280 Barbeque - 85-3001-8 (G20718) Propane

1 280 Barbeque - 85-3001-8 (G20718) Propane
4.5 months
5 episodes of "Criminal Minds"
1 episode of "The Glades"
4 Kirin Ichiban beer (CJ must admit, he's a big fan of Japanese (and most Asian) beer)
1 Fuller 160-piece Tool set



***

Well, my sincerest apologies for the very late post. A thousand pardons. I tell you what, if you come to visit, I'll make the most delicious dessert you've ever had - it'll make you weak in the knees...

Seriously, I had to get a replacement laptop, as my last one met with an unfortunate accident...

And, lo and behold - CJ FINALLY got his birthday barbeque set up. You can see up above that it took a purchase of a tool set and a lot of time to get things organized, but the BBQ is finally ready to roll. I'll have a test steak tomorrow night to ensure things are how they should be, then I'm sure I'll have my Guiness burgers, and another type of burger in short order.

The assembly wasn't overly complicated - you just need a ratchet and some screwdrivers, and it would have helped to have had a sous-chef assisting you. So, that's why it took me about as long as the "Criminal Minds" marathon on Sunday. I have to admit, that's not a bad show. There's no fembots, of course, but the profiling of serial killers was intriguing...

As always, see below for your viewing pleasure.

Unpacked and before assembly on my living room floor:

And, assembled and ready to roast on my balcony:

A grade? Well, for mere timing alone I'd give it an F+, complexity wasn't difficult at all (A-) but I'd have to wait until I test it with real food before I can note whether it passed or not...

PS: I checked the stats on my blog today: Guess which post is the most highly-viewed? I'll buy/make dinner for the first person who guesses correctly. To count as a legitimate guess, you must leave your guess on the comments section of this post. 3 guesses max per person. I'll give you all until the end of the month to get your entries in.

Chocolate Banana-Stuffed French Toast

1/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut sandwich spread
8 slices D'Italiano Whole Wheat Thick Slice Italian Style Bread
2 large firm ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

Chef's note: Recipe was halved

***

Isn't it amazing where we get our inspiration? For instance, I was shopping in the bakery section of our local Superstore, where I happened upon some decent-looking bread. Something a little different than what I'd usually get, and I picked up this Italiano whole wheat bread, and lo and behold: A recipe! Well, shit. I had to get it. And the recipe above is the recipe contained on the bottom of the bread bag.

I know I mentioned just a short while ago that I wasn't too thrilled with egg-dipped sandwiches, but I had to give this a try. I've only had Nutella once or twice in my life, and for this recipe I got the President's Choice proxy for it. It's alright. It's not good enough to put in ice cream or anything, but I figured it would do the trick.

The dish is very quick to make. No problems with assembly or preparing the ingredients at all.

As far as taste, it was okay. I had it for supper a few nights ago. It seems more like a breakfast dish, but honestly, I'd rather just have regular French Toast with some sexy Grand Marnier berry compote. It tastes decent. If there's a next time, maybe a little more chocolate spread on the bread?

The photograph:

No. No pickles here.

The grade: 6.8 out of 10.0. The grade in honour of the jersey number of his holy hockey mulletness.... god, is that jersey for real? That's worse than the Yorkton Pylon's bantam jersey from back in 1985. DREADFUL. Downright embarrassing. No wonder he's hiding in Omsk...

Arugula Salad

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound arugula or watercress, coarse stems discarded (4 cups) Le Grand Chef used about 1/2 bag of 5-leaf lettuce. Or whatever. Some bag of mixed greens.
8 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons shredded carrot

***

This is one quick salad. Honestly, shredding the carrot was the most time intensive portion of this dish.

You basically just make the dressing, then throw all the greens and tomatoes and carrots in an toss. Bam. Done.

I should note that I didn't quite have enough salad/arugula mix that it called for, so maybe the dressing was a little too much. And, as much as I love olives, I just found the olive oil a tad bit intense - (like your first game of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Man, I still get destroyed in that game) . Maybe some vegetable or canola oil next time?

The proof:

The grade: 7.0 out of 10.0.

Spanish Ham and Cheese Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough or country-style French bread (each about 5 x 3 inches)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces Manchego cheese, *thinly sliced
2 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto
4 tablespoons membrillo (quince paste) or quince preserves
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

Chef's Note: I halved the recipe for dinner last night

***

What better way for the Chef to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than to write about a Spanish-style sandwich he ate last night? Well, to write about it while drinking a delicious "Sol". Imagine, a holiday to celebrate a military victory over the French. Hmmm....

Anyway, I have only had one or two Monte Cristo's in my life to date. I always thought they were decent. Then I saw this recipe in a "15 meals in 15 minutes" article, so I thought it was a perfect time to get some quick meals down pat, as my CASB module 2 begins tomorrow. <sigh>.

Some of the ingredients took some time (and traveling) to find. The Manchego cheese, the Serrano ham, the quince preserves (just a jam, really) along with the country-style French bread were all purchased at the Italian Market in Edmonton. Good stuff.

In terms of preparation, it was all pretty quick. I spent more time waiting for the butter to melt. And speaking of butter, I think next time I'd go a little easier on butter. Maybe halve it or cut 25% off.

The recipe calls for cooking the sandwich on a skillet, but I used my panini-press/griddle. 8 minutes is all the recipe calls for, and I gave it about 9 minutes. I might suggest maybe 10 or 11 minutes should be the maximum, depending how you like your cheese.

All in all, it worked out alright. I remembered that I'm not a huge fan of egg-dipped sandwiches after trying it out. I automatically just compare it to French Toast, and it just doesn't measure up. The ham was more than a little salty (no surprise there) and the cheese was forgettable. I might try a cheddar and granny smith apple mix next time. Without the egg.

Monte Cristo? Related to Marquis de Sade? Unlikely.

The photographic evidence (notice the Yum-Yum pickles? CJ's momma says it's not a grilled-cheese sandwich without the pickled sidekicks):

The grade: A solid, if unremarkable 7.2 out of 10.

Cuban-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Chrizo and Rice

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile

2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika (Chef used regular paprika)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

10 chicken thighs with skin and bone (about 4 1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 pound fully cooked Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linquiça sausage links, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds (Chef used Hot Italian Sausage, as Camrose was suffering from a chorizo shortage)

2 cups finely chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups arborio rice

2 1/2 cups of low-salt chicken broth

2 medium tomatoes (CJ had 3 roma tomatoes), diced

2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 canned piquillo pepper or 1 whole canned pimiento, cut into thin strips (Chef was only able to obtain some jarred, sliced pimento).

Garnish:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

***

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was trying to find another one of my Cuban dishes. And what better way to celebrate May Day than by preparing the marinade. All this followed up by cooking up the chicken while enjoying a Cuba Libre, watching the Flyers host the Bruins, playing a little "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and watching the Canadian election results (yawn!).

I have a few notes that I'd like to share:

- I used my cherry red 6.7 L enameled cast iron le creuset pot to make this bad boy, and I'd recommend a larger vessel: There was just a little too much crowding for the chicken, and this left the chicken a little undercooked, which I had to compensate for by cooking the complete dish for about 20 or 30 minutes longer than the recipe suggested. Unfortunately, this resulted in my adding a little more broth than required which led to the rice being too mushy.

- Make sure you get that chicken brown! You really need to get some colour onto those thighs!

- Pour out more of the oil/fat than the recipe suggests. Too greasy/oily of a dish.

- That saffron is damn expensive. But is smells good and added to a gentle, smoky flavour to the dish.

- Make sure you have a 2nd Cuba Libre while you enjoy your meal...

Here is my dish: two chicken thighs along with some rice.

This was my second time cooking the dish: the first time had been early in 2007. I was still a little disappointed with it: I think a bigger pot or even halving the recipe is warranted.

The grade: 5.9 out of 10.0

Frozen Chocolate Monkey

"Just like the taste of chocolate banana. Vodka, banana liqueur and chocolate ice cream."

Chef's Note: 1% milk was added.

***

Does anyone remember "Maxwell Taylor's"? There was one location on Jasper Ave, and another right near 51st Ave. and Calgary Trail. They didn't last too long, but we did frequent it as much as we could going all the way back to 1994. I do believe that the Maxwell Taylor's brand re-opened maybe in 1999 or 2000, but it just wasn't the same.

The menu from the original restaurant (which I was able to obtain all those years ago) is a mouth-dropping 35 pages. No shit. And my favourite pages are 4 and 5. Those pages are these reason why we frequented the eatery so often. Ice Cream Drinks. Yes, a full-two pages of ice cream deliciousness.

As I've moved just a few months ago, and I unpacked a lot of stuff that had been in boxes and stored away, I happened upon the Maxwell Taylor's menu. It was essentially like finding a $20 dollar bill in your coat that you haven't worn since last winter...

The photograph:

As there were no exact measurements, I had to estimate all the inputs. My only thought would be that I put in just a little too much banana liqueur. Still tasty, though. The grade: 7.9 out of 10.

Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Cumin

2 tablespoons grape seed oil (CJ used vegetable oil)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (CJ used a little more than 1 tablespoon. maybe 1.5 or 2)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika (CJ only had regular paprika at hand).
3 red peppers seeds removed and sliced
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine ( I used a 2008 Chardonnay - Le Fat Bastard) Où sont tous les hippopotames?
pinch salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons cumin seeds (for garnish)

Chef's Note: I would suggest doubling the recipe if you want to feed more than three people.

***

Well, I've been meaning to make this soup for a few weeks now. That Spice Goddess has some good stuff going down. The reason for the delay was the unavailability of asafoetida around these parts. I had to ask a kind female, east Indian shopper at the Superstore in Edmonton for some help in finding it. Let us all thank the "Big J" (that's what we/my family referred to him as for my cousin's wedding in Rio) for her help... Honestly I think the Thais and the Cariocas are the friendliest people on this planet - no question.

CJ has also received a lot of positive feedback about his ability to sexify the AIMCo black jacket in the IKEA cafeteria entry down below... but you will all just have to wait just a little bit longer for the Maître to make his appearance. Yes doesn't the beard look good? I'm sure the beard's appearance makes ALL females weak(er) in the knees. As the Count Halabuza (YESSS that's his beautiful main droit that holds the maple leaf) would say, it's very Bautista-esque...

This soup was probably the best tasting new/freshly cooked soup CJ has yet to blog about. No word of a lie.

Appearance-wise: it looked like that sauce covering buttermilk chicken, bright-red and full of promise.

Scent-wise: it was fantastic. I can't ever recall cooking with a Chardonnay before. As soon as it hit the saucepan, it tickled my olfactory glands like nothing else. It's a tempting mistress this scent!

Taste-wise: very heavy on the red pepper flavour. Not overly sweet at all. AND I was even more than generous with the salt and pepper during the seasoning as well.

What do the Sous-Chefs want? They have a photograph don't they? CJ is more than happy to oblige:

Those toasted cumin seeds are darn well near a genius idea. It adds to the viewing, tasting and smelling pleasure. CJ was REALLY  surprised how something so simple could add so much.

Grade: 8.9 out of 10 on a first night tasting!! The Chef will have a re-taste mañana...