Here are some shots:

Posted with Blogsy

Meal plan

Saturday: we went to a friends house and brought a salad with Russian kale, roasted beets, harukei turnips and greens, and a great maple syrup vinaigrette that Eric whipped up.
Sunday: spaghetti and meatballs Eric made a few weeks ago and froze.
Monday: salad with smoked Gouda, roasted beets, radish greens, lettuce, and whatever else is in the fridge
Tuesday: lamb chops with sautéed pea greens (from Allen Farms Organics
Wednesday: Eric is out so I will probably have some leftovers
Thursday: Swiss chard lettuce wraps with some DIY fried rice and possibly some black beans.
Friday: Chorizo from Pats Pasturedand potatoes. I’m planning to do this on the stovetop but may turn it into a casserole.

I also bought some giant sweet potatoes and a butternut squash to make baby food for Isaac. I roasted the sweet potatoes yesterday and I plan to steam the squash tonight.

All in, we spent about $100 and got just about everything we needed to make the above meals. We splurged the grass fed lamp chops and a lamb shank from Hopkins Southdowns in North Scituate, RI. More to come on the shank- we threw it in the freezer and may make it next weekend.

Most of the farms at the market, as well as many other local farms offer CSAs for fresh organic produce, meats, and even seafood. Now is the time to sign up for a CSA for the summer – these local farmers count on their members to help keep sustainable agriculture going here in Southeastern MA.

As you can see, the eating is good up in New England, even as winter rages on!

But reader, please, do me a solid. Don’t chastise me too much for my nervousness, as I was not completely mute when buying my weekly supply of meat from this angular little butchers. In fact, me and the friendly butcher man had a regular little conversation going on:

I was like: “what kind of sausages do you have?”

And he was like: “We’ve got about 9 different types: pork, cumberland, lincolnshire, etc.”

Then I was all: “Ok, which ones are the cumberland’s?”

And he was all: “these really big ones here”

And I came back with: “mmm, they look good”

To which he fired: “these are really good too, the Gloucester Old Spot, they’re delicious”

To which I concluded: “sounds good, I’ll take 6″

And with that, this nerve-wracking, heart-warming, history-making, revolution-starting  conversation ended, as smoothly as it began.

I’m finding it hard to articulate my joy at this encounter, suffice to say, I actually felt as though I was able to have a human chat with this very nice, knowledgeable butcher. This chat resulted in me getting some bloody delicious sausages that even my girlfriend ate, a self-titled ‘disliker of sausages’ (stop sniggering in the back). Our chat left me feeling a little better about mankind in general, which is rare for me as usually my people encounters leave me despairing with the human race (thanks, JOB!)

Let’s see, what else…

Lamb Chops marinated in mint and garlic

Mckanna’s is a funny little place, the window is packed full of all kinds of delicious meat, then inside they’ve managed to cram in a large counter, a pantry where you can buy cupboard staples and a chilled section full of cheeses and butter and stuff. In truth, there is not enough space for it all and if there’s more than one customer in there it becomes cramped. However, it really adds to its charm. It forces you to be proactive in your shopping. There’s no space to browse and linger, instead you have to dive in and start talking with the butchers. Only then do you get the most out of Mckanna’s.

For example, I could see no beef mince anywhere in the displays, which to me suggested they didn’t have any. So I asked the butcher and he smiled and said “yes, of course, how much would you like?”. He then nipped in to the back and came out with handfuls of fresh looking ground meat. I realised pretty quickly that asking a butchers if they have beef mince is a bit like asking a pub if they have beer. I do hope the butcher wasn’t offended by my rookie question, I meant no offence, I am still in my infancy when it comes to the workings of the independent food seller. I have, if you like metaphors, only recently climbed out of the supermarket baby pool and am tentatively dipping my toes in to the refreshing but intimidating waters of the independent-retailers pool. I’m still doggy-paddling in the shallow end. I still have my armbands on. And good god! Is that a wave-machine I see at the far end…

You get the picture.

To the prices:

Mckanna Meats:

Minced Beef: £1.94 for 352g (£5.50 per KG)

Gloucester Old Spot Sausages: £3.78 for 6

Marinated Lamb Chops: £4.32 for 432g (£10 per KG)

TOTAL: £10.04 (though the butcher charged me an even tenner. 4 pence off, score!)

Sainsburys:

British Beef Mince: £3.00 for 500g (£6.00 per KG)

Taste the Difference Cumberland Pork Sausages:  £2.99 for 6 (£7.48 per KG) (They don’t do Gloucester Old Spot sausages)

Lamb Chops: £6 for 480g (£12.50 per KG)

TOTAL (for the same amounts as I bought in Mckanna’s): £10.50

Victory!

Cheaper. Better quality. And a place in which life-altering interactions can occur. Forget Nectar points, in Mckanna Meats I got human points; a far, far more valuable commodity.

Things turned out well, but I discovered I’m not such a fan of lamb.

HHjr was cooking this meal and his favorite way to do lamb chops is to marinate them with fresh rosemary & mint.

He makes the marinade with soy sauce, a little brown sugar and sesame oil and then adds crushed mint and rosemary.  The aroma of fresh mint and rosemary made the whole house smell divine! A few hours bathing in this marinade added a delightful flavor to the chops.  It also eliminates any gamey taste that lamb sometimes has.

Because the soy sauce is salty, he just seasoned the meat with a little pepper.

He also made a wonderful potato dish.  The men around here LOVE potatoes so I am always looking for new ways to cook them. HHjr made a simple casserole with frozen hash browns, but his addition of roasted garlic and red onion sent this to the next flavor level.   He also used Vermont White Cheddar which is one of my favorite cheeses because it has an extra tang that regular Cheddar lacks.

TIP:  I don’t recommend using refrigerated potatoes for this, or EVER!  We have both experimented with them many times and have concluded that something about the texture of refrigerated potatoes is off, and they don’t seem to ever soften up, even after cooking for hours in a slow cooker.  From now on it’s the frozen variety every time.  Of course you can make your own freshly shredded potatoes if you’d rather….I would rather NOT!

His presentation was elegant, and I knew we were in for a treat…

A special meal indeed!

Here are the recipes:

ROSEMARY & MINT MARINATED LAMB CHOPS         for a printable version click here

5-6 bone in loin lamb chops

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

dash of sesame oil

3-4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

10-12 mint leaves, crushed and chopped

pepper

Combine first 3 ingredients in a ziplock bag.  Add crushed/chopped herbs.  Sprinkle the lamb chops with pepper and put them in the bag with marinade.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours for flavors to infuse.  Grill chops until done.  Serves 3

ROASTED GARLIC HASHBROWN GRATIN       for a printable version click here

20 oz. frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 head garlic

4 T butter {1/2 stick} melted

1/4 cup light sour cream

1/2 red onion, chopped

6 oz. 2% Vermont White Cheddar cheese {Cracker Barrel in green wrapper}, grated

Cut top of garlic head off and discard. Place garlic on a square of foil, drizzle with Olive oil and bring up all 4 corners into a package.  Place in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove and open foil to cool.  Place thawed potatoes in a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, onion and garlic by squeezing the garlic head directly over potatoes and discarding the papery garlic shell.  Mix.  Gently mix in grated cheese and turn into a sprayed baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated and golden on top.  Serves 4-6. Great leftover!

Lamb Chops were on my Bucket List this month, The March Paint Bucket and I am so glad they were!

May your future be full of 4 leaf clovers!  And Rosemary & Mint Marinated lamb Chops with Roasted Garlic Hashbrown Gratin!

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I’m joining some of these great parties this week:

the Tablescaper for SEASONAL SUNDAY

Between Naps on the Porch for METAMORPHIS MONDAY & TABLESCAPE THURSDAY

Stone Gable for ON THE MENU MONDAY and TUTORIALS, TIPS & TIDBITS THURSDAY

The Gunny Sack for WHAT’S IN THE GUNNY SACK?

Memories by the Mile for TUESDAY TRIVIA

Savvy Southern Style for WOW US WEDNESDAY

Cuisine Kathleen for LET’S DISH

Rattlebridge Farms for FOODIE FRIDAY

Alderberry Hill for MAKE THE SCENE MONDAY

The Dedicated House for MAKE IT PRETTY MONDAY

No Minimalist Here for OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY

the Answer is Chocolate for BFF OPEN HOUSE

The Busy Bee’s for THURSDAY BLOG HOP

Crafts ala mode for WHAT TO DO WEEKENDS

check out these amazing blogs!

For starters, we had lamb chops with salad and fish pakora (white fish fried in batter). The lamb chops were beautifully marinated and tender, so tasty to eat, I was tempted to ask for another one!!!

For some reason, I strangely thought that was the main meal and maybe they opted out of cooking a curry as I don’t really like eating spicy hot food! To my surprise, new fresh plates were being served with rice with peas and potatoes, a chicken curry and they also made fresh chapatis (Indian flat bread). I have never seen this made before and was fascinated by the technique and the flat rimless frying pan!!!

To top it off, we had 2 desserts: Gajar Halva (Indian Carrot pudding) served hot with ice cream. This is made with carrots, milk, butter, sugar and it takes and I have been told it takes awhile to make because you have to keep an eye on it constantly and stirring. The pudding was creamy and rich tasting!! Then, of course, we had the dessert that I made as well and I am glad that they liked it!!

A great night experiencing different flavours, spices and traditional home-made Indian cooking!!

Starters – Lamb chops, salad and mint sauce

Fish Pakora

Before – Chapati

After – Chapati

Main Meal – Rice and Chicken Curry

Gajar Halva

My dessert!!

Gastroporn Menu – March.2013

 ”Oo Shiny!”

Artichoke and Pea Soup with Fried Curd

Baguette with Parmesan and Roasted Garlic

Lamb Chops With Blood Orange Sauce, Roasted Okra With Chili Oil (Follow the link to the original blog with some very good photos that go with this meal)

Luscious Blood Orange Bars with a Brown Butter Crust

Bloody Mimosa

I’ve only had lamb chops twice in my life, and I’ve decided it’s not for me.

First, it tastes like you’re eating a barn. The consistency is that of steak, but the taste is all filth and hair.

Second, I keep picturing a cute, fluffy, tiny sacrificial lamb bounding with joy, completely unaware that it’s about to be eaten.

Thirdly, my grandmother bought me a stuffed lamb for Easter two years ago (which I have appropriately named Ouka, after a character in a manga I once read) and I am sure that at this very moment Ouka is planning my demise, because the lamb I have eaten is most likely a cousin of hers. I’m so sorry.

However, every time I have a plate of lamb shoved in front of me, I try it. Because it is important to try things every so often, even if you know you don’t like it because your father will bring out the old “children in Africa would kill for that lamb”, and even though you know they would use it for wool and currency and not for food, you nod your head ‘yes daddy’ and you eat. It’s important to try it, because when you’re on your own, your bank account will quietly remind you that you have no money to spend on nonsense.

You can’t try everything in schooling, that’s a bad idea. Unless you’re a millionaire, in which I am not. So I’m trying everything else now until I’m thrown into chaos and more indecisiveness.

Therefore, until I become a millionaire, I will spend my life outside the box but discretely pressed right up against the edge.

Most of us have just finished work for the day and the thought of relaxing in sun-drenched Bali and lunching on their colourful fresh cuisine is just a daydream. I had one of these day dreams the other day when I saw photos on facebook of a friend in Bali relaxing by the pool while getting her feet massaged and couldn’t help but feel a tad jealous especially of the cocktail next to her served in a hollowed out coconut shell with one of those cutesy umbrella sticks. In a way I am thankful for seeing these photo’s despite wanting to take off my high heel and throw it at my computer screen as it gave me inspiration for tonights meal

Balinese Lamb.

Serves:3

Ingredients

1 Tbs peanut oil

9 lamb chops approx 1kg

1 small brown onion

2  Tbs of chopped coriander

2 Tbs lemon juice

3/4 cup water

2/3 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 satchels of Ainsleys lemon, mint and parsley cous-cous

Method

Add peanut oil to frying pan and heat on high. Seal lamb chops for appox 1 min on each side and remove from pan and place on plate lined with paper towel to drain fat. Remove excess fat from pan.

Chop the onion and brown it in the frying pan. Turn heat down to low. Add sweet chilli sauce, peanut butter, coconut milk and water. Stir until sauce is slightly thickened.

Place lamb in oven dish and pour the sauce of it evenly. Cover in foil and place in oven for approximately 30 minutes. Remove foil and if sauce is too runny put lamb back in oven and cook for further 5 minutes without the foil.

Finish with the drizzle of lemon juice and chopped coriander. If your not a fan of coriander you can use continental parsley, which is what I have used.

Make cous-cous as per instructions on packet. Add.extra fresh mint and drizzle with olive oil.

This weekend, we enjoyed a casual dinner at home with two of our dearest friends.  Feeling in need of a cozy late winter meal, I made succulent pan seared lamb chops with dried cherries and port (recipe here), oven roasted Brussels sprouts over toasted pecan and pearl onion studded wild rice, and a lemon tart with fresh whipped cream.  While I do love to go out, nothing beats spending a leisurely evening by the fire with good friends and a great bottle of red.

The lamb could not have been simpler to prepare, and the dried cherry port wine sauce was divine.  If lamb is not your favorite, the sauce would be wonderful with pan seared duck breasts or pork tenderloin.

I’ll post the lemon tart recipe later this week.  It was my first entirely successful gluten-free crust (meaning it rolled out beautifully, held together like a dream, and had the taste and texture of a traditional crust) so I must share it with you.

In families there’s always the difficult eaters. For example, growing up my Italian father wouldn’t eat anything that didn’t end in a vowel. And if my mother dared to bring out food that even remotely hinted at another cuisine, like say curried sausages, well let’s just say you’d get a better response if you told my father that pasta originated from China.

But my father wasn’t the only difficult eater in our family. No the mantel for ‘The most difficult person to please when it comes to food and how my mother didn’t end up on high doses of barbiturates completely astounds me’ easily goes to my brother.

My brother was probably ‘naturally’ vegetarian as a child but as it was the 70s parents would experience a profound sense of failure if they didn’t load our plates with four times the (now) recommended daily dose of protein. But as I observed as a child, my brother had (and still has) a pathological fear of animal fat. The problem is meat protein is inextricably bound to fat and here in lies the problem.

As a nurse scrubbing for operations, I was privy to witnessing the meticulous work of brain surgeons – the dexterity, the calmness, the unwavering concentration and attention to detail. It is these set of wanton skills that my brother brings to the dinner table to extricate fat from his meat protein.

I can’t tell you how difficult it was as a child trying to enjoy my lamb chops while watching my brother dissect his next to me like a 1st year med student on his first cadaver. Invariably he would only eat two mouthfuls and storm off in a huff because he couldn’t bare looking at the fat on his plate. It didn’t even help if my mother removed what she believed to be all the fat prior to serving because even then he’d find a nanogram of fat which spelt tantrum. It’d be fair to say that Norman Bates was probably a great kid by comparison.

I, on the other hand, ate just about everything. Okay, nearly everything. Although I enjoyed tomatoes cooked I couldn’t come at raw tomatoes when I was a kid. It probably had something to do with my mother’s penchant for tomato and onion sandwiches. I couldn’t bear how the tomato juice would seep through the bread turning it into a sweet acidic schmoosh.
Luckily I did come around to tomatoes in my adulthood especially now that I have a partner who plants 22 tomato plants and you’ve got to find 101 recipes to use the bountiful harvest. Here’s a lovely northern Italian dish that my mother still does which is simple but delicious. I’ve also re-posted my Green Tomato Pickle recipe again.

Beans in Tomatoes
We’ve also had plenty of beans this season so this recipe kills two birds with one stone for me – using both tomatoes and beans. It freezes really well which is one of the reasons why I chose it.

Ingredients: 2 kilos tomatoes, 3 onions, 1 head of garlic, herbs, splash of wine, stock, 1 kilo beans

Sauté onion and garlic in oil. Add washed and diced tomatoes and herbs. Add a splash of wine, cook for 5 minutes. Add a stock cube or half a cup of stock concentrated. Cook down tomatoes until you’re left with a medium thick sauce. Add beans and cook until you’re happy with the texture.

Karla’s Hotpotch Green Tomato Pickles
I posted this last season but I thought I’d post it again in case you missed it.

Ingredients: 1 kilo green tomatoes, 3 large red onions, Apple cider vinegar enough to nearly cover tomatoes and onions, 1/2 cup caster sugar, 200 gm honey, 4 desert spoons of icing sugar, 2 teaspoons of mustard powder, 2 teaspoons curry powder (I used my partner’s homemade Sri Lankan curry powder but a good curry powder will definitely suffice) 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 cinnamon stick.

Cut tomatoes and onions up and add two teaspoons of salt and leave overnight. There will probably be excess fluid in the morning so drain most of this off. Wash salt off tomatoes.
Add vinegar, caster sugar, honey, icing sugar and spices and boil for five minutes and then lower heat and cook for another hour.
Place in sterilised jars.

I’ve been rather bad about reporting on our Family Dinners over the past few months. And not because our menus weren’t delish but somehow amongst the endless events, time slipped by.

December’s dinner menu featured Mexican-inspired fare. We had a variety of fresh salsas, chicharrón, ceviche, salmon-dill tacos, rice, and beans. I whipped up some mango margaritas and my beer braised carnitas. And although it may not have been Latin, our sis, P, made a ridiculously amazing chocolate bread pudding. The icing on the cake? It was our adorable nephew, Leonidas’ 1st birthday!

For January, we let my seester, T, and our niece pick the theme as they’re Jan-Babies. So we were off to the islands for mouthwatering, ono grindz! Our spread included mai tais and my take on hamachi-ponzu shooters. Our eldest seester created a wonderfully light yet fulfilling banana leaf-wrapped monk fish with a curry sauce. And for dessert? Big seester made molten lava chocolate cakes and paired them with my toasted coconut ice cream and guava ice cream.

With island music playing throughout dinner, it was almost—almost like we were in Hawai’i. <le sigh….>

For this month, we revisited Italia. Big seester got me a ravioli mold for Christmas and we were eager to give them a try. For our entrées, we had raviolis three ways: butternut squash with brown butter sage sauce, spicy sausage with a marinara sauce, and lump crab with a pesto sauce. They were quite the success considering it was our first time making raviolis. And because I learned from October’s Family Dinner, I invested in a hand crank pasta machine. Best…idea…ever.

Since I knew it was going to take us some time to get the raviolis to the dinner table, I wanted to make a heartier-than-usual appetizer. We’re a big fan of lamb chops so I turned to my trusted recipe using a ton of rosemary and garlic. By slicing the racks into rib chops while giving them ample time to marinate, the lamb is able to seep in a ton of great flavor. And because my fam loves condiments, I made a quick and herbaceous gremolata to pair with the lamb to help brighten the gamey flavor.

We also found that a light sprinkle of sea salt over the rib chops not only added the perfect seasoning but it also added some great texture. My fam gobbled these appetizers up in no time flat but they can also be served as a mouthwatering entrée.

Can’t wait until next month’s Fam-Din!

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Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Rib Chops
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Lamb
½ cup chopped rosemary
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
16 lamb rib chops, Frenched and trimmed (approximately 2 Frenched racks)
kosher salt and black pepper

Gremolata
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Optional
sea salt

In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, red chili flakes and olive oil. Place the lamb rib chops in a large shallow dish or gallon sized resealable bags. Season the lamb well with kosher salt and black pepper. Pour the herb mixture over the lamb and turn the chops around to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours (I like mine to marinate overnight).

Prepare gremolata by adding parsley, basil, garlic, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes into a food processor. Pulse to combine. On low, stream in the olive oil until you reach a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the lamb 15 minutes before cooking. Preheat grill to medium high. Grill the chops on each side for 2-3 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F for rare or 135-140 degrees F for medium. Allow the lamb to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve the lamb rib chops with a sprinkle of sea salt over the top (optional) and gremolata.

Getting there from exit 4 of Itaewon Stn. (line 6), walk straight and turn left at the alley just before the McDonald’s. Go through the intersection, past the Juliette clothing store, and Braai Republic is on your left on the second floor. Open Mon 5 – 11 pm, Wed – Sun noon – 11 pm. Closed Mon, and the kitchen shuts down between 3 – 5 pm on weekdays. Search for “Braai Republic” on Facebook. 070-8879-1967

This place is a little piece of Africa in Asia and is the brainchild of South African’s Chris Truter and Roddy Bancroft. You can expect lekker South African bokkie’s, Amarula, Hunters and Castle, the smell of pap en vleis and my best – South African accents. Like for real boet!

I wont lie, I did get misty eyed when I walked into Braai, and it wasnt because Kurt Darren was playing in the background, or because people were getting heated over a game of 30 Seconds, or because re-runs of the ’95 World Cup was on the tv. It was because I could not believe how many expat-South African’s there actually are in Korea, and how patriotic everyone remains. There is no smack talk on how ‘dangerous’ SA is, and no smack talk on how ‘silly’ our President is, nothing. What a pleasure, what a jol! It is pure unadulterated South African Love. And that’s my favourite kind of love. 

The menu is divine and it will klap the homesickness right out of you. Start off with a skaap tjop and some pap, or a boerie roll.

Obvs my favourite restaurant in the whole of Itaewon!

I’m not a crazy coupon clipper, but access to deals in this wonderful technology world have changed drastically.  We’ve got access to amazing deals through Groupon, Living Social, Jetsetter, Gilt, One King’s Lane, etc etc (And YES, I have an account with all of the above.  In fact, you should too since it doesn’t cost you anything to sign up).  Aside from browsing the daily deals from these websites, there’s always the browsing of the good ol’ weekly ads.  Heck, that’s the one thing that I look forward to the most when I wake up on Sunday morning!  Firing up the iMac, cup of joe in hand, and checking out the local grocery store ads and Target to help me plan for the week.

I am a strong believer in “If you realllllllllly want it, then just get it, regardless of price”.  We work hard for the money that we earn and we should be able to enjoy it, within reason though.  That’s why it’s important to check out these deals and weekly ads to help save money where possible!  And as a side note, who even shops for clothes at retail price anymore?  Marshall’s & TJ Maxx to the fullest – Hello!!!

This recipe features our Valentine’s Day dinner.  A delicious and scrumptious meal on a budget.  Stew Leonard’s is a local grocery store in the area and has such fresh produce, dairy, baked goods… everything is fantastic!!  This past week, lamb chops were on sale for $5.99/lb (usually $10.99/lb) and cauliflower was on sale for $1.49/head (usually $2.99/head).  So, the total cost of our romantic meal for two was $13; plus we had leftovers for lunch the next day.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of lamb chops
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

1. Season lamb chops with sea salt and black pepper.
2. In a large skillet over high heat, drizzle olive oil, place lamb chops onto pan and sear each side for 4 minutes.
3. Once both sides achieve a nice golden color, reduce the heat to low, and cover pan.  Let lamb chops cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
4. Serve with rice, pasta, or mashed cauliflower.

I chose Chateau Argadens Blanc, Bordeaux Superior.  White Bordeaux is made with a majority of Sauvignon Blanc, some Semillon and occasionally a bit of muscadelle.  The wine had delightful aromas of lemon, pineapple, peach pit, a subtle floral note and wet rock.  The wine was crisp and had a fuller mouthfeel than a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  The first course of calamari and lemon aioli was a hit.  Crisp, high-acid wines are excellent with fried food and the citrusy character of the wine was perfect with the lemon aioli.  The bruschetta, another hit.  Tomatoes are a high-acid food, so a wine needs high-acidity to not appear flabby or dull. The wild mushrooms bring out a little more earthiness in the wine, which isn’t a bad thing.  The lamb chops are a whole other situation, they’re on the other side of the lane.  The unique part is that these chops have a bit of a spicy kick to them and spicy food and dry red wines are a bad idea. (For an elaboration, read Mexican Lasagna).  The spiciness of the chops and the acidity of the wine attack each other head-on, amplifying one another.  The dish is more spicy and the wine is more acidic than either would have been on their own.  This now becomes a personal preference.  If those two reactions are desired then this pairing would be considered a success.  For me, the extra spiciness was a much welcomed attribute, the extra acidity, not so much.  ”Oh Sooo Close!”

Pre Fixe $75 per couple, $100 w/ wine pairings per couple

First Course

Tomato Lobster Bisque w/ Lemon Basil Mascarpone

Chatel, Cava (Brut Riserva), Macabeo, NV (Spain)

Hearts of Romaine w/ Avocado, Pickled Shallots, Passionfruit Dressing

Arindo, Verdejo, 2011 (Spain)

Chioggia Beet Salad w/ Baby Arugula, Macadamia Nuts, Goat Milk Ricotta, Honey Dressing

Dr. Loosen, Riesling, 2011 (Germany)

Second Course

Baked Danish Brie w/ Sour Cherry Sauce & Toasted Almonds
Lander-Jenkins, Chardonnay, 2011 (Napa, CA)

Choptank Sweet Oysters w/ Fennel Grapefruit Mignonette

Montgravet, Colombard, 2011 (France)

Homemade Pork& Rabbit Sausage Baked in Brioche w/ Gold Rush Apple Mustard

Lucky Star, Pinot Noir, 2011 (California)

Butternut Squash Fondue w/ Pink Lady Apple Slices, Crackers, Gorgonzola

Lander-Jenkins, Chardonnay, 2011 (Napa, CA)

Lemongrass-Sesame Shrimp Dumplings w/ Sweet & Sour Soy Sauce, Lemongrass

Boordy, Seyval/Vidal/Chardonnay, 2011 (Maryland)

Main Course

Whole Roasted Quail w/ Chicken Sausage-Pecan-Fig Stuffing, Baby Carrots, Herb Pan Sauce

Finca Sobreño Crianza, Tempranillo, 2009  (Spain)

Cape May Dayboat Scallops w/ Celery Root Risotto, Brussels Sprouts, Homemade Bacon, Orange Honey

Lander-Jenkins, Chardonnay, 2011 (Napa, CA)

HudsonValley Duck Breast:  Wild Rice w/ Vanilla Bean, Butternut Squash, Red Wine-Cocoa Sauce

Dauvergne Ranvier Côtes du Rhône, Grenache/Syrah, 2009 (France)

Grilled Creekstone Culotte Steak w/ Fingerling Potatoes, Cipollini Onions, Rainbow Chard, Spicy Steak Sauce, Fried Egg

Tahuan, Malbec, 2010 (Mendoza, Argentina)

White Lasagna w/ Roasted Cremini, Mushrooms, Fennel, Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Parmesan, Champagne Cream Sauce, Basil

Barone Cornacchia, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, 2010 (Italy)

Grilled Whistle Pig Hollow Lamb Chops w/ Stewed Cannellini Beans w/ Tomato, Oregano, Sautéed Broccoli Raab, Caperberry-Kalamata Olive Relish

Chateau Cadillac, Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 (Bordeaux, France)

One dessert to share is included in pre fixe price

Coming from a background of cooks in my family, when I’m hungry, I don’t crave the typical grilled cheese. I think about foods my grandmother and father have been making since I was a child. Taco’s made with fresh tortilla’s, lamb chops, prime roast, seared scallops with prosciutto, mole and chicken, SEAFOOD PAELLA. Rated one of the top toughest meals to cook, I have never attempted to cook seafood paella myself but I think it is almost time I shall.  Hopefully my dad will hand over the secret recipe if I ask for it!

My dad’s seafood paella

Happy Fat Tuesday!

XOXO,

Sabrina

When my doctor banned me from dairy for almost a year, CBTL eased the pain with their delicious soy lattes (even if I dislike soy milk).

Now, they are finally serving gourmet food. Delicious gourmet food.

And so, I fell inlove with CBTL all over again.

Double Chocolate Ice Blended — Of course, a visit to CBTL wouldn’t be complete without one of their signature drinks. So, before anything else, the chocolate-lover in me ordered this. Dessert first!

Crab Cakes — The crab cakes were creamy. I wish I am able to cook it like this.

Surf and Turf — The mashed potato, French string beans, and gravy went well with both the steak and the shrimps. The shrimps were fresh, too.

Lamb Chops — Since I am not a fan of lamb (because of the aftertaste), I only have a small piece of this, but I can say that it was a good. The meat was seasoned well, and wasn’t dry at all.

I’m definitely excited to see what other dishes they’ll be coming up with soon. Can’t wait to visit the bistro again.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 26th St. Bistro
Net Lima Building, 26th St. corner 5th Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines