Cooking with the crew

[Note: these photos are not the best food photos, I was not initially planning to blog about this dinner, but the camera came out and we got a few snaps.]

Not the best presentation, but you get the idea... also, my brother prefers his steaks on the well-done side, hence the steak sans pink center.

On our last night in California, we decided to celebrate my brother's 32nd birthday with a home-cooked dinner. When asked what he would like for his birthday dinner, he replied simply, "Steak." Easy enough, I thought. So, I bought a big ol' flank steak to pop on the grill, something that would be easy to feed a group of 6. I bought a pre-mixed spice rub from Whole Foods (I cheated!), and slapped it on the steak before grilling.

I had a big pot of polenta bubbling away on the stove, made primarily with water, but also with a quart of whole milk. I added a generous amount of salt and pepper, and then about a cup of shredded cheese (parmesan/fontina/asiago... again, a pre-mixed, pre-shredded blend from Whole Foods). The polenta was salty, creamy, cheesy, and thick. Yum! And a reminder to myself: polenta expands... three cups of dry polenta makes a LOTTTTT of cooked polenta. Didn't intend on 25lbs of polenta leftovers.


I also roasted some brussel sprouts, which are one of my favorite vegetables. Growing up in a Korean household, I always wondered why my American friends complained about brussel sprouts. I had no idea what they were, what they looked like, or tasted like. Now that I've discovered them, I can't get enough! I blanched them in water briefly, then sliced them in half. Blanching them takes some of that bitterness out. I laid them in a single layer on a baking dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted them until they got golden, soft, and caramelized. I don't know what my childhood American friends were talking about!!


My lovely sister (who has her own great blog) wanted to chip in and make an appetizer for the group while the dinner was cooking away. As an aside, let's just say my sister is not particularly proficient in the kitchen, and more often than not, the smoke alarm will go off, or some other near-disaster will occur. But, I give her credit for trying!!

She was making kimchi-jeon, which is basically a savory Korean pancake made with kimchi, onion, flour, and water. She made them one by one in a pan, gently cooked them on each side, and they all came out beautifully golden brown.


All but....

Oops, looks like she left this one on the stove for a big too long. Pat on the back for effort, sister!

And finally, dessert!!! My friends, Rena and Mike, were so great to bring an amazing dessert from Opera Patisserie in San Diego. Not only were they so kind to bring it, Rena even went after-hours to their sketchy warehouse because the retail store was already closed!! Thankfully, she got out of there in one piece, and with a delicious Chocolate Raspberry Crumble Tart... a decadently rich and sweet tart with raspberries, and an awesome cookie crumble topping. It was fabulous!!


Don't you just want to devour it whole??

Anyway, I think everyone enjoyed the birthday dinner.... I certainly enjoyed cooking it! Happy Birthday, brother!