Watermelon Campari Sorbet

I thought step one in making this was to make the fruit puree. That was before I googled to find instructions for using the ice cream maker I borrowed from a co-worker (instructions not included); it turns out step one is actually freeze the mixing bowl for 16-24 hours. So I ended with a fruit puree chilling in the fridge for a day while the bowl went through the deep freeze. Good thing I didn't have an event it was going to.

Just starting to chill

Almost there

The watermelon campari combination gives you a bitter offset to sweetness of the fruit and sugar; it's not overpowering and if I liked bitter flavors more I would probably love it. As it is, I like it.

Sorbet

Difficulty level: Medium

Will It Get Made Again? I'd make this again if it was requested, but not for my own self. But now I want to find a recipe to make a cassis sorbet...

Beale Street Cheeseburger

I come from burger country. The concept of a deep-fried cheeseburger just doesn't shock me. The only question was how it would compete with things like butterburgers.

Aside from the fryer set up, these aren't actually that complex. Ron Swanson would think they're fancy, but he'd approve.

While you're frying the patties the buns get broiled with spiced cheese, ketchup*, and mayo. Then you toss some pickles on and eat. Since the concept of giving up cheeseburgers is one the reasons I will never voluntarily go vegetarian, these were not a hard sell for me.

*The recipe calls for mustard, not ketchup. I hate mustard on burgers, so I substituted. Not sorry.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Will It Get Made Again? I'm probably going to steal the bun technique for future burgers, but I'm not a convert to the deep frying as superior over grilling (or trying to make a butterburger). The frying process makes it hard to tell when the burger is cooked through, and it shrinks the patty so that the meat/bun ratio is harder to balance. The flavor isn't so superior that it's worth converting over other methods.

Tomorrow, French Fries

Michael Pollan has a book called In Defense of Food where he claims that you can have as much junk food as you want as long as you make it yourself. This is the kind of recipe that rule is made for.

To make these fries you have to start the day before (the "tomorrow" in the name). You bake the potatoes and them let chill at least overnight before hauling out the frying equipment to cook them. It isn't that complex a process, but also isn't a casual one.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Will It Get Made Again? I've made these before, I can see doing it again. But there will be fries bought from restaurants first, neither Pollan or Brown have converted me to 100% homemade.

Mussels-O-Miso

This is the kind of dish that I can picture on the menu of any number of trendy restaurants in town. Mussels steamed in a broth full of miso, ginger, garlic, lime juice, shishito peppers, and beer. Its finished with harrisa paste for a little spice at the end.

I wasn't sure how making mussels at home would go, but it turned out pretty smoothly. Only a few of the mussels didn't open after being steamed (general advice is to toss those). All the aromatics in the broth smelled delightful as they were cooked. All in all, a success.

Pretty? No. Tasty? Yes.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Will It Get Made Again? I could actually see repeating this if the right occasion presented itself, but realistically its not going to be a common menu feature at my house. I tend to leave the seafood to the restaurants. It's nice to know I can replicate at home if I want though. 

An Overdue Cocktail (Smoky Tequila Sour)

I meant to make this.... awhile ago. Long enough ago that the fruit that goes into it had to be replaced. <shrug> Life happens.

Nonetheless, it got made.

Orange juice, lime juice, tequila, amaro montengro, agave syrup, and a dash of liquid smoke.

Cheers.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Will It Get Made Again? I realize Alton is a fan of the smoke, but if I were to repeat this I would probably leave the liquid smoke out and save it for a BBQ later. Still solid, just not my favorite.

Seattle Snapper Dome

I was visiting Seattle this summer and decided that this should be the year that actually bought fish from Pike Place Market. Since the Snapper Dome from EveryDayCook looked like something I could make in a rented Airbnb kitchen, I went hunting red snapper there (also huckleberry tea, but that's not for this project).

Stuffed Fish

Have you ever used an entire box of salt in one recipe? If you want to, this is the recipe for it. The technique is actually pretty simple. Make a salt crust. Lay a fish stuffed with some lemon and parsley on it. Cover the fish. Bake.

Snapper Dome

I failed to get pretty fillets of fish to come out, but there were no complaints (even with the occasional pin bone). To the big "is it salty?" question, the answer is no. Granted, I didn't try to eat the skin the salt was sitting on.

The wreckage after getting the meat.

No points for plating, but no one cares when it tastes good.

Difficulty Level: Easy
Will It Get Made Again? I'd be tempted to try this again with a deboned fish. The skin just  peeled off, and the texture and flavor were great. But I hate picking pin bones out of fish...