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Party on the Horizon!
8 years ago
Dragonwuff Musings
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We have TWO occasions to party at the shop this coming month (April): 1 of our folks is having a Birthday, and there is an Easter holiday in the month!
So, time for wuff to get creative at work's little kitchen area again! Vrghr wants to do something a little elegant for the special holiday, and still be fun and healthy (we have a "Nutrition Challenge" this month that wuff is in charge of, so need to keep that in mind too!).
Easter is typically known for ether Ham or Lamb as meal ideas. Vrghr doesn't want to dupe the Ham, as many folks will be cooking that at home, and Lamb is a wee bit pricey for wuffy to feature as a free meal for a dozen-ish folks. But - Ham is Pork, and Pork is really inexpensive at the moment, and SO versatile!
So wuff is going to try out a nut-encrusted Chop as the featured Entrée, with sweet potatoes as a side idea, and a lovely green salad with spinach, feta, raspberries, nuts, and some red onion. A nice Black Current Jus or Gastrique to drizzle over the nut-crusted chop ought to tie everything together, with the fruit in the salad and on the pork.
There are a couple challenges for Vrghr to overcome here. First, we have no ovens worthy of the name. So searing a chop and then finishing it in the oven isn't going to be possible. Normally, wuff could just pan-fry it to completion, but a nut coating, no matter the type, doesn't take well to a long frying session. The oils and delicate nature of the nuts means you're very likely to get a burnt coating before they chops are cooked to the middle.
So, wuff is going to start the chops Sous Vide! Brine the chops first at home. Then, a bit of thyme, salt, pepper, butter, and such, maybe some granulated garlic and a bit of Black Currant jam in the sealed air-tight bags with the pork. Immerse at ~134 degrees for about an hour or so. That'll bring the pork to a bit under-done but VERY juicy in the middle, ready to take on a little more heat in the fry pan. This also means Vrghr can use a lovely double-thick chop and still be successful, and at the same time create an impressive presentation with an extra-thick plated chop!
Remove and pat dry the chops, and then add the crushed nut (Macadamia? Pecan? Pistachio?) coating and sear that to crispy quality in our electric skillets. Reserve the liquid from the pouches and use that to flavor the Jus or Gastrique. Side it with, perhaps, some diced curried sweet potatoes w/some onion and raisins. And that green salad.
This ought to be a very nice and somewhat elegant creation for folks to enjoy, at a reasonably low cost (thanks to things like pork and sweet-potatoes), and "healthy" enough to qualify as a "good meal" for our Nutrition-focused dining this month.
What 'cha think? Wuff going to be able to pull this off? Think the curried sweet potatoes plus raisins are a good match for the side? Any comments, questions, critiques?
*grin* Or you just trying not to short out the keyboard by drooling on it? *giggles*
Bon Appetite! And may your next month be Merry!!
VRGHR
So, time for wuff to get creative at work's little kitchen area again! Vrghr wants to do something a little elegant for the special holiday, and still be fun and healthy (we have a "Nutrition Challenge" this month that wuff is in charge of, so need to keep that in mind too!).
Easter is typically known for ether Ham or Lamb as meal ideas. Vrghr doesn't want to dupe the Ham, as many folks will be cooking that at home, and Lamb is a wee bit pricey for wuffy to feature as a free meal for a dozen-ish folks. But - Ham is Pork, and Pork is really inexpensive at the moment, and SO versatile!
So wuff is going to try out a nut-encrusted Chop as the featured Entrée, with sweet potatoes as a side idea, and a lovely green salad with spinach, feta, raspberries, nuts, and some red onion. A nice Black Current Jus or Gastrique to drizzle over the nut-crusted chop ought to tie everything together, with the fruit in the salad and on the pork.
There are a couple challenges for Vrghr to overcome here. First, we have no ovens worthy of the name. So searing a chop and then finishing it in the oven isn't going to be possible. Normally, wuff could just pan-fry it to completion, but a nut coating, no matter the type, doesn't take well to a long frying session. The oils and delicate nature of the nuts means you're very likely to get a burnt coating before they chops are cooked to the middle.
So, wuff is going to start the chops Sous Vide! Brine the chops first at home. Then, a bit of thyme, salt, pepper, butter, and such, maybe some granulated garlic and a bit of Black Currant jam in the sealed air-tight bags with the pork. Immerse at ~134 degrees for about an hour or so. That'll bring the pork to a bit under-done but VERY juicy in the middle, ready to take on a little more heat in the fry pan. This also means Vrghr can use a lovely double-thick chop and still be successful, and at the same time create an impressive presentation with an extra-thick plated chop!
Remove and pat dry the chops, and then add the crushed nut (Macadamia? Pecan? Pistachio?) coating and sear that to crispy quality in our electric skillets. Reserve the liquid from the pouches and use that to flavor the Jus or Gastrique. Side it with, perhaps, some diced curried sweet potatoes w/some onion and raisins. And that green salad.
This ought to be a very nice and somewhat elegant creation for folks to enjoy, at a reasonably low cost (thanks to things like pork and sweet-potatoes), and "healthy" enough to qualify as a "good meal" for our Nutrition-focused dining this month.
What 'cha think? Wuff going to be able to pull this off? Think the curried sweet potatoes plus raisins are a good match for the side? Any comments, questions, critiques?
*grin* Or you just trying not to short out the keyboard by drooling on it? *giggles*
Bon Appetite! And may your next month be Merry!!
VRGHR
And if want to go extremely nutritious, why not a seaweed salad instead of a green salad? Seaweed has (unless my numbers are wrong) close to ten times the nutritional value of even spinach and with a light ginger dressing it could be a palate cleanser in-between bites of the potatoes and the pork chops.
And perhaps this is just me, but if you were going to do a dessert, why not something light and fresh like a raspberry pavlova?
Wuffy LOVES a good seaweed salad! Unfortunately, not all the shop folks are quite as adventurous. There are some who like those too, but a few who get "squeamish at the thought of kelp". *grin*
The stuffed "surprise" in the pork sounds a treat! Will be strongly considering that! Hazelnuts also sound like a very good choice! They have a GREAT flavor! And wuff knows that they pair very well with pork!
That Pavlova dessert - what a GREAT idea!! Wuff can make the meringues at home, along with the whipped cream in wuffy's cream 'spritzer'. The raspberries can also be made ahead, and held in a microwavable container. Then wuff can just assemble everything on the spot for the desserts! WOOT! They'll never expect those! Maybe a chocolate meringue with the whipped top and the raspberries. That'll be SERIOUSLY kick-butt!!