Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Please welcome back Carli for part two of her New York guest post

Next up was Momofuku Noodle Bar. I've never been much of a sake fan, but the Momofuku sake was the best I remember having and was the perfect compliment to the meal.

We started with the steamed pork buns which looked so good (and matched that in taste) that I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. Please forgive me.

For my main course, I had the Momofuku ramen and it was probably the best bowl of noodles I've ever had. After surviving my college and early home-owner (read broke) days on 10 cent packages of grocery store ramen, it was a shock to realize what I didn't know I had been missing.

While I've done what I can to convince Chris that NYC would be a great place for us, he has made it quite clear he does not feel the same way. Although he sites reasons such as the pace of life, the expense of living and the traffic, secretly his is probably worried I will gain 200 pounds and have to be rolled around to my favorite restaurants. If I had the ramen at Momofuku everyday like I do in my dreams, it would probably only take a year or so.

Bryant Park Grill (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Thanks to my wife Carli for contributing a guest post about her recent trip to New York.

Anyone who knows me knows that my baby sister is getting married in NYC in August. If you know me a little better, you might know that I am happy to be included in all of the planning details. Thus, my recent trip to the Big Apple to help my sister iron out some of her big day details. As I did with my husband, each day of planning ended with some noms. While I was able to bribe my husband with cake tastings, my sister bribed me with meals the likes of which can not be found in my little corner of AZ.

Our first dinner was spent trying some of the wedding meal options at the Bryant Park Grill. For the first course, we tried bacon topped scallops and seared tuna. The scallops were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of bacon to seem decadent, without pushing the boundaries of gross man food. The tuna, on the other hand did not have the same high end feel and the bride and groom-to-be will most likely be choosing a second option to accompany the scallops.

We tasted four main courses that will have to be narrowed down to two. The pasta was almost immediately out as it could be found in my neck of the woods, which means that I probably could have cooked it while hung over (and I suck at cooking). The other three main courses were very good, however. The filet was pleasantly impressive with a texture and flavor to match, the mahi was predictable but good, and the lamb had just the right amount of gaminess to it.

For dessert we were provided a sampling of mini treats that the wedding guests would be given. Since I'm not that much of a dessert person, I would say that it was too much sweetness in all. But all in all, it was a good end to a great meal.

Corned Beef Dinner

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and the first thing that comes to mine (other than beer) is corned beef. Typically, I boil/simmer corned beef, but I decided to bake it this year for a change. Instead of just the flat, I also cooked a point as well. The point is much juicier and fattier than the flat.

To cook, I simply put the two pieces of corned beef into a roasting pan, and added some bay leaves and mustard seeds. I had previously rinsed the beef for a while to removed a bit of the excess saltiness from the brine. I heavily foiled the pan and put it into a preheated 350 degree oven. After about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, I checked the progress of the corned beef. It was tasty, but needed some more time to allow the collagen to break down. I added potates, carrots, and cabbage to the roasting pan at different times so that none would over cook and become mushy. In all, it took a little under 4 hours to finish.

I simply served the corned beef with the braised vegetables, mustard, and a slice of toasted sourdough bread. I found that the sweet honeycup mustard went well with the leaner flat, while stoneground champagne mustard better cut the richness of the point.

The next day's leftovers are just as good as the first day. When the meat is cold, you can see how strikingly different two cuts are. Though both cuts are from the brisket, the flat is extremely lean, while the point is heavily marbled with fat. I enjoy eating the leaner flat when eating the corned beef unadorned, but the point is preferred in other applications such as sandwiches and breakfast hash. We had lots of leftovers, but it seems like they never last long enough.

Speaking of sandwiches......

Pappardelle Noodles with Italian Sausage Ragu

After hearing how Daniel concocted a homemade pasta and how a co-worker made a great homemade spaghetti sauce, I decided to try my hand at pappardelle noodles with an italian sausage ragu.  I started with just under 2 cups of all-purpose flour, just under 1 cup of semolina flour, 3 eggs, and 3 egg yolks.

Mmmmmmm...Breakfast of Champions

After kneading the dough into an even consistency, I let that rest overnight in the refrigerator.  For the ragu, I started by sauteing chopped onions, garlic, roasted red peppers, and a pinch of salt in olive oil.  I then added tomato paste, marsala wine, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, and a bulk chicken italian sausage to the mixture.

After reducing the heat, I left this to simmer over the course of 4-5 hours.  The end result is a deep, rich red sauce.  The house smelled like delicious sausage for days.

The ragu was placed with the pasta dough in the refrigerator overnight for dinner the next evening.  In order to finish the pasta, the dough was rolled through a pasta machine, starting with the highest setting and finishing at the third to lowest (thinnest) setting.  Between each rolling, the dough was dusted with flour.  I prefer a thicker pappardelle noodle, which is why I decided not to go down to the thinnest setting.  After rolling the dough, the pasta was cut into 12-inch sheets.  The sheets were individually rolled, sliced into 3/4 - 1 inch strips, and then unrolled.  The pasta was dusted with flour a final time and dropped into boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  When the noodles were finished boiling and drained, they were immediately served and topped with shaved parmesan cheese and basil. 

What was amazing to me was how easy it was to make fresh homemade noodles.  My next attempt, I will probably adjust the all-purpose to semolina flour ratio to see if that makes any difference.  All-in-all, I was very pleased with my first attempt at homemade pasta and can easily see doing this again in the future.

Cassoulet (and Soufflé)

After seeing Chris's French food meals of Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon, I thought I'd continue the trend. I'd been inspired to try Cassoulet after having a delicious version at LM not long ago, so I decided to make it on Saturday since Kristen had the day off from work as well. This is a hearty, long-cooking comfort food meal that really hit the spot on a cold, snowy weekend.

Things started off on the wrong foot as I had forgotten to soak the dried great northern beans the night before. I happened to get up early on Saturday morning, so I soaked them in a large bowl of cold water first thing in the morning. They ended up soaking about 7 hours. Close enough. I put the beans in a large roasting pan along with a lamb shank, a few chunks of smoked hunter's bacon, a pork trotter (for richness and gelatin), thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves and a few carrots, just so that I could say I had some vegetables. I also added some spices such as black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and some others.

I put the pan in the oven and cooked it for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the oven at 350F. When it

came out, the beans were tender, but not mushy. I set it to the side, and I grilled up some smoked polish garlic sausages, and reheated and crisped the skin of a half duck. When the final 2 meats were cooked, I assembled all of the meats with the beans, and topped with a combination of panko breadcrumbs and crushed homemade croutons. The cassoulet was put under the broiler to create a crunchy crust.

Garnished with some chopped parsley and topped with a spritz of lemon, the cassoulet was plated with a bit of each meat on top of a bed of the beans. A dish with 4 meats (braised bacon, roasted duck, grilled polish sausage, and braised lamb shank; the trotter was removed after cooking) and beans is right up my alley. Deliciously rich and hearty, my first attempt at cassoulet was terrific. After being concerned throughout the cook that the beans were overcooked, I was glad to see that they were tender with a plesant bite. The lamb shank could have used another 30 minutes to braise, but bacon was nice and tender. I was very happy with the decision to grill the sausages as well, as the char added another dimension to the dish. The next time I make this I'll add a bit more liquid, to create a bit more sauce with the beans.

As good as the cassoulet was, it wasn't even the best thing eaten that night. What better way to follow rich French food than a light soufflé? I convinced Kristen to make a chocolate soufflé for dessert, and it was the perfect finish to the meal. Eggy and light, yet intensely chocolately. Some melted vanilla bean ice cream was a great lazy-man's sauce to accompany the soufflé.