Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Taking A Break From Steak

Muscovy Duck

Duck and Brown Rice

Roast duck and brown rice, with a pretty darned good red. The apples and onions were cooked in the bird in lieu of stuffing, and were a nice complement to the meal. Off screen was a bowl of chopped kale and onions, sauteed in duck fat.

Amazingly enough, this stuff is all on my diet. X minus 50 lbs. and counting...nearing my final goal of X minus 75. Solve for X.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Second Try At Perfect Steaks

No NY Strip roasts available, so another Costco ribeye roast, aged 10 days at 35F. No discernible changes, which makes me think it isn't aged at all before they put it out for sale. It used to be that beef was aged 7 days before being sold, but the pressures of commerce are evidently eliminating that step. As a result, steaks are tougher and less flavorful than they would have been in the old days. Buying in roast form and aging (under controlled conditions) is a way to restore the karmic balance.

Steaks Ready to Cook

Here they are after cooking. Ribeyes tend to flame up a lot when placed directly over an open flame, which doesn't so much cook the beef as carbonize it. So these were cooked on a griddle on the grill, which allows each side to sear nicely.

Steaks on the Grill

The finished product, with homemade au gratin potatoes and baked asparagus. There was also corn cooked on the grill, but it didn't make it into this photo to complete the tableau, unfortunately. Next time.

Steak on a Plate