Incredible Chinese Food

On the way to a business meeting this past week. Kim Brown and I stopped at the new Ding How Asian Bistro on Highway 51, near Rice Road. This was not your ordinary Chinese, all-you-can-eat, slop trough. This was great Chinese food, the way it should be prepared and enjoyed. We both ordered a special. Mine was the Shrimp with Five Mushrooms. Kim had the Special Eggplant with Pork. Both were outstanding. I wish we had thought to get pictures before we finished devastating the plates, but we were too busy eating. I will go back again soon and I will get pre-eating photos. Here are the "after" shots.

Tom's Plate "After"

Kim's Plate "After"

It Just Never Gets Old

Our quasi-adopted, full-grown son spent the night with us again last night and surprise, surprise...I roasted a whole chicken. Actually I roasted two since Sanford also brought his Mississippi First co-conspirator, Rachel Hicks with him for dinner and we had all three boys at home. I made a pan sauce by reducing the drippings with some wine, peach preserves, apple cider vinegar and a paw-full of pecans. It was a great meal and we had a fantastic time. The boys were quite entertained listening to all of us growed-folks tell stories about when we were in high school. I don't know what I would eat if they stopped making whole chickens. I just cant get fired up about the whole boneless, skinless thing.
Bon Appetit!

~Tom

Meal Inspired by a Facebook Message

I got a facebook note from my friend Rose Casano (yes, of Rose & Peter Fame). She gave me the huge compliment of rating my food above that of the venerable New Orleans institution, Galatoire's. Although I'm more of an Antoine's guy, I certainly appreciated the sentiment of her post. One of my favorite dishes from Galatoire's (their version is actually better than Antoine's) is Chicken Clemenceau. The dish is très Français and takes its name from Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), a French statesman who became the French Premier in 1906. It has few ingredients, but is complex to perfect and when done properly is a real delight. The traditional dish is chicken (bone-in) cooked with mushrooms, potatoes and peas. The only chicken I had in the fridge was boneless, skinless chicken breast so I improvised the dish and made a pasta-homage to Monsieur Clemenceau. Everyone was pleased with the dish and I was able to take a brief mind/mouth-vacation to the Crescent City.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Dinner with Monte & Amy

Kitty loaded up the car with Katharine, Zak and the puppy and headed out for a weekend in the Delta yesterday. The two big boys abandoned me for more exciting plans with people their own age, leaving me to fend for myself, alone in the big scary world. No need to fear, Monte and Amy came to the rescue and in return for them preventing me from being so all alone, I cooked them a new recipe that I dreamed up yesterday. I'm still working on the proportions, so I'll post the recipe later. For now, here are the photos of my Asian Chipotle Shrimp over Salsa Fresca and Cayenne Chocolate Mousse for dessert.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Pizza Quesadillas

Last night we had a house full of little boys. For his birthday party, Zak wanted a spend-the-night-nerf gun-war-tent-in-the-basement party. Who wouldn't want that? What do you feed a bunch of Nerf Warriors? Certainly not Red Bull and Skittles. I enlisted the help of my aspiring chef and oldest son, Stuart and we made Pizza Quesadillas. The process is easy and the kids love the fact that they get to pick whatever toppings they desire. The boys were eating them hot and right out of the pan, so we didn't get a photo, so here is the picture we got from the police sketch artist.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Pizza Quesadillas

Ingredients
Corn Tortillas (you can also use flour tortillas if you prefer)
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Sauce
Pizza Toppings (pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms etc.)

Heat a flat bottom skillet over medium heat. Do not add oil or cooking spray. Place a tortilla in the skillet and spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on top of the tortilla. Add cheese and desired toppings and wait for cheese to melt. Add a second layer of cheese and top with a second tortilla. Flip the "pizza" over and cook until the bottom tortilla is browned and all cheese is melted.

Simple but Good

The protein closest to the front of the freezer a few days ago was an English beef roast. Simple, tasty, foolproof. I rubbed it down with some Ivy & Devine Coffee Rub, browned it in a big black-iron skillet, slipped it in a hot oven and didn't think about it again until it was time to eat. I whipped up a creamy horseradish sauce, some julienned vegetables and some boiled potatoes and voila! Dinner was served.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Italian Slow Food and an American Movie

Our daughter Katharine returned home from George Washington University yesterday afternoon and our "Other Son" Sanford was also in town for a Mississippi First board meeting. So, even though Whit and Zak were not home, we still had a full table for dinner. I made the most out of our nearly-crowded house and made some chicken thighs in a red sauce and served them over roasted slices of eggplant. It's one of those dishes that has lots of steps and takes all day, but the end result is fantastic. After dinner, we sat around the living room and watched The Hangover. I'm still laughing today. It was a great night of family, friends and laughter. Nights like that are the reason I cook.

Bon Appetit!

~Tom