22 Years Later GOYG

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.

So 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 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, there's no substitute here.

The Prisoner

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

It's Christmas again

Music is life

on food detox til spring, so instead we feed our ears...

ADANI & WOLF song for life (Extended DZ Version) 

Nostradamus

We spent the whole of last week in Paris, mainly for the January sales, but also to visit museums like the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and of course, the newly partially rebuilt and renovated Cathédrale Notre-Dame. We were there during sunday morning mass - and yes, you can visit during masses; always has been like that as long as I remember. The grandeur of the place, the choir singing wonderful hymns, and the rich history, make Cathédrale Notre-Dame more than a simple visit: a spiritual experience, even if you're not a believer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Paris

Hyvää Joulua