Kosher-Style Pork Cracklins

Although we've had tuna steaks at home before, this was the first time it was me cooking them. They were very simple to sear, but I did notice that they continued to cook after sitting on a plate for awhile. It was good reminder to take it off the heat before you hit the desired doneness.

The sauce was a bit trickier, and I'm still not sure what I did wrong. It calls for a LOT of butter and some cream heated over the stove. I did cook it for 10 minutes (I think), but I did not ever get the dark rust color the recipe mentioned. I've had sauce that's the dark brown color before, so I'll have to try it again.

This dinner was delicious! I loved how the lemon and the capers tasted. This is the first time capers have been in a meal where I've just loved them! The fennel was very nice in this, too. I'll definitely be making this again, but I'll have to either figure out how to do the sauce right and/or try a slightly different version. The recipe was from the quick and delicious section of Fine Cooking, and I'll have to agree that it's in the correct section.

We also tried Sauted Spinach with Shallots. I let Jay be in charge of that part. He cooked it well, but neither of us thought it was all that great. The shallots were a bit overpowering. I love Jay's version of spinach so much, it will be hard to find a better recipe! But we like experimenting... or perhaps just proving Jay's recipe is the best spinach one out there. I'll have to post it sometime.

• Seared Tuna with Fennel Seeds & Caper Brown Butter (Fine Cooking, January 2007, p. 82A)
• Sauteed Spinach with Shallots (Fine Cooking, December 2006, p 94A)

I love love love salmon burgers, so when I found a recipe, I decided to try making these at home! They were pretty tasty, but just not the same as when I've had them in a restaurant. I'll have to find out what their secret is.

I also made one of the sauces that came with the recipe, but instead of parsley and thyme for the herbs, I used dill and thyme. The dill flavoring was very strong! Other options suggested were basil, cilantro (ick!), mint (erm...), or tarragon.

The crispy potatoes were quite simple. The bigger they were, the more likely it was that they'd fall apart. The salt didn't seem to stick to them very well, so I just added more later. If you use very small potatoes, they should turn out perfect!

This was my first cooking experience to make it to Kitchen F#!% Ups!

• Salmon and Tuna Burgers (Cook's Illustrated, Summer 2006, p. 54)
• Crowd-Pleasing Crispy Potatoes (Fine Cooking, January 2007, p.44)

This recipe was fantastic! I need to create a category of winner/definitely-will-repeat recipes, because this was it. This was very easy, but not so quick. Peeling, deveining, drying shrimp takes awhile, plus once you get things cooking, you can't multi-task.

This was my first time cooking shrimp, unless you count my experiences at the Melting Pot! It was also my first time buying shrimp which means I should have educated myself before leaving for the store. I knew shrimp came in different sizes, but I didn't understand the numbering system. Thankfully Jay was with me to help out! We didn't find what we needed at HEB, so we continued our shopping at Whole Foods. I bought a pound, and asked if they could peel and devein them for me. The guy looked at me like I was a little nuts, but said he would. "It'll be at least 10 minutes." We continued our shopping a little guilt-ridden, but I justified the request with the fact that I have at times paid $$$$ for their food! We returned to the counter and he was still peeling shrimp. Boy did I feel a little rotten. Then the guy turns around, places the shrimp on the counter and another shopper runs off with our shrimp! "Half pound of shrimp" Oh! He was working on someone else's. Ours had just been waiting for us. Phew.

Lessons Learned

• Check the web or (my new online subscription!! at) cooksillustrated.com before going shopping if it's something new. Had I gone straight to the recipe, I could have clicked on "shrimp" and found an article bursting with advice on how to buy good shrimp.
  
• If you don't stay with your cart, it's likely to run away from you.
  
• The blade of the food processor should rest firmly in place. It worked, but had it been correctly placed, I think my bread crumbs would have turned out a even better.
  
• Chaperone-free rice was a perfect side dish for this. The fancy asparagus recipe I wanted to try required too much attention.
  
• People bottle clam juice???
  

The sauce was delicious, the shrimp flavorful, and the bread crumb topping gave the dish an excellent texture.

• Garlicky Shrimp with Bread Crumbs (Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2007, p. 21)
• Chaperone-free steamed white rice
• Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay