It's a french thing

During the summer days, there isn't a more popular dessert/palate cleanser/refreshment in France than a "Colonel": a scoop of lemon sorbet (Limone Di Sicilia sorbet in our case) soaked in vodka. We also have "Le trou normand" (apple sorbet with calvados), the "Williamine" (pear sorbet with pear brandy - the name comes from the "williams pear" which is variety found in France), and the list goes on and on... Great to round up a meal.

Juhannus korean style

It's Juhannus, and to celebrate it (way to speak), we have decided to make pork ribs korean style. So, as you can seen on the pic, we used 2 types of korean bbq sauces and mixed them 2/3 1/3, then added a bit of lime juice for tartness, cayenne pepper powder for extra spiciness and a few drops of sesame oil for that grilled nutty flavor.

A rack of 1kg of pork ribs has rubbed with sea salt and black pepper, and airtight sealed in a foil pocket. Then cooked in the oven for 3 hours at low temp. 140°. After that time, the foil is removed, the meat generously brushed with the bbq sauce, and back in the oven under a hot grill for 8-10min. each face.

The result is a rack of pork ribs wonderfully caramelized and crispy, and super tender because it has been previously slow cooked (or overcooked) in the oven, as the meat literally fall off the bone. Really ymmi.

Served with the mandatory fries, but instead of coleslaw, we had a korean kimchi salad (spicy fermented cabbage - not on the pic). A few cold beers completes the lunch.

 

The Greatness of Kitsch

VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY the hustle (David Kust Remix) 

22 Years Later GOYG

Garden lunch

White & green aspargus, peeled and cooked in a steamer basket for respectively 10 & 5min., and served with an Hollandaise. Add a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé, and there is no better way to enjoy them.

 

The taste of spring

 

Slices of new potatoes (yes you can find some already, like a lot of veggies & fruits one couldn't find at this time of the year 20 years ago - always go for seasonal products) are gently pan fried in a mix of olive oil and butter. When the potatoes are almost done, baby green aspargus and green onions are added for 1-2min. Everything must stay a little crunchy, mostly the aspargus. Earlier, white aspargus have been peeled and cooked in a bamboo steamer for approx. 10 min. Again, they must have some crunchiness left in them. Finally, the plate is dressed with whites aspargus at the bottom, then the pan mix, then an entire burrata at room temperature on top, a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, some sea salt and black pepper, a glass of chilled white, and you're ready for a treat. Yummi.

Grilling with Airfryer

We've had an airfryer for a little while now. Like most of the people, we've started with fries and nuggets, but the more we used the device, the more adventurous / brave we've become. After roughly a year, we now cook dishes a bit more complicated like cakes, fishes or eggs. One of the challenge has been to master the beef cooking. While it doesn't replace the real grill / barbecue - mainly for that smoky charcoal flavor - it adds a different way of cooking. The one bonus we have with our airfryer model when it comes to cook meat, is that it's equiped with a meat thermometer and a phone app with lots of options for a precise cooking.

Here we have a piece of roughly 1,5 - 2kg of Atria's premium marbled beef, who apparently was voted World's Best Steak in 2019. Truth to be told, this cut is among the very best money can buy outside the 3 beef heavyweights that are Kobe & Wagyu (Japan), and Txogixtu (Spain). Incredibly soft and tender, almost like having a piece of grilled butter in the mouth

The bottle of Ribera del Duero has been bought online in a Spanish webshop, like most of our spanish wines.

This piece of beef of approx. 800gr. is wrapped with bacon to prevent the extremities to dry up. The bacon slices keep the meat moist and juicy during the cooking.

A probe is inserted in the meat. As we want our beef rare, the target to reach is 54° at the heart of the piece. The cooking duration is roughly 35-40min.

After the cooking is done, the beef is rested for 10min. before carving.

The result is a beef beautifully cooked, red and juicy. It is served with a creamy blue iberico cheese sauce, and a courgettes fricassee.

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EDIT 9.5

Now with a 500gr piece of Iberico pork Pluma cooked 26min. until it reaches 61°, for a pink meat. Works a treat, but the real charcoal grill wins hands down. Unfortunately, for all the airfryer qualities, the real grill is a must for Iberico pork.

The Prisoner

 among the greatest opening credits in the history of tv series (short + long versions)