Too much food and drink. Too much of everything.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed being out at the shore. I enjoyed seeing everyone who was there -- some more than others. But I just don't think I'm particularly good company right now and while I am making an effort to "buck up" I'm not sure I am doing a good job of it.
Let's move on and talk about food, shall we?
Saturday night was the fourth annual "Cook Off". The idea was sprung by John and me a few years back when we thought it would be nice to get together and cook a gourmet meal, learning technique from each other, trying to outdo each other and in general creating a memorable evening for a select group of friends to enjoy the fruits and vegetables of our labors.
This year, I made:
Lobster Rolls in a roasted garlic and lime aioli
Escargot sur doigt (escargot in fingerling potatoes)
Spanish-style garlicy shirmp with herbed rice
Salad: Celery root with pear and hazel nut salad
I'd give the lobster rolls a high grade, maybe more on presentation that substance. I found a great recipe for the aioli which is below. Because it is so flavorful, I didn't add any other seasoning to the lobster. I boiled three lobster tails until they curled, seven - eight minutes, then let them cool. Cut 'em up and mix in the aioli which had been chilling for a few hours. I was conservative in the amount of aioli I used and probably should have made the mix a little wetter. For the rolls, I found long uncut dinner rolls at a bakery (Heidelberg for those who care). I cut off the ends and then inch wide little rolls. Then I split the top of the little rolls and voila you've got top-split tiny lobster roll rolls. I was pretty shocked at how well it worked to be honest.
Once I ready to serve, I brushed the rolls with butter and toasted for a few minutes in the Salamander set for low. The rolls came out crunch and warm.
The escargot sur doigt was a huge pain in the ass. I had first had it in Paris, actually with Debby and Mary a day before John was joining us. We were at a baby bistro. I think it was La Rôtisserie d'Armaillé but I won't swear to it. I had basically the same dish I tried to replicate.
First I found the most "solid" tubular potatoes I had. I trimmed the tops and bottoms so the potatoes could "stand". Then I roasted the potatoes for about twenty five minutes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
After they cooled I scooped out the potato from one end and filled with escargot which I had poached in mirepoix, red wine, bayleaf and peppercorn. I topped the escargot with a butter parsley garlic mix. Pretty standard stuff. Except, hollowing out one end of the potatoes was a huge pain in the ass. I was ably assisted by one of the other chefs for the cook off who after his first potato regretted offering to help.
The potatoes were finished in an oven and a bit over-cooked, so I'm told.
I had left during the first course. I was as sick as a dog and could barely stand. I ended up not making my main entree, the garlickly shrimp. The good news is there was plenty of food and I don't think the shrimp were missed.
I went home around 8pm and basically slept from the time I got home and then most of Sunday. I'm only now just beginning to feel better and I'm still nowhere near 100%.
So I don't know if the herbed rice was served. I suspect not. I know the celery root salad was served and was "nothing special". I knew it was nothing special before I served it for that matter. I should not have followed the recipe so closely. The salad was overpowered by the dressing which was supposed to be a creamy dijon but ended up being a very dijony dijon. The recipe also called for hazelnuts which I didn't have and used toasted pine nuts instead. Another strategic mistake. When toasted they tend to overpower other tastes.
All in all, not my best showing.
Anyway, below you'll find the recipe for the roasted garlic lime aioli which was pretty wonderful.
Yield: Makes 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
2 large garlic bulbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh limejuice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Preparation
Peel outer skins from garlic bulbs, leaving cloves together. Cut off top quarter of each bulb. Place bulbs, cut side up, in center of a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil over each bulb; fold foil over garlic, sealing tightly. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven; cool. Remove and discard garlic clove skins. Scoop out pulp; mash and stir until smooth.
Combine roasted garlic and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Cover and chill 2 hours.
