shsesc's Profile
In Search of a Nice Dinner in CT
We were looking at trying J. Christians in Wallingford so similar to that in price.
We're going tomorrow (Saturday) night for an earlier dinner around 5:00pm.
MIddletown is close by, what would you recommend around there?
In Search of a Nice Dinner in CT
Help!
I'm looking for a nice restaurant in CT that has simple fare for my wife, good fresh ingredients and something for my friend who is vegetarian.
My wife is used to italian and american type restaurants, she likes japanese steakhouses too, however she won't touch seafood. I'm up for most anything as long as it's fresh and good. My friend is a vegetarian, kind of, she eats sea food, eggs and dairy, but no meat or poultry. My friend and I are more adventurous when it comes to ethnic cuisine, my wife has a comfort zone and stays with it.
I live in Torrington and my friend lives in Wallingford. I don't mind driving anywhere in Litchfield, New Haven, Middlesex or Hartford counties. This is for a special occasion so I want to go somewhere really nice.
Thanks,
Joe
Easter Roast Questions
Cooked at 325* convection roast setting on her oven for about an hour it was a little past medium (145* when pulled). This was because the 13lb ham hadn't finished and she kept it in the oven past the time when the probe said it was 135*. Still, everyone raved about it and it was a good meal. We had leftovers. The smaller piece cooked about a half hour longer and was dead on at 160* for the well done orders.
Easter Roast Questions
Probably two roasts, after trimming it's only 7lbs. We got an update on the count it's only 13 people so we should be good at about 8oz per guest precooked weight. I'm going to tie it and season with salt and pepper and it sounds like I'm going to be in charge of the roast now and that means I'm taking the blame if it's not good and sharing the praise if it is.
She wants to cook it at 325* so how long are we talking ballpark for medium and also for well done? I don't need exact times but an estimate would be great so I can time the meal.
Chowhounds don't fail me now!
Thanks again to all who replied.
Easter Roast Questions
So how should I have her cook this thing since It won't fit in a skillet?
Easter Roast Questions
It just occured to me that it won't fit in a skillet even if I cut off part to make a small well done one out of it.
Easter Roast Questions
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=6142
Just found this and it looks like they don't tie it and they trim off all fat. Roasts right in the skillet after browning, is that ideal?
Easter Roast Questions
My roast is actually not a top sirloin cut but a sirloin strip, or New York strip. it's even in thickness about a foot and a half long and as wide as a New York Strip steak's largest dimension.
What are you baking these days? April 2011 (old)
My wife wants some baked good s to bring to work for a meerting, so I guess it's cream cheese swirl brownies and chocolate chip cookies with walnuts today.
I've never tried the brownies, but the cookies are always a hit.
I use this recipe, but I change a few things... http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/giant-crisp-chocolate-chip-cookies/Detail.aspx I use 2/3 coarse turbinado or demerrara sugar and 1/3 white so they have a little molasses flavor but they stay crispy and a little sandy. I also don't chop the walnuts, I leave them very large. I use good bittersweet chocolate chunks, I use maybe triple the vanilla extract and almost double what it calls for by volume for salt, but I use diamond crystal kosher salt so it's very fluffy and measures different from Morton kosher or table salt. I only use real butter, unsalted. I use a 2" meatball maker to size the balls evenly and I bake them on a silicone pad. I always double the recipe.
Easter Roast Questions
I went to the store to see what was available and I ended up with a boneless sirloin strip. It's 13.38lbs and I think that will feed everyone. Only trouble is I've only handled steaks of this muscle. How should I roast it? Or, more aptly, how should I tell my MIL to roast this? Keep in mind the 2-4 requests for very well done and the rest being medium or at least on the medium side of medium rare. Very warm light red or dark pink however you look at it.
Should I trim it at all? Should I split it up for the well done one or just give them the end pieces? Low and slow or a higher heat method? Anyone have a recipe? Oh, and do I have to tie it?
Thanks to all for your help so far.
Easter Roast Questions
Yes, they're that picky and yes they would dissect it on their plate and make faces, probably a few would complain. See my other thread I started a while back to see what my (now) wife eats... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/644008 We got married since the thread was started.
To tell you the truth, I don't like any fat that doesn't melt into the meat when cooked. I enjoy marbling, but not extraneous gristle and fat.
I may have to end up getting two tenderloins. My MIL plans to cook the main piece of meat to Medium, I'll have to explain to her that that's like pulling it at 125*-130*ish and not the 160* that her probe thermometer that came with her oven will recommend, especially if she browns it after roasting like the Cooks Illustrated recipe says.
Her usual roast is an eye of round and she wants to step it up for Easter. Frankly any cut would be an improvement over eye of round cooked to a dull pinkish gray in my opinion, but since I'm the family foodie she wants me to help her pick out a good roast. I just went to the warehouse store (BJ's) and forgot to look at the roast options while I was there, my wife hates shopping for food and always rushes me. It doesn't excite her like it does me. I'll have to go on Monday while she's working and can stare at the meat case for hours. :) I'll report back with my findings.
Easter Roast Questions
I thought of that too, but we have lots of picky eaters who don't like fatty meat. Is there a loin roast?
Easter Roast Questions
I am having Easter dinner at my mother in law's home. I am assigned the task of picking the roast. We have at least 15 but up to 19 people showing up and 2 but possibly 4 would want it well done, by well done I mean ruined by my standards.
Before I got the new head count I was considering a whole tenderloin because I could cut off the head and make it as a Chateaubriand well done for the 2 people I thought would want it. But I was just told that there could be 2 more well done requests and up to 19 people total instead of the 15 I originally thought. Can a whole PSMO tenderloin feed that many once properly trimmed of excess fat, silver skin, and chain meat?
Also my MIL will be cooking this one I'm just going to buy the roast and trim it up and give her the recipe. She cooks very basic, but decent food. She can follow a recipe, but she doesn't want anything that she would consider fancy. I was thinking the Cooks Illustrated 2009 Classic Roast Beef Tenderloin recipe would be ideal because it's simple and has a video that I can show her. I think she may even think that the herb shallot compound butter is too fancy, but I'll deal with that when we get to it.
She definitely doesn't want to run out or not have enough to feed everyone.
How many people can a whole tenderloin feed if prepared as above? Keep in mind that I will be using the head to feed the at least 2 people who want their roast well done.
What other roast can I suggest to feed that many?
Is there an easy way to judge how many people a whole tenderloin will feed per pound before trimming?
What recipe or method do you recommend for either the tenderloin roast or another roast that would feed more people?
Help exposing partner to new foods
Able to taste tall buildings in a single lick etc, I get what you're saying I'll have to do a test, which test is best?
Help exposing partner to new foods
The new neighborhood is all hills, so it's great for a walk. Now I just have to get her to come along. I walked 7.75 miles yesterday, she wouldn't come with.
Help exposing partner to new foods
My guess is she's a super taster. She can taste better than me, I know that. She can taste the difference between soda from a fountain , can and bottle. Interestingly, she salts her food, I would think that would turn up the volume on flavors and she would be overwhelmed.
Help exposing partner to new foods
I don't see and option to edit the post. If you tell me how I will.
Help exposing partner to new foods
Because she'd be eating ramen noodles and double cheeseburgers and I care too much about her to not try to get the both of us healthy so we can live a long happy life together.
I'll take Shane's method over yours because like he said, if I turn it into a conflict someone has to win and the woman always wins one way or another. I want this for both of us. I'm not treating her like a child, I'm trying to shape her as an adult. I think this major life change of moving is a great catalyst for change in other areas.
thanks to everyone who's responded so far
Help exposing partner to new foods
We're young and both overweight. We have time on our side, but I want to use this change of address as a way to change our habits and she agrees. We're stopping eating in restaurants except for special occasions and we'll probably start some sort of exercise program as well.
I love parsnips by the way, that just reminded me that she might like them roasted like potatoes...
Help exposing partner to new foods
That was going to be my backup plan, just eat what I like and she could try it if she wanted. But making two meals seems like it would be more expensive than if we could agree on foods. Maybe I should make two meals half the time and try to find something we could both like the other half. It just might get boring since the common ground is limited.
We've been together for ten years and your post gives me the realization that she may never totally like everything I like, but hope that she'll eventually try new things.
Help exposing partner to new foods
Thanks for the reply. She might eat a slaw, but she won't eat raw broccoli plain. She likes to cook with me, that's a great idea to get her involved. She likes olives, she used to just eat black olives from a can because her mother got poor quality green olives, but now I've gotten her to eat some nice green olives and kalamata olives and she loves them.
I'll post the results when I get a chance to try them. We don't move until the end of the month.
Help exposing partner to new foods
I found this... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/411320 but I'm still looking for more info on getting her to eat healthier in general.
Help exposing partner to new foods
My partner and I are moving into a home together and I am the cook among us. She is the most wonderful woman in the world, but she has a long list of foods she dislikes and she came from a boring household culinarily speaking. Her mother used salt, pepper, garlic salt, and maybe oregano from time to time. My partner is used to tough steaks and roasts and she's learned to use cheap distilled vinegar, ketchup and salt to cover up bad foods. She's not a foodie like me as I won't even eat distilled vinegar, it's a cleaning product to me.
So my partner is a picky eater and doesn't like fish (except albacore tuna packed in water), bell peppers, mushrooms, most vegetables in fact except sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes, and perhaps carrots but they have to be raw. She has issues with textures of foods, issues I had as a child but outgrew. She has agreed to try new foods but I know her and if she doesn't like it the first time she won't give me a second chance.
So my question is how do I get her to eat healthier?
We've stopped eating out on a regular basis and I'm going to be making home cooked meals every night. I'd like to try feeding her some fish and more vegetables. I got her to eat artichokes and spinach but only in a cheesy dip. What kind of fish is least fishy? I know fresh fish shouldn't smell of fish, but I'm not to familiar with fish outside of salmon, cod, flounder, sole. I'd like to try tuna steaks as she likes steak. I was thinking fish and chips would be good since cod is mild, in my experience.
How did you get your kids to try new food? Please help me.
Thanks,
Joseph
