This weekend was so cold and snowy (thanks to Winter Storm Jonas), we wished we were back in Jamaica. So we decided to re-create a Jamaican meal — jerk chicken (jerk is actually a compliment in Jamaica–it means hot and spicy).  We also made rice and beans, using two types of rices–brown and white.  For salad we made a spinach, avocado, tomato, red onions and corn salad with a mustard viniagrette. And, although it was a “little cold” for this drink,we decided to make Strawberry Daiquiris.  We made and drank them (no rum for the kids:) while we were watching the NFL playoffs and waiting for the chicken to marinade in the jerk marinade.  Oh and mom wouldn’t let us make dessert because it was too late so we made Bananas Foster, or as we call it Bananas “Koster”, the next night.  It was so good that we think it will be our house specialty!

The final meal

Dad’s plate

Bananas on Fire! AKA Bananas Koster

To make the jerk chicken, we first had to make the marinade: we cut up a lot of onions, garlic, green onions, thyme and jalapeno peppers. (The recipe called for Scotch Bonnet peppers, but we were in the middle of a blizzard, so jalapeno was the best we could do…and they were plenty hot.)  We also brought back a jerk spice mixture from Jamaica, so we toasted that and added it in.

Ingredients for jerk marinade

We blended everything together, and when we added the spices it went from bright green to brown…interesting.

While the chicken was marinating, we made strawberry daiquiris (we made a simple sugar syrup, not rum, for the kids:) and watched the playoffs. We can’t wait till the Superbowl!

We baked the chicken, made the rice and beans, and put together the salad. Alex made an awesome mustard viniagrette and then we ate.

We wanted to make Bananas Foster for dessert on Sunday night, but mom said it was too late (so we made it the next night (tonight, Monday).  They were super delicious and very fun.  Mom let us both light them on fire, with very long matches, but she had the fire extinguisher handy). Alex came up with a new name for the dessert: Bananas Koster. Here’s what they looked like (served with vanilla ice cream…the hot banana/rum/brown sugar melts it quickly).  We will do a how-to later, time for bed now.

Banana (Max) Koster

Banana (Alex) Koster

Definitely glad we had long matches!

Tonight, even though we had A LOT of homework, we wanted to try to make pasta from scratch. It was so fun. And although it took some time, it was really easy. The ingredients are simple: eggs, flour, salt, water. Then you mix together, knead, let rest for 20 minutes, and then put through a pasta machine and STRETCH it.  (Mom got a pasta attachment for our mixer for Christmas and this was the first time any of us, including Mom, tried making pasta from scratch).

The ingredients…so simple: eggs, flour, salt & water

Rolling the dough so it will fit through the pasta machine

Team work for good pasta

Glorious Pasta!!

Cutting the pasta into fettucine-size strips

Ready to cook!!!

Home-made pasta with ‘Amatricano sauce (i.e. pancetta/onion/tomato/pecorino cheese)

Today I gave the kids another mystery box.  This one had chicken breasts, ginger, green curry paste, coconut milk, garlic, onions, tomatoes, spinach, bok choy, avocado, angel hair pasta and whatever else they wanted to grab from our pantry.  (I am trying to get our family to cook and eat outside our comfort zone).  I told the kids they had to use the chicken and at least one ingredient they had never used. I also told them they had 5 minutes to do research on the computer or in our cook books to come up with ideas.  Both kid’s results were delicious, and very different.

The ingredients, including chicken, green curry paste, ginger, coconut milk, tomatoes, lemons, garlic, onion, bok choy (sorry it was still in fridge during photo)

Alex: For dinner I made Thai chicken with coconut milk along with added tomatoes and avocado – green curry sauce on top. I also cooked bok choy in vegetable oil and garlic as a side. I cut up the chicken into bite size pieces and cooked them in oil.  Then I added the coconut milk, a little green curry sauce and lemon juice.  I chopped up the tomatoes and let them cook in the sauce for a while and at the very end I added the avocado.  I served it over angel hair pasta.  For the bok choy, the recipe I looked at said to use vegetable oil to cook it in so I did, and it was good, but next time I am going to use olive oil (NOTE: we made it the next night with olive oil and garlic and it was much better!)

Chicken in coconut milk

Cooking the Bok Choy

Final coconut curry dish

Final Bok Choy dish

Max:For Dinner I made Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Fresh Herbs and Ginger. I first seasoned both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and placed them skin side down in the pan.  I cooked them for approximately 5 minutes on each side,than transferred then to a plate.  I then added lemon juice to the skillet, and scraped up any browned bits that cling to the pan with a wooden spoon. I added the chicken broth and ginger, and brought the skillet to a boil. After turning off the heat, I added the basil and thyme to the pan and swirl the pan to combine, and spooned the herb sauce over it.
I used pasta as a base for my meal, and placed the chicken on top of it.

Chicken in the making

In the kitchen

Final Chicken with Ginger and Herbs Dish

For tonight’s dinner we were inspired by a cookbook from Balthazar (one of our favorite “French” bistros located in Soho, New York).  We don’t go there very often because its pretty expensive (especially for kids) but we decided to recreate a meal from there. We made Braised Short Ribs, our take on the Balthazar Salad, and Cream Puffs (or Profiteroles, as Balthazar calls them.) Of course we changed things up a bit.  For the braised short ribs, instead of making it in a Dutch oven all on the same day, we used a slow cooker and let them cook overnight Saturday, refrigerated them during the day on Sunday, and then finished them off on Sunday night.  Mom had made them before that way and thought it improved the flavor. Plus it made it easier to take the fat off because it hardens a little (its sort of weird: this orange layer of fat).  The braised short ribs were even more work than the lamb shanks because we had to tie the short ribs together, braise them, create the braising liquid, cook them in the liquid, take them out of the liquid, untie, strain and reduce the liquid and then add the ribs back.  But they were delicious! (Oh and we served them over egg noodles.  The Balthazar cook book recommends mashed potatoes, but there is all this great sauce that really works with pasta…not mashed potatoes.)

For the Balthazar salad, we played around with the ingredients a little (the recipe calls for various lettuces, radishes, asparagus, green beans, avocado, ricotta salata, a roasted beet and blanched lemon zest.) Nobody in our family likes radishes or green beans in salad, and Dad doesn’t like beets so we decided not to use them.  Then the dressing called for truffle oil, which we didn’t have, so we used truffle salt instead of regular salt. But we did blanch lemon zest and put on top.  Great visual and all in all the salad worked deliciously. And finally the cream puffs. Who doesn’t like cream puffs?

The Whole Meal!

The Ingredients for Braised Short Ribs

Peeling carrots for braising liquid.

Slicing shallots for braising liquid (also included were garlic, onion, carrots, red wine and beef broth)

Tieing short ribs up.

Herbs wrapped up inside celery stalks

Cooking the meat

Cooking vegetables

Meat, after fat was scooped out

Silky smooth sauce…ribs about to be added back

The Salad

Viola! Meltingly soft short rib over egg noodles.

Mixing up the cream puff batter

Creme puffs,before baking

Chocolate sauce for cream puffs

Cream puffs filled with whipped cream, topped with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar, OK So we didn’t think about calories in this meal…

I am so excited (this is Alex)! I got a mushroom farm in a box from Max for Christmas, and started growing mushrooms a week ago.  Look at how big they are now! I can’t wait to harvest and cook them.  I am going to saute them in butter and truffle salt and serve on grilled bread.  Will keep you posted on how big they get and how they taste versus the other mushrooms we cooked in the Great Mushroom Challenge… Thanks Max (from your mycologist sister)!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

So we harvested our oyster mushrooms tonight and sautéed them (as planned) with a little butter and truffle salt. Then we served them on toasted bread with a garnish of aspargus. It was good but needed something so we grated parmesano cheese on top with a little bit more truffle salt…perfection!

This dinner was the first Sunday Night Dinner in 2016! We made lamb ragu pasta for our entree, but the main focus of the night was Banana Tarte Tatin with whipped cream. It was our first time making the Banana Tarte Tatin, and we were very pleased by the results. We also made an arugula salad with slightly cooked walnuts, goat cheese, and cranberries. The Banana Tarte Tatin was surprisingly sweet, so we recommend not adding to much sugar to the whipped cream.  The lamb ragu is pretty easy: just three main ingredients: ground lamb, onions, and chopped tomatoes (of course you need olive oil and salt and pepper….and grated cheese on top:).

The meal: arugula salad and lamb ragu. (Dessert was banana tarte tatin)

Cooking ground lamb and tomatoes for lamb ragu

The ingredients for Tarte Tatin

Cooking maple syrup, butter and vanilla bean

Placing bananas in the syrup

Ready to go into the oven(puff pastry on top)

Baked Banana Tarte Tatin (before the flip)

The Final Result (after the flip…pastry on the bottom now)!

Free form cinnamon pastries (from extra puff pastry)