Yum yums

[jubuttib]

You should see the other stuff they make on Epic Meal Time. Insane.

Epic Meal Time is my favorite cooking show, bar none. The Deathstar Meatball looked insanely delicious...

[veganray]

Last night:
pea shoot, baby carrot, & pickled red onion salad with black truffle oil and red wine vinegar
eggplant & white potato Greek moussaka with baharat-kissed tomato sauce, chickpea Parmesan "cheese", & a damned fine experimental vegan Béchamel
1/4 of a Ritter Sport dark chocolate/marzipan bar

[vonDrehle]

I believe you are making some of these words up.

[BLURR]

Ray...you killing me. Moussaka is one of my favorites Mediterranean dishes...right up there with Dolmathes.

[JR]

Moussaka is great.

[veganray]

Ray...you killing me. Moussaka is one of my favorites Mediterranean dishes...right up there with Dolmathes.

I freakin, love grape leaves, too, but they are in the top 1% of pain-in-the-ass dishes to prepare, on a par with tamales.

For you Greek lovers (I'm looking at you, Frankie), I'm using the leftover Béchamel to make gemelli pastitsio (two more made-up words according to our resident linguist, vD) with oyster, cremini, & maitake mushrooms tonight.

[Frank Delicious]

I just had to make 200 grape leaves for a greek wine dinner we're doing tomorrow so I agree those things are a pain in the ass to make.

Stuffed 'em with rice flavored with cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and allspice with some dried Mediterranean fruits. Also made like 50 with spiced lamb.

[BLURR]

they are in the top 1% of pain-in-the-ass dishes to prepare, on a par with tamales.

I've never tried to make tamales myself, but my buddies wife makes them every so often and she bitches about it everytime.

The weather is supposed to be fairly nice this weekend and all this talk of greek food, thinking about making some souvlaki with some tzatziki.

[jubuttib]

Damn, now I want gyros...

[veganray]

Last night's Cupcake Challenge:
mace/cardamom coffee cake cupcake with agave-infused dried peach bits, streusel crumbs, & a generous dollop of faux Twinkie filling

Extremely yummy, but needs a swirl of peach jam in the cake batter for extra peachiness.

[jubuttib]

Visited my parents this weekend, the cooking was amazing. Spaghetti bolognese on Thursday, potatoes and baked salmon with a creamy sauce on Friday and Karelian stew with potatoes on Sat and Sun. Heaven.

[veganray]

Catered another event (Patapsco Punisher) in Baltimore this weekend. Menu:
omnivores
dry-rubbed, cherrywood-smoked pulled pork shoulder on a fluffy white bun with paprika-spiked cole slaw
cucumber/cauliflower/Cleo's Dragon chile relish
aromatic Piedmont-style barbecue sauce
Hawk Hollow Heat hot sauces: 2010 smoked bhut jolokia, 2011 smoked cayenne, 2010 smoked habanero, & 2011 jalapeno/lemon
potato chips
vanilla lemonade

vegans
sauteed apple/sage seitan sausage on a hearty sesame sub roll with caramelized yellow onions & Granny Smith apples and Daiya jalapeno-garlic havarti dairy-free cheese
simple salad of micro daikon radish greens with deep green Algerian olive oil, grapefruit balsamic vinegar, and Himalayan pink salt
Hawk Hollow Heat hot sauces: 2010 smoked bhut jolokia, 2011 smoked cayenne, 2010 smoked habanero, & 2011 jalapeno/lemon
potato chips
vanilla lemonade

[veganray]

Got my mitts on some fresh galanga, lemongrass, & gkrachai rhizome & am planning on pulverizing it with some shallots, frozen lime leaves & Caribbean red chiles, dried bird dung chiles, and golden mountain sauce to rock a mock beef, eggplant, & asparagus jungle curry tonight. Probably accompanied by some steamed brown jasmine rice and tofu tod with facemelter peanut sauce.

[veganray]

Went to a killer vegan restaurant outside of Baltimore on Friday night. Me and my pal Ten-Men Ben shared the following, and it was all freakin' delicious!

Starters:
zucchini mock crab soup
rice flour pretzel with sriracha hummous, agave mustard, and chipotle nacho "cheez"

Mains:
macaroni & "cheez" with cannelini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, & cauliflower
seitan & mushroom duxelles Wellington with smashed taters, sauteed arugula w/ garlic, & tamari gravy

Desserts:
almond brown butter cake with dark chocolate ganache
caramel stirred custard in a delicate tuille bowl

[uNicedmeMan]

Sounds good Ray, mind letting us know what restaurant it was?