Thursday, December 31, 2009

Egg Nog Curry

Yes. Egg nog curry. Where should I begin?

...

I like Iron Chef America. I prefer the original Japanese version, but I DVR and watch Iron Chef America regularly when I'm bored (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzTkGnmQuc). However, watching the Food Network only makes me hungry...and bored, which apparently is better than being bored alone.

If you watch the Food Network, then you understand that during the holidays, they see the need to remind viewers that it's the Christmas season....with every second of their programming. We get it. Their obsession with cramming red, white and green into every cranny inevitably led to an Egg Nog Battle on Iron Chef America.

I wasn't afraid. I didn't change the channel, and I was rewarded with inspiration for...egg nog curry.

Let us relive this culinary experience together:


Egg nog rice was also made by the Iron Chefs, so I'm not crazy people. There was no visible steam throughout the cooking proccess, which was obviously unusual for the rice. It turned out to have very little egg nog flavor on its own. A higher ratio of egg nog in the cooking pot would have improved that. I suggest a ratio of 1 cup rice/1 cup egg nog/.5 cup water.


I overestimated the number of shrimp (10-15 probably), and didn't end up using coconut milk at all. I began by heating a touch of oil in a saucepan and sauteeing the garlic and the red curry paste for 30 seconds or so. Then, I added the equivalent of a can's worth of egg nog to the pan, in place of the traditional coconut milk. The rest of the ingredients follow the Panang curry recipe from earlier. Again, this is not really that creative or crazy, I'm just trading egg nog for coconut milk, which are rather similar.


I'm not that crazy...


I'm hopefully not that crazy...


In the end, I wasn't that crazy. The curry definitely had an egg nog flavor to it, and the egg nog was an effective seasonal substitute for coconut milk. However, it was a sweeter curry than I had intended.

Although I anticipated the egg nog's sweetness and added less brown sugar than normally, I should have added more fish sauce, curry paste and/or lime to provide balance. I also chose shrimp, green peppers and sweet onions to meld with the egg nog's flavor, but this curry's yin needed a yang. The curry was tasty the night I made it, perhaps due to my hunger or it's novelty, but the leftovers were merely palatable. Overnight, the sweet sauce's flavors had concentrated more and penetrated deep inside the shrimp. That said, I still at it all.

Do not give up on the egg nog curry! I will not. I think that when I prepare this dish again next year, it will be better (definitely going to be an annual tradition). And, yes. I'm thinking what you're thinking: once a year is as often as egg nog curry should be made, if ever.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

French Benedict

Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite breakfasts, hands down, but who has the time during the week (or weekend) to cook it? "Not I," said the tall pig.

This is a "French" version of the Benedict (for reasons explained in the video) and is super easy to make and enjoy. It's become a go-to breakfast for me. Try it, you'll like it.

Greg


-French Benedict: Poached eggs atop toasted French bread, sopressata and Havarti cheese


Recipe/Instructions:

-French Benedict-
I'm not blogging to teach you how to cook, sorry, and for those of you who do know how to cook, I won't waste your time with needless instructions. So, toast some bread, poach some eggs and assemble the toast, sopressata (or other sliced meat) and Havarti (or other variety of) cheese as shown in the video. Then, eat and enjoy. *Note: I have also spread Dijon mustard on the toast before adding the meat, cheese and eggs. The mustard really kicks it up a notch, but you should use discretion with the amount of mustard you apply.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas Eve Eve Dinner

I have to admit that Megan and I are quite the culinary team. On Christmas Eve Eve, we combined our skills to make a fantastic meal. I prepared the appetizer, main, and dessert, and Megan provided the sides (veggies are her forte and meat is mine). We paced out the meal perfectly, played Tile Rummy while waiting for our Camembert to bake, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire meal and evening.

The pork chops are fantastic for those of you who are not pork fans, like me. This recipe originally came from the Family Circle cookbook, and has now been included in my Nancy's Special Recipes cookbook (available in extremely limited editions). I first prepared this back in high school for my family, and it won them over, so obviously, it's pretty quick and easy.

Big shout out to Rob for suggesting Chimay Grande Reserve (blue label). Wowsers! This is now one of my top 5 favorites, because it's...well...delicious....AND you can actually find this Belgium Trappist Ale at your local megalomart. Try it if you love beer like me....or if you don't, because it will make you change your mind. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/215/2512

Greg

-Baked Camembert topped with sun-dried tomato bruschetta



-Pork chops with glazed apples and onions, roasted zucchini, and cheesy baked mashed potatoes


Recipe/Instructions:

-Baked Camembert topped with sun-dried tomato bruschetta-
First off, purchase a high-quality Camembert cheese. We bought ours from a French importer, but I'm sure Whole Foods or Trader Joe's has some acceptable ones as well. I note this, because my mom told me that poor quality Camembert tastes terrible. Pre-heat your oven to 375, and take the Camembert out of the plastic wrap, but place back in the box it comes in. Then, top with 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 2-3 garlic cloves (sliced), and some fresh thyme sprigs. The easier way is to top it with pre-made sun-dried tomato bruschetta. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy with bread or crackers.

-Pork chops with glazed apples and onions-
Prepare by coring and slicing two Granny Smith apples crosswise, and slicing one sweet onion into rings of the same thickness (1/4"). Then, cook the pork chops in a sautee pan over medium heat with a few tblsp of vegetable oil. I placed the onions in the pan, too, so that they would begin to soften up and capture some of the pork juices. When you have flipped and cooked the pork to desired doneness (8-10 min.), remove the chops and place on a warm plate. Put the apple slices into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to brown. Then add one can of frozen apple juice concentrate and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 tsp. of Dijon mustard (I used imported French mustard from Epicurius Imports, because that's how I roll), 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Cook to combine and remove from heat. Top the pork chops with the apples and onions and serve. Bon appetite.

-Potatoes and zucchini-
Recipe/instructions are unavailable. Bug Megan if you want to learn how to make them.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

When your Greg-sized, you eat big meals. This breakfast is certainly not for everyone; it's definitely not Megan food, and probably rivals McDonald's breakfasts for calories. It's French toast stuffed with peanut butter and jelly...complete with a side of bacon.

In this video, you'll notice the return of the Challah bread. Yes, the Challah was also a Costco purchase, and it was delicious all week! Multipurpose bread - sausage rolls, French toast, and...regular toast. Apparently, I'd be a good Jewish boy, because Megan said that I'd make a Jewish mother proud by eating a whole loaf of Challah bread in less than a week.

Greg


-Challah bread French toast, stuffed with peanut butter and blackberry preserves


Recipe/Instructions:

French Toast with peanut butter and jelly:

French toast: Mix milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. I don't know the amounts. I eyeball them, because I'm such a badass chef. If I had to estimate, I would suggest the following proportions: 1 cup milk / 1 egg / 2 tbls sugar /1 tsp vanilla. I could be way off, so try it a couple times and figure out what you like (e.g. I don't like "eggy" French toast). Once you have your liquid mixture ready and whipped together, dunk the bread slices in. Make sure to flip it and let the liquid soak in for only a second or two. Any more and the bread would be too soggy for stove-top cooking). Grill your dipped bread on a buttered griddle over medium-high heat, until GBD.

The first PB and J French toast sandwich I prepared by lathering peanut butter and jelly on the bread, sandwiching the two slices and then dunking the whole thing into the liquid. However, the sandwich structure did not let the egg in the center have direct contact with the stove, and didn't cook through. So, for the second sandwich, I cooked each slice on one side, flipped them, then put the peanut butter and jelly on and sandwiched the slices. This worked much better.

I suggest taking it easy with the PB and J; a little goes a long way with these strong flavors, but the melty peanut butter and sweet jam go terrific with the French toast. This breakfast sandwich is no Monte Cristo, but easily made and thoroughly enjoyable.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Chicken Wings with a Side of Silliness

If you've been to one of my parties, you've probably eaten my chicken wings. I think I make damn good chicken wings, and other people think so, too.

After hearing many stories of my great pub cuisine, Megan begged me to make my famous wings. I agreed to made some together. Two styles: Buffalo and Thai.

Mmmmm. Wings.

Giddyup.

Greg

BTW, chicken wings were the second meat I chose at Costco, so expect more chicken wing posts in the future.


-Chicken Wings Two Ways: Thai style and mild Buffalo style, with blue cheese dressing



Recipes/instructions:

Chicken Wings - Throw them into a 400 degree oven on a baking sheet for around 45 minutes. The skin will be crispy and GBD. Simple. Practice makes perfect.

Buffalo Wing Sauce - Easiest sauce in the world. Take the chicken wings straight out of the oven and into a mixing bowl. Put 2 tabs of butter for every 20 wings or so, and a few tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce. Texas Pete and Louisiana Hot Sauce are my 99 cent favorites; I hate Tobasco, but to each their own. Simply toss the wings with the butter and the hot sauce and let their heat melt the butter and mix the two together. Your wings will be perfectly coated and not drenched. You may easily add to or ease off the spice factor, too. I add cayenne pepper and sometimes paprika.

Thai Style Glaze- If you like chicken wings, but don't like the heat of Buffalo wings, try this glaze, which might be my new favorite wing sauce. Don't be afraid of the jalepenos, they are sweeter than they are spicy, and even Megan thought that these wings were not too spicy at all. They still are balanced, but nothing like a Buffalo wing. I basically read a few recipes from Allrecipes.com and created my own version. Here's a good recipe to begin with, but play around with it and make it your own:

Costco Italian Sausage

When you share an apartment with two other people and grocery shop at Costco, you must make a commitment to your food choices. You cannot buy anything and everything, because you must share the limited storage space in the fridge and freezer. Therefore, I tend to choose to replenish my stocks with one or two meats on a given visit. On this occasion, one of the meats I chose was Italian sausage, and that's why both the first videos and this video are of meals based around...Italian sausage. Megan earns full credit for this delicious dish! It was her creation alone; I only chopped the onions and consumed the finished product. She made sure to add lots of veggies.

Thanks again, Megan. :)

Enjoy everybody!

Greg


-Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers, Zuccini, and Onions with Linguini in a Pink Vodka Sauce


Instructions:

Boil water and cook linguini or other type of pasta. Figure it out, or go to Youtube and learn. Cut sausage into slices and brown in a sautee pan. Dice onions, bell peppers, zuccini and cook them in the sautee pan, too. Warm a store bought jar of Vodka (Pink) Sauce on the stove. Mix all these ingredients together and enjoy...this is a "weekday meal."

Inspirational Curry Italian Sausage

These first three videos provided the inspiration for this entire blog. I was at home, sick, and I made an unusual Italian sausage for lunch. I wanted to share the "curry dog," so I took some iPhone pictures. Then, I realized that my new 3GS could take video, too! I switched to video, and here we are today, on the internet.

This lunch was delicious, but not nutritious. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope you do, too.

Greg


-Italian sausage on toasted Challah roll with grilled onions and panang curry sauce





-Italian sausage on toasted Challah roll with grilled onions and mayonnaise.

Welcome to "Is Deliciousness a Word?

Welcome to my food blog, "Is Deliciousness a Word?"  

I'll sum up quickly, so we can get to the content:
  • I'm 6'7" tall, so I need to eat food in large quantities.
  • I like to cook and eat, so this works out well.
  • I think I'm funny at times, yet at others I can be straight out silly or weird.
  • I've never written or read a blog before.
  • I love my iPhone 3GS, and I imagine your groaning...haters.
  • I've been inspired to share my food with the world.
Read, watch, and enjoy "Is Deliciousness a Word?"....or stop reading and watching.

Greg