limit!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 What a great meal! But the star of the show was Angie! She's a heartbreaker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Congrats! Gorgeous little girl and great looking cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 What a wonderful series of photos of a beautiful meal! Major kudos to you! That last pic in the series is an absolute killer. What a perfectly adorable baby girl! Angie is just a stunning little girl that can easily capture any heart she desires. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Interesting cook - looks tasty. I like the way you laid the table out. Very cute baby pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 A feast to behold for sure and little Angie is looking very cute in the big bed with her Mum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 Congratulations to your new Baby Girl. She is gorgeous ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted August 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 Thanks everyone! I am a very proud dad. Currently on business in HK and missing my girls a lot... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted August 18, 2015 Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 Very nice meal!! Great photos and congrats on the new addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
