Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday Night Food Porn

Grilled Bananas


This Saturday Kris and I will be attending The NewEGGlandfest in Brentwood, NH. This event is geared for people who own, or cook on a Big Green Egg. We don't own one but I'm pretty sure its going to be about 200 people hanging around cooking, and talking BBQ. Yeah, we're there. Lots of friends from The Circuit will be there too, so it will be a great time to hang out without the stress of a competition. That was the plan anyway. But, one of those friends, Eric Mitchell, from Yabba Dabba Que, talked us into cooking this Saturday. I looked at the list of people going and what they planned on cooking. I noticed lots of meat and a few different sides; I can't wait to try everything. I also noticed no one was cooking a dessert (at least none were listed). So, that made our decision on what to cook real easy. Kris' grilled bananas. She came up with this recipe for the Rock 'N Ribfest in 2007 and took 1st place with it. Back then we cooked it for six judges...tomorrow we cook it for 200 people. Like I said...no stress :)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Try This Beer

Chimay Grande Reserve


People always ask me 'Mike, what's your favorite beer?' My answer usually takes about ten minutes, and I list about 15 beers. Not exactly what they wanted to know. When I'm done talking most people have a glazed over look in their eyes and they walk away from me. If people would just ask me 'Mike, what's your favorite style of beer?' That I could answer in about one minute. Belgian style. Belgium is home to more styles and varieties of beer than any other country in the world! So to be more specific I should say Belgian Strong, Belgian Triple, Belgian Abbey, or Belgian Trappist are some of my favorite styles of beers. See, I still can't pick just one!

Chimay Grande Reserve, or Chimay Bleue as its known, falls into the category as a Belgian Trappist beer. Trappist means the beer must be brewed by monks, and under strict conditions at one of the six monasteries in Belgium. The aroma of this beer hits me with lots of yeast. The first sip is very warming, due to the 9% alcohol. Then the roasted grains and slight caramel flavors stay on the palate until the next sip. It's just a perfect example of this style of beer. The benchmark in my opinion.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Rock 'n Ribfest Results

GC - I Smell Smoke!!!
RGC - Lakeside Smokers
3 - iQue
4 - Transformer BBQ
5 - ShareOurStrengthCharity

Chicken
1 - Sexy Gino's Bare Ass BBQ
2 - Transformer BBQ
3 - iQue
4 - I Smell Smoke!!!
5 - Q-Less

Ribs
1 - Lakeside Smokers
2 - Traveling Grillberries
3 - Purple Turtle Catering
4 - Yabba Dabba Que
5 - Q-Less

Pork
1 - I Smell Smoke!!!
2 - Black Sheep BBQ
3 - Transformer BBQ
4 - BS BBQ
5 - The Anchormen

Brisket
1 - iQue
2 - I Smell Smoke!!!
3 - Lakeside Smokers
4 - Two Fat Polocks
5 - ShareOurStrenthCharity

Friday, June 20, 2008

Friday Night Food Porn

Pan Seared Lamb Chops With an Herb Infused Reduction

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Peter's Pond Results

Overall

GC - I Smell Smoke!!!

RGC – Lakeside Smokers

3 – Eatin’ Smoke

4 – Porky’s Butt Burners

5 – Lunchmeat

Chicken

1 – I Smell Smoke!!!

2 – Smoke ’em if Ya Gott’em

3 – Eatin’ Smoke

4 – BS BBQ

5 – The Pokey Smokers

Ribs

1 – Porky’s Butt Burners

2 – Eatin’ Smoke

3 – Lakeside Smokers

4 – Que-Ball

5 – Lunchmeat

Pork

1 – I Smell Smoke!!!

2 – Lunchmeat

3 – Casual Smokers

4 – Lakeside Smokers

5 – Yabba Dabba Que

Brisket

1 – I Smell Smoke!!!

2 – The Pokey Smokers

3 – Lakeside Smokers

4 – Eatin’ Smoke

5 – Smoke ‘em if Ya Got ‘em

Shellfish

1 – Lakeside Smokers

2 – Purple Turtle Catering

3 – Eatin’ Smoke

4 – Uncle Jed’s BBQ

5 – Que-Ball


Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday Morning Food Porn

Pulled Pork Sandwich


We are leaving for Peter's Pond this morning so I will not be able to make a Friday Night Food Porn post. However, I found some time this morning to make a quick post. Since we're heading to a BBQ comp, and BBQ is all that I can seem to focus on lately, I figured a pulled pork sandwich was a good choice. The pork is on a simple slaw and served with Kris' balsamic dressed pasta salad.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Friday Night Food Porn

Panko Crusted Haddock Cooked Alfresco


Kris returned from our fish monger with two beautiful fillets of haddock the other day. They were so fresh that I considered doing some haddock sushimi. But, knowing that Kris would probably not enjoy that so much, I decided to put some heat to them. Fried fish is a wonderful thing, except that it can stink up the house when cooking it. Solution: cook outside. I seasoned the fillets, dredged in flour, egg, then seasoned panko bread crumbs. Got some vegetable oil and heated up in a stainless steel pan over an outside burner.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Gibbet Hill Grill Review

By Kris

What began as “going out to eat” with a few friends turned into an exceptional dining experience. My sister, Kate, recommended Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton, MA. This place is great. It’s nestled among hundreds of acres of rolling hills and grass. The restaurant is actually a barn built in 1906 that was restored and renovated in 2003.

We arrived a bit early for our reservation so we started our night out at the bar. Six seats conveniently opened up so we sat down for a few drinks. They have a great beer menu and an extensive wine list. For bar snacks, they serve homemade warm, crunchy, and wonderful kettle chips. A great start to the night! After a short wait, we were seated in the Silo Room. An intimate room, in the silo, set off from the rest of the restaurant. I’m not sure if this placement was good planning on the staff’s part, or good luck on our part. We were with a loud and rowdy bunch anyway, but being set off from the rest of the crowd upped the anti. Our waitress, Ryan, was very attentive and knowledgeable about both the food and the history of the restaurant. Our food came promptly and no one ever had an empty glass in front of them.

OK, now for the good part. The Food. The menu has a great selection, but isn’t overwhelming. The food is elevated comfort food. Just about everything is homemade from fresh and local ingredients. We started out with appetizers.

The Farmhouse Grilled Cheeses were my favorite dish of the night. The bread was golden and perfectly crunchy and buttery with smooth melted cheese. It’s served with what they call a “tomato soup for dipping”. But, it was so much more than a soup- thick and fresh with fresh herbs. Actually, it was drinkable. Cindy’s Crab Dip. Big chunks of crabmeat in a creamy cheese mixture served with an assortment of crackers, was excellent. Smoked Kettle Beef Sliders. Yes, smoked! Of course, since we could smell no smoke inside or out, Mike had to inquire if they actually smoked the meat. We were happy to learn that they smoke the brisket offsite. After tasting these little delights it was obvious. Mike said it was the best brisket he’s had, outside of the circuit of course. Classic Mac and Cheese. I was most excited about this dish, but unfortunately, it was the only disappointment. It was presented nicely in a cast iron kettle, very obviously made fresh, but a little bland.

Since we were still ready for more we moved onto the entrees. My sister Kate and I split the Filet Mignon. It was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. However, after tasting the Bone in Rib Eye which was amazing, I was reminded that although filet is good, it is no substitution for a flavorful rib eye. The Chicken Pot Pie had a golden flaky crust and was chock full of fresh roasted chicken, big chunks of red potatoes, and peas and carrots. The Gibbet Hill Meatloaf was a strange choice for my friend Lisa, the birthday girl. She raved that it was delicious and it looked very homey. Mike had the Australian Rack of Lamb with a Dijon demi. He liked it, but thought it lacked proper seasoning.

And for dessert. The Coffee Bean Crème Brule was sweet, creamy, and delicious. The Milk and Cookies were divine!! Two warm cookies, chocolate chip and butter pecan, served on a wooden board lined with butcher paper, served with milk in an old fashioned bottle and a chilled glass with a sugared rim. At that point, the silo room was quiet except for a few yummy moans.

Since Saturday I have been recommending Gibbet Hill Grill to anyone who will listen. It’s a welcoming, charming place with a courteous and attentive wait staff. It has an upscale, but unpretentious menu that can definitely hold it’s own. I can’t wait to go back.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Wedding Pics

We put some pics of our wedding on our Picasa site. If you could care less about wedding pics, and I'm sure that's most of you, take a look anyway, because there is also some pictures of food, dogs, and a little drinking.

Lakeside Picasa Photo Album