My Dinner Table

Mum's ribs

It was ribs at my parents for dinner on Monday night. I'm only getting to blog about it now because of computer issues, but I thought I would put up a picture of them because it seems most of you readers seem to like my Mum's ribs thought almost none of you have ever tried them. They're baked in the oven, not on a barbeque. Keys to it are the onions that are thinly sliced on them with thin slices of onion. Baked for a time before the sauce is applied I think it sets them apart from other ribs that I've had. The sauce starts with ketchup, then on top of that come brown sugar, white vinegar, tabasco, hoisin sauce. It is my favourite sauce. I think the hoisin makes the difference. Next time I make it I'll try to measure the ingredients and post up a real recipe.

The seasons are changing

I know this is Wednesday and I ate this on Monday, but I thought I would still post about it because it was so good. The seasons are changing and so are the desserts that my Mum is making for Monday night dinner. Gone are the peaches and strawberries. It's pears now. She made a really great pear tart on Monday night. Very simple. Pastry just butter, flour and a bit of sugar. Crisp, flaky. The pears cooked just enough. A really simple tart, but made as the pears hit their stride.

Monday Night Dinner

I know I'm a couple of days behind in my posting. This was Monday night dinner at my parents. WIth all the travel and work away I haven't been as regular as I'm sure they would love to see me, but what am I to do. Dinner on Monday night was ribs and pasta. Along with fresh corn grown by my Dad. He was quite proud. The ribs were terrific as usual. I'll have to post up the recipe for the sauce one of these days. I'll let you know the secret ingredient is hoisin sauce though for now. It's that stuff you get when you order Peking duck in a Chinese restaurant. A rich sweet flavour, I love it in the rib sauce. I've eaten a lot of ribs and I'd say this even if they weren't my Mum's, they really are the best I've had.
Dessert was pie with a mix of berries including raspberries and blackberries and apples. It was a nice mix and I liked having the apple in the pie instead of just straight berries. I think it made for a nice texture in the pie filling. I'm going to miss summer and all the fresh fruit that comes with it when it is over.

Rib night

I went for dinner at my parents tonight. It's been a while since I blogged about my Mum's cooking, but I kept forgetting to take my camera and, well, I thought it just wasn't the same without a picture. Tonight it was ribs. I love the ribs my Mum makes. They aren't really barbecue. They're baked, smothered in onions, lemon and sauce, I have yet to have better ribs.
For dessert we had the first peaches of the season. Baked in a cobbler, I don't think there is a dessert I would rather have on a kind of cloudy and cool Vancouver summer night. I can't wait until the peaches really hit their stride in a couple of weeks. It really is the only time that I each them.

Monday dinner

I went for Monday night dinner at the parents' for the first time in a couple of weeks. I've been away the last couple of weeks, so I thought I had better make the effort. Tonight it was a pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin is so tender and tasty. I don't know why I don't cook it more often. My Mum did it with of sauce that she said had a bit of kirsch. I'm not sure about the sauce, but the pork was very tasty. I don't think I would have fussed around with the sauce. Just had the pork.
For dessert my Mum made her own profiteroles. They were great. Apparently it was a new recipe that included mixing in the eggs in her food processor. They were very good, however she said her pastry cream didn't work out so she improvised and filled them with ice cream. I really liked the ice cream over pastry cream.

Tarts and tacos

I went for Monday night dinner this week. My sister had put in an order. She wanted tacos and lemon tarts, so my Mum obliged her. She's been experimenting with several different lemon curd fillings recently and tonight it was a new one. It was a little bit tart, but it had a creamy texture to it. I guess it has some whipped cream added to it that makes it a little different from the typical french lemon tart. I think I prefer the really tart version that she makes, but this was good too. It wasn't overly sweet, so it was still good.

Roasted pork cooked right

I went for Monday night dinner tonight. My Mum did a pork roast. I love a good pork roast, but my Mum, great cook that she is, has a tendency to cook her pork roast a little too long. Tonight though she got it just right and there were some wonderfully tender and juicy pieces of pork. I hate it when it is cooked dry and I think that's why most people don't like it. It is generally overcooked. But tonight it wasn't and it was brilliant. That and some fine roasted potatoes, there isn't much better.

Prime rib

I went for Monday dinner this week. It was a big piece of prime rib that my Mum marinated in red wine before roasted it very quickly in a pretty hot oven. It was very good. Normally I don't marinate my prime rib. I just rub it down with garlic, oil and salt and pepper. But the red wine marinate was a nice change and added a nice flavour to the meat that I'll have to try next time.

Belated Chinese New Year

My Mum cooked a belated Chinese new year feast. I don't think feast is an understatement. More than a half dozen dishes. The highlights for me though were the fish and the soup. The fish was so simple. She bought it live, so it was about as fresh as you could ask, and steamed it with ginger. Topped with a little cilantro and hot oil, that's about all you need. I don't think you could ask for much more. The really beautiful part was that it was just cooked. I hate overcooked fish. It is a delicate thing to cook it just enough. The other dish that was a real highlight for me was an eight treasure soup. The broth was fantastic.

Monday night dinner

It has been a while since I've been for Monday night dinner at my parents, but I finally made it tonight. It was ribs and if there is a way to entice me to Monday night dinner it is ribs. I love the ribs my Mum makes. There is nothing quite like them. When I make them I make them a little spicier than she does, but they are quite good. Baked in the oven until the meat is almost falling off the bone. Sweet and tomato based. Definitely near the top of a very long list of things my Mum makes that I love to eat.
For dessert, and there always is dessert on Monday night, my Mum tried her hand at baklava. She had some phyllo pastry that she wanted to use up. It worked well tonight, though I think it could have used a little more of the honey sauce for it to be really good.