when my dad turned 69
an instagram challenge started yesterday, and though i didn't post a photo specifically for the challenge, i'm posting one now here. #febphotoaday: my view today (yesterday):
Euge came over late afternoon so we could prep for my dad's birthday dinner. It was my idea to cook for my dad, and we both decided on lamb -- it's something his family likes, and something that my dad also likes.
I, on the other hand, have never really liked lamb. I ate it as a kid and didn't have a taste for it. As an adult, I wouldn't really look for it. It's on the same level as peking duck -- after an overdose on this dish in one meal on my first trip to China, I kind of wrote it off. I don't like food that's too umami. I'm more after simpler, boxy-er tastes -- think Goldilocks brownies from when I was growing up.
ANYWAY. I did like what I had yesterday. I think the secret was in the rub - E mixed in some mustard with olive oil and spices. I watched him divide the mixture into 5, as there were 5 cuts of lamb shoulder -- I'm surprised at how methodical he can be when it comes to cooking -- and after letting the meat sit in the fridge, I was the pepper girl while he salted and seasoned the cuts before we went to the grill.
We half-cooked the meat on the grill and finished up on the stove when the family started arriving. We ate it with creamed spinach, which sadly, he wasn't too happy about -- he thought it was rushed, and he didn't like how it didn't thicken as he had imagined, because we were too impatient to wait for my mom to arrive (I asked her to buy the cream) -- we first used milk, but we didn't let it simmer long enough because we were scared it would burn. It did burn a bit (but nobody has to know that), yet it was still a success--Euge had this brilliant idea of straining the excess liquid. The result was a mildly cheesy and not overly salty complement to the meat; the creaminess mellowed down but didn't compete with the meat's flavor. I didn't think it would be perfect but it was, if I may say so myself.
Here's a photo of my half-finished plate. I guess the preparations made me so hungry that I forgot to take a proper photo. :)
For dessert, we had Chocolate Manna, which is actually layers of crepe topped with some hazelnut chocolate sauce. My mom liked it because it wasn't too sweet. We easily polished off half of it.
I tend to be clumsy and messy when handling food, so I let Euge do the slicing. It still looked so elegant even when sliced.
When someone exerts a lot of effort for someone important to you and is very excited about it, I can't help but think - this is probably the sweetest thing someone's done for me, although yes, indirectly. :) Okay, enough cheesy. :)
Euge came over late afternoon so we could prep for my dad's birthday dinner. It was my idea to cook for my dad, and we both decided on lamb -- it's something his family likes, and something that my dad also likes.
I, on the other hand, have never really liked lamb. I ate it as a kid and didn't have a taste for it. As an adult, I wouldn't really look for it. It's on the same level as peking duck -- after an overdose on this dish in one meal on my first trip to China, I kind of wrote it off. I don't like food that's too umami. I'm more after simpler, boxy-er tastes -- think Goldilocks brownies from when I was growing up.
ANYWAY. I did like what I had yesterday. I think the secret was in the rub - E mixed in some mustard with olive oil and spices. I watched him divide the mixture into 5, as there were 5 cuts of lamb shoulder -- I'm surprised at how methodical he can be when it comes to cooking -- and after letting the meat sit in the fridge, I was the pepper girl while he salted and seasoned the cuts before we went to the grill.
We half-cooked the meat on the grill and finished up on the stove when the family started arriving. We ate it with creamed spinach, which sadly, he wasn't too happy about -- he thought it was rushed, and he didn't like how it didn't thicken as he had imagined, because we were too impatient to wait for my mom to arrive (I asked her to buy the cream) -- we first used milk, but we didn't let it simmer long enough because we were scared it would burn. It did burn a bit (but nobody has to know that), yet it was still a success--Euge had this brilliant idea of straining the excess liquid. The result was a mildly cheesy and not overly salty complement to the meat; the creaminess mellowed down but didn't compete with the meat's flavor. I didn't think it would be perfect but it was, if I may say so myself.
Here's a photo of my half-finished plate. I guess the preparations made me so hungry that I forgot to take a proper photo. :)
For dessert, we had Chocolate Manna, which is actually layers of crepe topped with some hazelnut chocolate sauce. My mom liked it because it wasn't too sweet. We easily polished off half of it.
I tend to be clumsy and messy when handling food, so I let Euge do the slicing. It still looked so elegant even when sliced.
When someone exerts a lot of effort for someone important to you and is very excited about it, I can't help but think - this is probably the sweetest thing someone's done for me, although yes, indirectly. :) Okay, enough cheesy. :)