scenes from a dinner

table for 3, when I thought I'd have only two guests

There were originally three guests, but one guest canceled; my buddy Tom then told me
at the last minute that he'd be bringing his son, so I set a place for myself on my bed.

fresh out of a 3-hour sous vide, the steaks begin their steaking (i.e., final sear)

In turning the steaks over, I saw that the griddle's hot spot was in the center,
so I began switching the filets' positions to ensure even heating.

It's a bit messy, but here's the plated meal. Not as artistic as a steakhouse might do it, but everything was edible. The pan sauce turned out to be incredible. All it needed was extra time for the flavors to marry.

food-porn angle; asparagus and taters barely visible; pan sauce in evidence
—and BACON!!!

a closeup of the dipping options for the steak: chimichurri and garlic butter

another loving angle; asparagus more visible (and pretty nicely cooked)

Tom with his boy (L); my walking buddy JW (R)
Special note: JW came from a company golfing session to be with us, and he was not sober. I was apprehensive at first, but JW is actually a sentimental drunk, and he took to Tom's son immediately. The two spent most of their time talking to each other—JW and the boy. This was incredible to me because Tom's son, when I've met him before, has never said much, but with JW, he opened up and spoke in torrents.

the cake, cross section

The story of my cake is both sad and hilarious. After failing at making my chocolate cake, and having run out of cocoa powder to attempt a second chocolate cake, I went online and found a simple "white cake" recipe. It used ingredients I had readily available, so I went with it. The yield wasn't nearly as much as I'd hoped for, though, and all I had was a large baking pan into which to pour the batter. So, quite unintentionally, I ended up making something like a thin sheet cake. The oven now sits on a table that has a slight dip in its surface, meaning the oven is slightly tilted. This resulted in a skewed-looking cake (see above). I tried to compensate for this by rotating the top layer so as to even out the very top of the cake, but the overall effect still ended up looking hunched and monstrous, just like my two previous chocolate cakes. I really need to learn some cake basics if I'm going to continue baking homemade cakes. Still, the cake proved to be edible, although Tom's son didn't care for the super-sweet frosting.

Dinner was, despite the difficulties, a success. Both Tom and JW again told me I need to quit working in the EFL business so I can open a restaurant. It's a nice compliment, but I'm nowhere near at that level. That said, today's effort (well, this week's effort) was above and beyond the usual comfort-food level I normally aim for; this was an attempt at something steakhouse-y. I don't think I was quite there; I was very disorganized toward the end as I kept realizing I had failed to do this, that, and the other thing. It all came together, though. The pan sauce was a goddamn revelation. Unfortunately, I arrived at that pan sauce via a random and complex process that I'll never again be able to duplicate, so I still haven't really mastered pan sauces. (I'll keep trying, though.)

The steaks were nicely done, just like during my test run. I really love my new Instant Pot and its sous-vide function. I also really love my new smokeless grill, which once again did not trip any fire alarms despite the presence of four steaks on its surface. The shrimp were done to perfection, and while the salmon came out a tiny bit overcooked, salmon is—as Adam Ragusea notes—a very forgiving fish; you can somewhat undercook it or overcook it, and the results are still generally good. The asparagus came out right at the balance between resistant/fibrous and tender; they were the vegetal version of al dente. The mushrooms, well... how do you fuck up mushrooms, right? It's almost impossible.

The dipping sauces were also a fine complement to the meal. Chimichurri was created by God expressly for use with beef and shrimp, and you can't go wrong with garlic butter, either. Both of these also served as dips for my homemade bread, which made its third appearance to much praise. For my money, though, the best complement for the bread turned out to be the pan sauce. That, friends, is a match made in heaven.

the spice must flow...

I have enough leftovers that I'll be doing steaks for the office crew on Monday. I'll prep some shrimp and salmon as well, along with mashed potatoes (oh, yeah—those were quite good today) and a slew of sauces. As for the asparagus and mushrooms... I think they're all used up, and I don't plan on buying anything more. I do have some frozen peas I could use, though... and then, there's the remainder of my chocolate-frosted white cake. I think I'll be lugging a pretty heavy bag to the office on Monday.

Final note: Tom showed his appreciation for the meal by doing most of my dishes. Very nice of him, and it took a lot of the after-party workload off my shoulders. JW, still inebriated by the end and babbling about how we all needed to get together and go camping, decided he would take some of my food home with him; instead of grabbing a cab, he elected to walk home. (He lives a 30-minute walk away, which is barely a minor stroll for us distance walkers.)

ADDENDUM: my bread + bacon sprinkles + homemade ranch dressing = sandwich idea

ADDENDUM 2: a late-night text came from JW's son, who ended up eating the leftovers that JW took home with him. "I luv it! Soooo delicious! Much better than Outback Steakhouse!" said the short series of messages. Maybe I should look into starting a food truck. I don't think Korea has much of a food-truck culture, so perhaps I could be the vanguard—the innovator and initiator.