Braai-Q

Côte de boeuf with chips for dinner tonight. This is 32 day aged Red Poll cattle. Food miles? > 2.  

Not cooked côte de boeuf before but going to use the Fireboard and reverse sear. 

Will try to remember to take pictures of the after. Thinking of an Austrian red to go with this. Likely a Judith Beck Ink. 

I neglected to say that it was good to meet @jonj, @BOC, a momentary flash of @Sir Bill, @MacKenzie, @DennisLinkletter and I'm not sure who was on from Australia, audio was terrible but picture was fine. If I've forgotten anyone, I'm sorry, I don't know everyone's real names. 

It was certainly the most exciting Zoom call I had in my day. Watching an overgrown and highly excited child marshal a group of slightly confused blokes to line up her new toys in a beauty parade for the benefit of an international audience who were offering advice throughout.

The British weather prevailed as it always does and created an ambience that could best be summarised by this picture:

I have no doubt that when they arrived early, @tekobo arranged a dress rehearsal and the seamless unboxing was far too polished to be authentic. From my own experience, the fact that there was not a divorce level argument over when you lift from a count of three or any skinned knuckles is an advertisement for getting help and supervising.

I love the fact that there was a multi-cam setup although I regretted going full screen at one point and getting a bloke's rear end at 4K on my monitor. It was a bit too real. 

Look forward to those first cooks.... 

Yup, that's the Michael Twitty book I referred to.  Reading it at the mo.

I thought I had seen Twitty mentioned but then I scrolled up and couldn’t see it. Ignore me. Teach me for forum surfing in the middle of a meeting.


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I'd like to set my expectations for tomorrow's Zoom call. 

The driveway: Red carpet. 

@tekobo: Cocktail dress, cocktail in hand.

Music: Mandatory, something energetic. 

Extras: Must include man on crutches. I expect @DennisLinkletter to make opening remarks as well. 

I was going to Photoshop a theatrical poster but sadly the demands of clients and finance meetings have taken from the important tasks of the day. 

1 minute ago, Troble said:

That’s ok @Braai-Q it gives me fine to practice until you come for the Mexican gastronomy tour. I’m not ready yet. I need to train 

I'm ready and hungry. 😁

1 hour ago, tony b said:

Best advice for newbs - take an afternoon, with a cooler of adult beverages of your choice,

Tony, I must be on beginner level still. I tend to drink the cooler of adult beverages and forget what I'm cooking. Where am I going wrong?

On 12/15/2020 at 3:41 PM, Troble said:

@tekobo I was catching up on your funky old cow thread and are your pics of your books it made me chuckle. This is my countertop this morning. My mission is to research done creative dishes particularly side dishes to go with my upcoming butcher box 

I told my wife it’s gonna be 5 days of great food and I’m gonna try some new things 🤞

Were it not for distance, the pandemic and work commitments (minor obstacles), I'd offer myself up as an evaluator of your efforts. 😀

8 hours ago, tekobo said:

I bought Sean Brock's South book first and found it very accessible.  Practically of our Christmas dinner will be cooked using that book.

I then bought Heritage and struggled to get into it because it was full of "fancy" recipes.  I think that may be because Heritage was his first book and he was establishing himself.  South seems more confident and less up itself.  That said, I did found a couple of pages in Heritage that I liked very much. Simple veg preparations - carrots cooked in carrot juice (we've cooked it using shop bought carrot batons and juice and it was a revelation and so I imagine it will be great with heritage carrots and home squeezed juice), confit potatoes (to help preserve a large harvest of potatoes) and eggplant barigoule (yet to try it but it sounds really good).  So I think I will get into Heritage by chipping away at bits of it.  

We don't have grits and the special beans and rice that Sean Brock recommends and so I cracked and placed an order with Anson Mills.  Package should be arriving in the next day or so.  I hope they live up to Tony's billing!!!

You might like this as well if you're going Southern. Not a cookery book per se but there are some recipes in it. None of which I've tried.

14 hours ago, AAAsh said:

It is only a three day transit from Surabaya to Singapore. Takes longer for them to unpack the container and clear customs, etc. 

If @tekobo lived in Singapore, I could see her impulse shopping the range. 😆

36 minutes ago, RokDok said:

Very good ! 

It took me a few minutes to get it- Tekebo teed you up well for that !!

 

It's no Boaty McBoatface though. 😁

2 hours ago, Troble said:

@jonj @Braai-Q totally agree! Who takes their kids to Hooters when they are 10? My brother was 6. My wife and I talk about this stuff, she’s amazed how I tuned out given my upbringing. I remember going to Marbella when I was 17 with my parents and my Dad complaining the whole time and wanting to eat at McDonalds all the time 

No judgement, just amusement at the statement. 

2 hours ago, Troble said:

@Braai-Q one of my buddies who lives in the Southeastern US posted this on Facebook from a BBQ group he’s in. I don’t know anything about gator, we don’t get that kind of meat where I live. Sharks are about as fearsome as we get 

Quite a lot of those sort of meals are tourist focused. In Southern Africa, crocodile tail always earned you a certificate. It was always tail and sliced - either cured, smoked or grilled. Nothing remarkable about the flavour.

2 hours ago, Troble said:

@Basher I’ve tried alligator before at a Hooters in Florida when I was in 5th grade on a Disneyworld trip with my family 

So much to unpack in that sentence! 😁

15 minutes ago, tekobo said:

Hmmm.  I wonder, might they be cracking open your KK to cook their Christmas meal on the HMM OSLO?

Is that why it's called the 'Hmm Oslo?'

Excellent choice. Look forward to first cook pics.

10 hours ago, Troble said:

In case you were ever wondering what a bacon wrapped alligator with a chicken in it's mouth looked like, now you know. 🐊

Would you give this a go? Anything is better with bacon, right?🥓

Photo credited to Alixmcalpine
 

 

In the UK, there is a dish called 'pigs in blankets' which are basically chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon and you place them around the turkey at Christmas. All the juices of the turkey blend in and they're utterly fabulous. This. This is that. But next level. 

Is it art or dinner though?

Thanks @Steve Mand @Troble. It's been a while since I made a sticky toffee pudding or anything of that endeavour. This version has 2 cups of maple syrup in it, 1/2 cup of cream.... You get a lofty sugar high which counters the deep food coma that your body wants to go into while it processes the baked aspect of the dessert. I should have had half the portion I did.

I think this is what's called 'ugly delicious'. I took this as I was folding in the dry ingredients as part of the final step in making a sticky toffee pudding. It's actually an American take on a sticky toffee pudding using maple syrup. It includes medjool dates steeped in espresso mixed in with light brown sugar, maple syrup, ground cloves, cardamom and nutmeg along with eggs, flour, bicarb, baking powder, salt and a few other ingredients which escape me. Everything ground by hand in a pestle and mortar. 

I actually tried a new recipe. I have a perfect sticky toffee pudding which is an amalgam of one by Fergus Henderson and another by Marcus Wareing. Anyway, this was steamed for 4 hours in the slow cooker per the recipe but I reckon it would work well in the KK. I think a little smokiness would add to it. I cooked them in two souffle moulds at 50% depth and suspect the same technique would work effectively in the KK. Not sure on temperature, probably around 110-120 I think.

Steamed, treacle, sticky toffee puddings are very much a UK thing but are sensational with high quality vanilla ice cream or cream. 

I felt it was necessary comfort food having read the latest on the state of Brexit negotiations. The aromatics made the kitchen smell incredible. In fact, it still does. 

 

Just now, MacKenzie said:

Payback, Braai-Q .

Well, I have a 32KK's worth of cookbooks to persuade @tekobo to buy so that's one down.

On 12/11/2020 at 4:06 PM, MacKenzie said:

@Braai-Q, the influencers strike again. 

I feel it's usually the other way round on this forum. @tekobo doing much of the aiding and abetting! 

4 hours ago, tekobo said:

The reason I found them was the fact that Fergus Henderson uses their chocolate in his ice cream recipe. Going to try that out soon.  In search of that perfect dark chocolate ice cream flavour that you get in Italy.  

If you're after chocolate recipes, I don't know if you know David Lebovitz (ex Chez Panisse), now in Paris. His book 'The Perfect Scoop' is probably my favourite ice cream book. I feel that knowing you like Amaro, you might like this: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/amaro-recipe-chip-stracciatella-milk-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/

My intention is to make this in the next few weeks: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipe-candy-chocolate-marshmallows/#more-48688

If you're after good quality chocolate, I'd recommend Callebaut. They do two versions of their dark, a 54% solids and a 70%. I think the 70% is a specific recipe application and would be good for the ice cream you want. I much prefer the 54% or the milk chocolate that they do. Here's a link: https://www.souschef.co.uk/products/plain-chocolate-couverture-5555

18 hours ago, tekobo said:

So.  This might be a lousy idea but I am putting it out there for your thoughts. 

My KKs may be "devanned" on Tuesday next week and may be delivered to me on Thursday.  I have a camera on a tripod and I could rig it up to share the unboxing with you, my KK friends.  Time zones could be a problem as could getting the internet connection to work reliably outdoors but I thought maybe a zoom meeting that you could dial in to to see the new arrivals could be nice for those of you waiting for a KK and others who just want to be nosy.  I don't want to post a public link on the forum but do direct message me if you are interested and I will update you when I know more about timing and feasibility.

I'm up for this. Although I really want mr @tekobo doing the commentary!

1 hour ago, tekobo said:

Chocolate from these folk is truly delicious:https://pumpstreetchocolate.com

I found them because of their sourdough and sea salt chocolate but have also enjoyed the rye crumb (tastes like a posh Crunchie) and The Husband loves the Eccles (a posh dairy milk with raisins in).  I am not a fan of chocolate bars but I love these.  One for the stocking perhaps?

Not far from us as it happens. About 30 mins. Approve of both of those choices. They do a library book that you should try - it's a bar of one of each of everything. 

Also worth trying is Fudge Kitchen. Their Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt is more like ganache than fudge. It's wonderful stuff. 

I'm looking forward to the pictures of this assembly of KKs being shepherded in via a man on crutches. I feel the scene only wants for some dry ice and exultant music. 

1 hour ago, RokDok said:

Ooh - I did feel your frustration - I checked where the boat was first thing this morning and saw that it had moved even further from Southampton and was hiding behind the Isle of Wight.

Must have been like waking up on Xmas morning all excited. -   only to be told that actually it's still Xmas Eve.

The fruits are forbidden at the moment but that will only make them sweeter.

Have you escalated to the harbour master and explained the personal impact this has on you?