Lambda Lambda Lambda



Once again, I have delayed posting.  It was a really busy week at work.  Lots of holiday baking.  We have been experimenting a little here and there and have come up with some winners lately.  If you are in at the bakery, be sure to pick up some brioche-type breads (if there are any left).  They are becoming very popular.  
ok, to the food:
I was really excited about this burger.  I had an idea a couple of weeks ago to make a sweet potato roll and they turned out really well.  The dough was basically a "poor man's brioche" with a healthy dose of steamed sweet potatoes.  It gave the finished product a really nice orange color and added a nice sweetness.  was killer for burgertime (I loved that nintendo game, by the way) Topped it with an elk/beef mixture, caramelized onions, cheddar, and lettuce. SNAP!
We also made a lamb dish (since last week was passover) on wednesday.  It was pretty much in the style of beef burgundy, just substituting lamb for the beef treats.  It was one of the best "burgundies" I had ever made.  A lot of people shy away from lamb, but you should really give it another try.  some people say it's too gamey, but I wholeheartedly disagree.  That "gamey" flavor often times comes from more inexpensive cuts such as blade chops or shanks, just as those same cuts of beef or pork would be stronger in flavor.  You might just not think of beef/pork being "gamey" because you are used to eating it.  Gamey sounds undesirable, and lamb is definitely not that.  You have to educate your palette on how to interpret tastes, so if you've been sheepish (insert groan) about trying lamb in the past,  maybe start out with some more expensive cuts and work your way down as you learn to appreciate the flavor (kind of a backwards approach, eh?).  Then again, some people refuse to eat things that they think are "cute."  Not me, I prefer to eat cute things.  In fact, as we speak, my deep freeze is filled with baby seals and penguins. Don't even get me started about "Peeps."
I threw in the last pic as a reminder that we all need to relax.  Gus only does things one way: 110%.  It doesn't matter if he is running, barking, snuggling, hunting, or waiting by the stove to see if any food jumps out of a skillet, that dog is focused.  Which is a pretty good lesson.  If I was half as determined as my dog, I could accomplish a lot more.
other non-food factoids:
I feel like my social calendar has been full for a long time. We had dinner with friends at casa Iske on friday night (WOOP WOOP!), and let me say that Mr. Biz  (not actually a picture of James, just lame inside joke) can grill a mean steak.  It was perfectly sizzled to the deeps.  And that's saying something.  Also had some cold cucumber soup that reminded me of Tzatziki sauce.  yumsters.  Saturday night we had dinner with our friends Dipti and Anuj. It was an indian feast.  We had samosas, papadum, chutneys, pickles, shahi paneer, dahl makhani, stuffed tomos, raita, naan bread, and kir.  Don't worry, I had small courses of everything.  after dinner we played some poker and when we got home, we stayed up and watched "nick and norah's infinite playlist."  It's a pretty cute movie, totally recommends it.
DISH recommends:
Norton Knife sharpener:  I have the IM200 model, and have been really pleased with it.  This setup, used even once in a while, will keep your blades sharp, and around here, we love sharp.  plus, it's on wicked sale right now for about 40 clams less than orig price.  Booyah!

 

2 comments:

Chris said...

Shahi paneer and dahl makhani! Heaven!

Laoguy said...

That burger looks delicious. (Homer Simpson) Doh! Nuts! Hmmm, donuts.