Pursuit of Perfection

Ribeye with Corn and Salad

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Not too long ago we were looking for some steaks to grill and found that our normal places to shop were closed for the day. We instead found ourselves at one of the big name/box grocery stores trying to find something. We settled on a couple steaks that looked pretty good and bought them.

After the usual pat dry, and add a little salt and pepper moves I threw them on a screaming hot grill for the normal 5 minutes a side (more or less depending on thickness). All seemed well until the first flip and I was confronted with a grey mass that had no browning at all. Not sure exactly what to do I left it flipped and gave the other side the 5 minute treatment. Ultimately, after an excruciating amount of time, they looked palatable. They were dry, and tough, and terrible.

I don’t know what was different about those steaks but I do have thoughts. I never seemed to be able to dry the exterior enough to allow the surface to brown. They seemed to be dumping off liquid the whole time leading me to believe that maybe they were injected somehow with liquid?

This wasn’t those. This was a perfect steak that took a light salt and pepper coating and an almost immediate crust from the grill. It was thicker than the others and this meant that, after the five minute treatment, I was able to pull it off the direct heat and let the center temp rise to just short of rare. Another ten minutes rest and it was perfect from the crust to the center. Along with the corn and salad (beet, grilled green onions, and kale) we had dinner.

It might be too cliche or repetitious for some, but for me a steak on the grill with some corn is like home. If it’s a good one.

Grilling in the summer - 10/10

Bánh Xèo

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Dinner and a movie, and a cat.

We had homemade Bánh Xèo in her continuing quest to perfect the family recipe. She struggled a little with the ratio of rice starch to rice flour, but in the end it came together. The usual assortment of greens and fish sauce were, of course, on hand. We also had some grilled lamb ribs and hot sauce; because grilled lamb ribs and hot sauce.

7.5/10 - Next time will be a home run!

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables - Again

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I decided to go after the rolled up chicken from the other day but this time with just thighs. I also wanted to attack it with some intent to the process and idea as I wasn't using random leftover parts from the freezer. An intentional trip to the store for dinner ingredients with a plan to take on inspiration from the ingredients took me to chicken part deux. We de-boned the thighs and pounded them out, should have gone thinner, and then covered the insides in salt and pepper. A generous amount of rosemary, sage, and thyme  was added and they were rolled up into the same mini "roasts". This time, rather than the oven, it was the center of a ring of coals on the grill for some great color and flavor.

We filled out the plate with grilled swiss chard, dandelion greens, broccolini, and enoki mushrooms garnished with smoked pine nuts.

If not better than the first version, it was definitely more refined.

8.8/10

Snowy Saturday Soup

The ramen noodles are just filler. 

The best thing about weekends is a steaming bowl of whatever we have. Always start with homemade broth that’s sometimes spiked with flavor packets. It’s always spiked with fresh vegetables. Current habit is a small pool of chili oil and soy sauce in the bottom of the bowl before adding some salad type veggies. This rendition included bacon, Brussel sprouts, 7 minute eggs, mushroom, carrot, and cabbage.

9.5/10

Love in a Bowl

Starting with home made turkey and smoked ham hock broth I poached a chicken breast for 45 minutes at about 200 F with carrots, celery, leek tops, salt, and pepper. While shredding the chicken the rice noodles went in.

She topped it up at the end with a dash of cracked pepper, flat leaf parsley, and most important, a drizzle of sesame oil. 

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Many years ago a wise woman, the mother of a friend, explained to me why she believed that her homemade chicken soup was better than what you could buy. She explained that she, as a scientist, was a little embarrassed because it wasn’t measurable. The important ingredient couldn’t be bought, measured, or added from a jar. As a scientist she desired empirical evidence. Unfortunately love can’t really be measured, only experienced. I'm sure the way she describes it has changed, but her message has stayed with me all these years and this is my bowl of love.