of beef and other things

Well, despite meticulous preparations, my little steak dinner Saturday night did not go off without a hitch. I (probably irrationally) blame Publix for the rotten potato, and my own sorry self for the slightly overcooked filets...at least they were still delicious and tender, and overall the meal went acceptably according to plan. I ended up using almost all Manchego for the gougères, which turned out delicious. I took a cue at the last minute from my little Julia Child compendium and made a riff on her baked tomatoes provençal, filling them with smoked trout and topping them with garlicky bread crumbs.

first course

The baked potato fans could have used a little practice first, and I have extra gorgonzola topping still in the fridge waiting to be used on a non-rotten potato...one of those between the two of us turned out to be more than enough, though. They were tasty. I also turned to Julia Child for a new spinach preparation: you sauté the spinach just til wilted and then let it "braise" for 5 minutes or so in a little cream, which never binds to it as in (what I know as) creamed spinach. So it turns out lighter but still tastes like cream, which is never a bad thing!

High on the list of the meals that tempt me away from my resolution not to use the oven on ~95 degree days are red enchiladas. I use the beef variation of the recipe in Best International Recipe and few things taste better to me with a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lime juice. Unable to help myself, I made a batch for lunch today---yes, in the middle of the day, using a 400 degree oven for half an hour. But the smell of the beef cooking in the sauce alone makes it worthwhile. I love that these, unlike other enchiladas I've tried, do not totally fall apart upon reheating, and leftovers actually taste at least as good as fresh. As you can see in the picture, they also lack that greasy sheen characteristic of many Mexican restaurant enchiladas... as far as enchiladas go, I consider these quite healthy: tomato sauce, lean steak, calcium-rich cheese, and whole grain corn tortillas!

miscellaneous goings-on

1) Sourdough bread is finally within reach after years of lazily wishing I could make it: I've captured wild yeast! This is my second go at Peter Reinhart's seed culture --> mother starter method for creating a sourdough starter, and unlike last time, it's going very well. I can't remember what happened with my attempt a year ago, except that nothing did: I didn't see much bubbling/activity at all, and so gave up after a few days. This time, however, things are looking bubbly and smelling pretty acidic, so I'll probably be moving to phase 3 of the seed culture tonight. I can't wait to try a rye loaf first.

2) Having grown up partly in Texas, I regard Mexican food with much fondness and would never turn it down, but I don't actually cook it much. Apart from a couple of good red and green enchilada recipes and the ability to make a decent salsa cruda, I don't actually know much about what goes into more complex Mexican dishes. I am very sorry that I did not "meet" Rick Bayless sooner. Several weeks ago I checked out one of his older cookbooks (RB's Mexican Kitchen), a very thorough treatment of all sorts of traditional Mexican everyday and "fiesta" food, and I still have it (renewed twice). Most recently I made the essential roasted tomatillo salsa with chipotle chiles (except I subbed arbol chiles per one of the variation ideas), and we liked it alright; it was sweeter than I expected, though I only added a pinch of sugar. For green salsas I prefer something more like the one in CI's enchiladas verdes, which roasts poblano peppers along with the tomatillos, and adds a fair bit of cilantro, too. But the smoky shredded pork tacos (tacos de picadillo oaxaqueño, on page 150) were out of this world. Exactly what I hoped for and then some. They were a "process" as far as taco fillings go, to be sure, but this was so much more than something to dump in a tortilla and slather with cheese and mediocre salsa. In fact, the meat with the picadillo (raisins and almonds) was so flavorful that all I served it with was a little cilantro. I'm very impressed and inspired by a lot of other recipes and techniques in this book.

3) In our household we have a special occasion coming up, and for it I'm considering flambéeing (steak Diane)... On the one hand, it could be really cool and help me overcome my pyrophobia, but on the other, it could, like, destroy M's birthday and our entire apartment building. :) Hm. Might be sticking with lamb chops instead.


4) On a whim I just baked some chocolate ice cream sandwiches (well, the sandwich part) from The Perfect Scoop, and they're cooling and making the house smell nice and waiting to be completed with the chocolate-peanut butter ice cream I made from the same book last week. I'll report on the outcome of those. Well, we already know the ice cream is good.

Pork tacos and fixings

I sort of threw this meal together out of my freezer/fridge/pantry surplus tonight, and for once an improvised meal turned out fabulously. Gratifying.

Pork tacos
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
Dry adobo (see below)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 corn tortillas, warmed

1. Rub the pork all over with the dry adobo and return to fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour. 
2. Preheat oven to 425. In an 8" ovensafe skillet heat oil over med-high heat til just smoking. Add tenderloin and brown well on all sides, including ends.
3. Transfer pan to oven and roast until temperature registers 140 (start checking after 12 minutes or so; mine took 20 but was a little frozen still). 
4. Remove pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before cutting; the temp should rise 10-15 degrees.
5. While pork cooks/rests, mix together sour cream and lime juice. Saute the bell pepper strips over med-high heat until well charred. Prep remaining ingredients and serve with sliced pork.

Dry adobo rub (adapted from Daisy Martinez, Daisy: Morning, Noon, & Night)
Mix together:
3 Tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
You will have tons left over; it will keep fine for a couple months at room temp.

This goes great with a mango batido (adapted from CI's Best International Recipe):
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into rough 1" pieces
3/4 cup whole milk (or coconut milk---thought of this variation too late)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup ice
Blend until smooth and serve very cold.