Circa the summer of 2002 I travelled from Newark, DE, to Newark, NJ, to see my first movie in a digital-projection theater. It was "Attack of the Clones" and an old college friend was my host. After the film he treated me to dinner at Outback Steakhouse, where I tried something new: Toowoomba Pasta. Fan-tas-tic. Cut to summer 2021 at the OBX Brewing Station where a special on that night's menu was a take on that long-departed down-under dish, and I knew I had to be able to make this dish when the mood should strike me. This is an adaptation of several copy-cat recipes I found online.
Written by Jeff Frey on Friday September 3, 2021
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While these kebabs could be done under a broiler, authentic flavor absolutely comes from a fast, super-hot sear on all sides on the grill. The dipping sauce is optional, naturally, but is a perfect compliment to the flavors in the meat.
Written by Jeff Frey on Friday February 5, 2021
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What better way to kick-off a new year (especially after 2020) than with a rich soup. I've made lobster bisque before starting from whole lobsters, and that was an extremely involved process that was probably worth it. This soup is a lot simpler and very tasty, with plenty of lobster flavor and meat. I like it with crusty ciabatta bread for dipping.
Written by Jeff Frey on Friday January 1, 2021
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Yes, the name of this recipe is very close to something served seasonally by a well-known fast-food restaurant. Why wait all year for a delicious porky patty? On top of that, why eat one that's full of who knows what kinds of preservatives (and "meat") and was formed and frozen who knows when?
Please note that this recipe uses sous vide to cook the formed patty low and slow.
Written by Jeff Frey on Tuesday November 19, 2019
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Caribbean flavor without the heat. I like to smear this on skinned, deboned chicken thigh to marinate through the day and then grill and serve with the extra paste as a sauce/garnish.
Written by Jeff Frey on Wednesday August 11, 2021
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The dark-hued breads found at Cheesecake Factory and Outback restraurants may just be the best thing on their respective menus. Dense and sweet, when married with a generous slather of salted butter, spells "delicious." This recipe is based upon the recipes found in Peter Reinhart's book, "Whole Grain Breads." In the book he outlines a mash method that attempts to keep your oven hovering around 150 °F for the duration of the cook. I own a consumer sous vide "stick" so holding the mash at that temperature for several hours is super easy — barely an inconvenience.
To ensure the finished bread has good chew to it, I substituted some bread flour, making this a transitional whole-grain recipe by the definitions in Reinhart's book.
Yields a single loaf or two batards.
Written by Jeff Frey on Thursday December 24, 2020
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