9 Course Meal

This weekend I made a 9 course meal for 4 people. Several items were cooked Sous Vide (SV).

Here is some background on how I found myself cooking SV. I first got interested in SV after seeing the PolyScience Immersion Circulator in Williams Sonoma but the price took me by surprise. I read up on SV and decided to use my counter top roaster converted to a water bath to cook a strip steak. I was able to hold the temp ok by standing over it and stirring the water. The results were just ok and so I decided to give it up.

Then I ate at a restaurant that was using SV and it was quite good. Another meal at a different restaurant that was prepared SV sealed the deal. I looked into building my own but extra shifts at work put that on hold. After working the extra shifts I found myself at the mall with some extra money and I was drawn into WS and got the PolyScience IC. It came with a large plastic tub and I bought a second tub that is about 1/3 to 1/2 the size at a restaurant supply store.

After fooling around with a FoodSaver style vac sealer I talked my wife into a VacMaster VP215 chamber style machine by explaining that overt time we would save money by buying in bulk at Sam's.

Now on to the meal:

I did not sit down to eat but did taste everything before I served it.

1-Truffle Custard, not SV but very tasty

2-Arugula and Baby Spinach salad

3-"Far From Tartar" this was beef short ribs that I cooked SV for 48 hrs then pulled from the bones and seasoned with S&P, tabasco, capers and Dijon mustard

4-Butter Poached Lobster with Saffron Cream Sauce, Lobster was done SV

5-Duck Breast with Fennel and Parsnip Puree, Duck and Fennel were both done SV

6-Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Apples and Bacon Dust, Pork and Apples were done SV

7-Watermelon "Sashimi", done SV

8-Beef Tenderloin with Turnip Puree and a Carrot, beef and carrot dane SV

9- Strawberries and Creme Anglaise, strawberries and creme were both done SV

I cooked most things ahead and after chilling in an ice water bath put them in the fridge overnight. Then about 30 min prior to dinner I put them in the water bath at about 129 degrees.

They were all small portions and all dishes came back empty!

It took a lot to do from shopping (over 100 miles of driving to get what I wanted), to making a plan for when each step had to be done. In the end it was well worth it. I am not sure what I liked more, the way the dishes tasted or watching my guests enjoy the meal.