Never Too Old For A New Trick

7 years ago

I was in Los Angeles this weekend visiting my "L.A. mom and dad". This couple adopted SWMBO and me when we lived in Los Angeles from 1985 to 1997.

"Lammie", our name for our L.A. mom, is in her late 70s now but still loves cooking and entertaining in her remarkable kitchen which I described in this 2011 thread over in the Kitchen forum. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/a-lot-of-livin-in-this-kitchen-dsvw-vd~2523312

I spent some time looking through her photo albums from 1988-1992. All the parties they had, with all the friends, crazy characters and drag queens that we hung out with then, and occasionally a photo of me and SWMBO. Lammie must have been about 45 then, gorgeous and stunning in every photo, laughing with "Laddie", our L.A. dad.

I remember when they installed a new floor in the kitchen, of unfinished pine, and threw a huge party. All the women were asked to wear high heels and all the men boots, and everyone was instructed to stomp and scrape, drink and spill wine, all the better to age the new floor. You've never seen so many girls and queens in, well back then they called them "f__k me pumps", or so many guys in cowboy boots. Laddie has retired and is slowing down, but still loves to host and eat, and his floor looks like it's been there for a hundred years.

I also visited my old neighborhood (the northernmost bit of Glendale by Montrose) and saw my friends from that period of my life. It is interesting to stand outside your old house and remember when you were still in your twenties and kid-free. I'm glad I left for the SF Bay Area and then for Portland. But I enjoyed my life in L.A. and this couple was a big part of it.

Mostly I enjoyed staying in their house, I trying to make myself useful. I polished their copper pots, fixed some lamps that weren't working, cleaned and helped cook. My my, did we eat. Let's see - we made carpaccio, roasted a prime rib, cooked escargot, ate lots of cheese and pate, all kinds of roasted and marinated vegetables, drank a lot of wine. My adoptive parents are on a fixed income now but they eat very well. Lammie is the best cook I know and she knows where to buy great food and then cooks it inventively and wonderfully.

Because it was Mothers Day, we wanted to buy her presents. SWMBO got her flowers. I got her an Anova Nano sous vide cooker and a propane torch, and Lammie and I spent the rest of the time playing with her new toy.

She was initially skeptical. Lammie has been cooking for almost 70 years and can do pretty much anything, so at first she didn't see the point of all this.

First I made a rib steak with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, lemon peel, and I forget what else. We cooked it at 125 F for 2 hours then seared it on her commercial Jade range that lives outside, the hottest cooktop I've ever used. It was pretty excellent and she got interested.

Two frozen Cornish game hens emerged from her freezer. I put one in a bag along with all the ingredients for Chicken Marbella, cooked it at 150 F for about 3 hours of which I figure 1 hour was defrosting time, then spatchcocked the cooked bird and torched it. She brined the other in the same Chicken Marbella ingredients and grilled it on her outside barbecue. Then we had a meal of the two birds plus various side dishes. She said the difference was notable, with the sous vide bird moister, more tender, and more flavorful.

Her son, a trained chef who does food science stuff at a meat company, came over and told her he has a sous vide cooker at work and that it is a good tool to have.

Now she's excited about her sous vide cooker! We are texting back and forth about recipes and sources, and I'm going to buy myself the same cooker so we can learn together.

So, I'm asking for things we should try making with our sous vide cookers. What is interesting and really shows off the technique? If you were with my beloved friend, what would you sous vide with her?

Featured Answer

John Liu
Original Author

7 years ago

Oh, food pics. Our carpaccio.

My first effort with the sous vide cooker

The two hens

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Comments (9)

annie1992
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Ooh, the carpaccio looks amazing and the steak looks perfectly done to me.

I can't help with suggestions on sous vide, as I don't have one and have never used one, but my stepson says his is wonderful for poached eggs (which he cannot get any of his three kids to eat).

It sounds like a lovely weekend and an inspired gift, and if it keeps you closer to Lammie and Laddie, then it's a double bonus, I think.

I do remember those heels. I worked in a law office so of course we had a dress code. For women it was "skirt/heels/hose", not even dress slacks were allowed. I had 4 inch spike heels and I had them in a bunch of colors. Here they were called "CFMPs", or "come f**k me pumps". I met an also retired co-worker at a retirement party recently and he very fondly remembered a pair of red suede heels. Of course, that was back when skirts were shorter and heels were higher and we were all a whole lot younger.....

Annie
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Islay Corbel
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Fish. Delicate white fish filets 50 to 55°c for 30 minutes.

This tuna recipe is wonderful.

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/albacore-confit-to-replace-that-sad-can-o-tuna

Make crème brûlée. Anything custardy so ice cream is great.
John Liu
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
That tuna recipe looks good. Think it would work with salmon?

She texted me that she's going to try a rack of pork ribs tonight. I'm happy that she's having fun with this new cooking technique. Lammie is trying to get rid of a lifetime of cooking stuff - she sent me home with a box of demi-tasse cups and some big brass platters that they bought in Fez many decades ago, and was trying to get me to take a huge stock pot and some oyster dishes - so SWMBO was doubtful about buying her a new gadget, but I think it was a good idea.
Islay Corbel
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Probably not.....but sv salmon is great. Isn't salmon a bit oily for that kind of recipe? Give it a try and let us know. Love their website as so many good ideas. Have a look at their app, the joule one. It is great for getting temps and times and it's very visual.

For jars, i use these

http://www.weckjars.com/products.php

A few might make a nice present for the lovely lady.

Another thing to try is infusing oils, alcohols........
plllog
7 years ago
It's not pretty, but the bison chuck I made a few years ago was amazingly good eating. It was based on Kenji's sous vide chuck finished on the barbecue.
rob333 (zone 7b)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
The thread that I found interesting and inspiring was that from 2ManyDiversions experiments. Both recipes and results. Yay for a fun result for you and Lammie. Hope you enjoy it tremendously.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
7 years ago
Pasteurizing eggs, tempering chocolate, ...I usually need to do a quick search when deciding time and temp. The Easter lamb chops were excellent. The best ever. I cut them into two chops each, then seared, after SousVide, cast iron both sides quickly. (135º, window 2-3 hours.)....probably 1-4 but I wrote down 2-3.

The best application is the perfection and the timing. The window of time given when a meal is delayed it just sits in the bath at the exact temp. No stress when using expensive cuts.

Cheaper cuts are much more tender than other methods. My butcher has London broil 2.99 this week...cod 5.99. I'll SousVide the London broil tonight in 1/2 lb packages all at the same time and use for salads, noodle bowls, ...cast iron sear or quick grill. Quick meals now that the freezer is near empty of proteins.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
7 years ago
Top round or London broil is a really good first try SousVide. I'm going with 134º and taking one out at 4 hours for tonight. 8-10 hours should be better but I'll leave the other three in and take them out before bedtime. I'll mark the time and temp on the bags. 2inches thick so more time me thinks. The others will be frozen, then go on the grill the next few weeks. Tonight will be cast iron stove-top.

Doing a trial run with an affordable cut lets you experiment with time/temp.

dcarch, it is Fairway this week with the sale. Butcher was pretty excited about it. Wanted to talk method being so thick.

I had to make more Spring spice rubs being grill season. At the same session I made a Mexican, BBQ, Indian, EverythingBagel, and Zaa'tar. And a popcorn special mix.

Steak/burger rub...only one side.

3 Tbsp black peppercorn, 2 Tbsp coriander seed, 2 Tbsp dried mushrooms, one Tbsp each of ancho, smoked chipotle, garlic powder, cumin seed, no salt.

Never Too Old For A New Trick

John Liu
Original Author

Comments (9)

annie1992

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Never Too Old For A New Trick

John LiuOriginal Author

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annie1992

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Islay Corbel

John LiuOriginal Author

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John Liu
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