Today we have friends over for dinner.
For starters, I’m making steak tartare: fresh ground sirloin, raw eggs, Dijon mustard, bit of coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, single malt Scotch, served with finely chopped white onion, and drained capers, and toast.
Then sous vide cooked rare pork tenderloin with some herbs, finished in oil in cast iron skillet, deglazed with some Calvados, mounted with some butter.
Roasted Brussels sprouts, with crisepd up thick cut pepper bacon, roasted pecan slivers, and a balsamic vinegar/maple syrup dressing.
Potato Hasselback gratin, potatoes sliced thinly (3/32″ or so), mixed in a bath of heavy whipping cream and microplaned Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gruyêre stood upright in a buttered casserole dish, packed close, the remaining liquid poured over it. Then baked for 1 1/2 hours, first covered, later uncovered, so the boiling mixture coats the potato slices. Then finished with the remaining cheese under the broiler for a nice cheese crust.
For dessert Irene is making fruitcake, and Kerstol, a Dutch Christmas bread, much like German Stollen, but with a thick ribbon/roll of almond paste running through it.