Food Porn

a reply to: TheAlleghenyGentleman

No worries.

I familiar with the group and have been to a couple in NYC and one of the shops in NJ.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Maybe I didn't stress how much I hate DC.

DC is the Pitts.

And my dogs......



Stay strong, stay strong........

So we did a little holiday brunch with some friends yesterday and I whipped up some snacks and drinks for everyone. We had bloody marys, bellinis and boulvardiers at the bar. For the chow I made some gravlax with herbed cream cheese and some mini-bagels:

A charcuterie board with my homemade wild boar chorizo, some genoa and Veronese style salami and some store bought mortadella and prosciutto. I added some homemade duck liver pate, cranberry relish, pickled shallots and coarse mustard:

I did a nice cheese board with some gorgonzola dolce, bosca de tartufo, brie and parmesan. There were these cool looking grapes called moondrops that were quite interesting at the local market and I added some marcona almonds that I seasoned with fluer de sel and smoked paprika along with some local honey:

Some marinated olives:

And a tasty spinach and shallot quiche:

Some maple/bourbon galzed bacon off to the left and everyone chowing down:

We added some lamb sliders with curry ketchup and a challah strata as well but at that point I forgot to take pictures since I was busy entertaining. Hope everyone has a great holiday and shares some good food and drinks with friends and loved ones.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Nice one!

Nom nom nom!

Did you make a duck liver mousse or pâté? I can't find it in the pic. Beers make my Waldo searching fuzzy

a reply to: TheAlleghenyGentleman

Yes, pate, middle of the charcuterie board in the ramekin, it has a butter cap on it.

I would have made a larger portion but there was only three people that wanted it and I was one of them.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

It looks wonderful.
Thanks for making me hungry...ravenous.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

Well, someone had an invite here and could have had this for real.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Moondrops....i think they're GMO. Very, very sweet and tasty.

This past summer our local HEB did some of those, the witches fingers and the cotton candy. All 3 are very sweet. I bet they were great with some cheese.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
Moondrops....i think they're GMO.

That would explain why I have never seen these before. I usually go to the farmers market but I was at the local supermarket and spotted these guys.

Very, very sweet and tasty.

This past summer our local HEB did some of those, the witches fingers and the cotton candy. All 3 are very sweet. I bet they were great with some cheese.

They were very sweet and they did pair well with the gorgonzola dolce.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: TNMockingbird
Well, someone had an invite here and could have had this for real.

You're right.
Someone is going to get their head out of the clouds.
Fairy tales aren't real, you know.

Then you and I can get busy on some evil shenanigans!



Oh, and some food...I need good food...LOL

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

the cotton candy grapes actually have a flavor like cotton candy. That sugary flavor in the aftertaste. Im sure they have established the strain as a brand, and we will see more of them. I liked them quite a bit.

originally posted by: TNMockingbird
Then you and I can get busy on some evil shenanigans!

'Evil' and 'Shenanigans' are two of my middle names.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I need to check around for these. They sound amazing.

I didn't take pictures because its just not a sexy looking meal....but thought i'd give a shout out to needless pretentiousness.

I made salisbury steak (got a ton of ground beef i need to use up) and some stuffed acorn squash.

I had some truffled butter left over from the prime rib on Christmas, and decided to use it to make the gravy for the salisbury steak.

It was rather tasty. I wish we had truffles here in Texas.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

That sounds pretty damn good. Nothing beats truffles.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Nice! Truffle butter is the bomb! Anything stuffed is also my favorite lol.

I just put some pot roast in the oven to feed me and my dogs.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

i mostly hate ground beef, so it made it tolerable for me to have a nice sauce (that was still low on carbs) to soften the texture.

Ill usually just make meatballs, and mix in enough ground pork that I can take the texture. But ground beef is so damned grainy if you don't simmer it in liquid.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I've gotten to the point where I will just grind/chop my own beef mostly because I don't completely trust food handling processes at supermarkets and because I can better control the texture.

One of my staples in the fridge is marinated feta. I just do it in a small jar with feta, olive oil (a nice fruity one with enough solids to harden nicely in the fridge), some minced garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Simple and wonderful.

Since i am cutting carbs at the moment, i've been eating quite a bit of this stuff (a flavor kick). One of my favorites:

a thin slice of hard salami/genoa salami in a skillet until it starts to cup up. Flip it over andn cook for a minute or so and put a teaspoon of the marinated feta in the middle. Let cool long enough to touch it, and eat it in a single bite.

Its like Chef Boyardee is doing kung fu in your mouth. OK, well, not Chef Boyardee....but you get the picture.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Growing up Italian fried salami was kind of a breakfast staple. It's dangerously addicting.