Want to Swoon Your Next Date Over Dinner?

Someone mentioned Bonefish Grill...

Heard so many rave about this, but honestly, went there twice and was highly disappointed both times...

Awesome mixed drinks, so kudos to the bar, but the food was overpriced, and lousy, to me anyhow....

Originally posted by Gazrok
Someone mentioned Bonefish Grill...

I think that was me....

Gools was looking for some dinner party ideas and he gave me a list of what was in his pantry....

I put together a recipe that would have turned out somewhat similar to one of their shrimp appetizers....

I think they're okay for a franchise restaurant....You could certainly do worse on an evening out on the town....

Tallahassians are always so blasé when a new "gourmet" restaurant opens around here - They all rant and rave about it for weeks and then it closes a year later....I think Bonefish will stick around here though, primarily for their bar...

I got hooked on their sour apple martinis....I've got their mixture perfected....Saves me a good $3 per drink

oh god i love food this thread made me so hungry!

waiting for my fire to die down....


/torment

Originally posted by Lysergic
oh god i love food this thread made me so hungry!

waiting for my fire to die down....


/torment

Well - Try a few recipes out - Put some of my pointers to use gwasshoppa....

I'm here for all your culinary-assistance needs....

So fire away!

There is this greek recipe I had at one the restaruants in detroit and it was peas mixed with oil or something wet and shiny anyway, and dill was the main ingredient.

I am not one for peas in fact I despise them but that was one of the best meals I've eaten.. I ate the peas before my entree. lol

mmmm dill peas.. .

Oily, shiney, dilly peas eh?

What the "dilly" yo?

I've had a few variations on this dish several times before - Never at a restaurant though....Pretty interesting fare....I bet if you got sick after eating it, it would come out looking something like this.....



I think with all the sweetness that dill combined with peas can lend a dish, you want something else with a little tang in there to kind of wake up your taste buds a bit - A few recipes online suggest adding bacon too, which of course makes everything better....

So give this a go and see how close it comes

5 strips of bacon (Thicker and more flavorful the better)
4 Cups Green Peas (blanched)
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (Try making your own sometime - Waaaay more flavor*)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 T freshly grated horseradish (You could also replace this with some Wasabi for a little more "umph")
1 T Coarse Grain Mustard
1/4 Cup FRESH chopped dill (Usually you can't go wrong by "over-dilling" something - 1/4 cup may sound like a lot, and actually it'll be more than 1/4 before you chop it - but it's an herb that blends well with other flavors and won't overpower the dish too much)
S&P

Start off cooking the bacon so you have time to let it get nice and crispy...Of course - The bacon is optional....I usually cook mine for about 15 minutes in a 420F oven....Just keep an eye on it - You can crack some fresh black pepper over it when it before you pop it in the oven for some extra added flavor....After you pull it out of the oven, dry them on a paper towel, and then crumble into pieces….

Just in case you're not sure how to blanch, it’s real easy – Boil a little more than enough water to cover the peas, Get a bowl of ice-water at the ready, drop your peas in – Let them go for about 15-20 seconds…you should see them turn a bright vivid green – Scoop them out quickly and shock them in the ice water….Allow to dry….

Mix your remaining ingredients separately, then fold in the peas….

Chill for a few hours, or as long as possible….And there ya go

Garnish with any remaining dill sprigs….Or to give the dish some color, you could garnish with some edible flowers….

*Home-made mayonnaise…

If your on a diet, mayo probably is your worst enemy…..I say, what the hell? Who gives a damn?

I usually use a food processor – You can whisk it if you want, but you’ll probably be needing an ice-pack afterwards to rest your arm

1 Egg
1 T Dijon
2 T Freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 Cups of a very light olive oil
S&P

A neat thing happens chemically-speaking when you blend eggs and lemon juice….Combine the egg, mustard and lemon juice in the processor and let it go for about 10-15 seconds – It will begin to thicken considerably, but don’t go too long or you’ll cook the egg….

VERY SLOWLY drizzle in your olive oil while the machine is going…..Turn it off occasionally, dip your finger in – You’re checking for two things, flavor and temperature…..If it gets too hot, let it rest for a few seconds before you continue adding your oil….You may or may not us it all – It depends on your tastes…..

Add S&P to taste and you’re all set….Remember – homemade mayonnaise won’t keep as long as that stuff in the jar – I’d give it a few days sealed in the fridge…









[edit on 7/11/2005 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

I’ve let this thread go for quite some time….

Here’s my secret recipe for salsa -Tell no one!

Salsa With Balls’a
10 Cloves garlic, peeled
4 Jalapeños, tops removed
4 T EV Olive Oil
8 Vine ripened tomatoes, skinned, chopped
2 Yellow Bell Peppers, large dice
1 Green Bell Pepper, large dice
1 Red Onion, large dice
4 Serano peppers, roughly chopped
1 Lemon
1 Lime
2 T Chile powder
2/3 cup Cilantro, freshly chopped
2 T Tomato paste
Kosher salt
Freshly Ground White Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 F

In two separate ramekins, place your jalapeños and your garlic – Season with salt and white pepper – Coat with 2 T of olive oil each, or more as needed to just cover – Place ramekins on baking pan, and roast for 45 minutes in oven. Garlic will be a light golden brown when ready.

While the garlic and jalapenos are roasting, set several quarts of water (or about half a soup pot) worth of water to high and let it come to a boil. By cutting in an inward and circular motion, remove the remaining stem matter from the top of the tomato. Flip it over and along the bottom carve a shallow “X” that extends about ½ inch in either direction.

Prepare a bowl of iced water. Once the water on the stove gets to boiling, throw in a good deal of salt to set a strong boil. In small batches, place the tomatoes in the boiling water and let them go until you begin to see the flaps around your “X” gently lift the skin of the tomato – This should take no more than 30-45 seconds. Quickly transfer to the ice water. The skin of the tomato should now peel right off. Dice into medium size chunks.

Mix with remaining chopped vegetables.

In a blender, combine your Serrano peppers, roasted garlic, jalapeños and tomato paste. (You can hand dice the Serranos if you like, but I prefer the blender as it saves from burning your skin and distributes the heat better in the salsa.) Blend these ingredients into a smooth paste and add to your salsa.

Finish off with the juice of your lemon and lime, and remaining spices/herb.

As with all homemade salsas, this will only get better and better as it sits – And spicier too!

For a twist, depending on season and/or availability, try adding:

Roasted Corn
Dices Tomatillos
Black Beans
Diced Mangos
Chipotles in Adobe Sauce

Adding more than one variety of tomatoes to the salsa works well too…

If you like your salsa extra chunky, leave it as is…

Otherwise, blend it in batches to a consistency you like…

-----------------------------------------

Might as well through in a Guacamole recipe since we’re in the same ballpark….I love homemade guacamole as a dip – Believe it or not, it usually goes faster than my salsa…

Fresh avocadoes is the key here….You’re looking for a dark purplish-green tinge with a touch that just begins to give when you press in on the skin…

Rocking Guaca-mola-mola-mola!
Follow my instructions above for the roasted garlic, jalapeños and serranos – Except half the measurements
10 Avocadoes, chopped (I like the California hass avocadoes personally)
1 Red Onion, diced
½ Lemon
2 Limes
2/3 Cup Cilantro, freshly chopped
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground White Pepper
½ Cup finely blended salsa from recipe above

After you have that sultry garlic pepper paste, throw in your Avocadoes, followed by the red onion. Squeeze in your lemon/lime juice and add the remaining spices/herbs. For that finishing touch, add that ½ cup of salsa to the guac…

I usually will just take a good ‘ol fashioned potato masher and grind at it for a bit until I find a consistency I like, but you can also use a hand mixer or blender – I wouldn’t make it too smooth though….Chunky guacamole stands out as more desirable than a thick green paste….

Hope you all enjoy!


Forget the wine-pairing....All of the above goes well with a cold Cerveza!




[edit on 5/4/2006 by EnronOutrunHomerun]