CGTNORMANDIE

On 1/24/2022 at 4:19 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Pate' is something that I don't have at home either.  It's a "cruise or high end restaurant special" for me.  I have not had the variety of pate's however that you have enjoyed.  The German wine?  I assume a white wine.  

Absolutely German white wine with my pate’.  One of my favorites is a Nierstiener Gutes Domenthal (I’m sure i murdered the spelling!) that tastes of the grapes.  

On 1/25/2022 at 7:30 PM, rkacruiser said:

To help keep this thread on track--and I can almost feel the stones starting to hit me--when I return from a cruise with lots of good food-- a McDonald's sandwich such as Fillet of Fish, Double Cheeseburger, French Fries, etc. or a Frisch's Swiss Miss Sandwich with their Onion Rings--helps to return to me to the reality that I won't be having Escargots, Medium Rare Prime Rib, Lobster Tails, or a delicious souffle of some type in the immediate future.  Or even a HAL Dive-in burger or hot dog.  

We won’t stone you RK but McDonalds??  YIKES!!  Grey tasteless burgers cooked on a flat top with frozen French fries.   I can see an occasional Whopper at Burger King once a year or two.  I’m even going to try the new fries at Wendy’s!  Finding a good char grilled burger shouldn’t be too hard RK.  I believe one has to up their game when it comes to fast food - leisure food.  I want burgers cooked on a flaming grill and homemade FF and onion rings and a thick frappe made with real ice cream.   I can pan fry a great burger once in a while when it’s too cold to go out and light the charcoal grill…lol.  

21 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

A question unrelated to the thread.  Are you receiving e-mail notifications of posts that I make?  I have received this for some time and are appreciated.  But, a couple of weeks ago, those notifications have not appeared in my e-mail inbox.  So, I don't know who has responded to a post that I have made unless I stumble upon it.  I have e-mailed CC administrators about this and have received zero communication from them.  

I no longer receive notifications…only copies of what I have posted.

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That would be delicious!  But, how would you eat it?  My mouth isn't wide enough to get all of that into my mouth.  These gigantic burgers/chicken sandwiches that seem to be fashionable today are just impossible for me to eat as a "sandwich".  

Believe it or not…I have never had 1 complaint along that line.  I’ve made that sub more times than I can count.  Everyone who has tried this sandwich loves it.  I have made it for years and received rave reviews.  

Pate’…every once in a while you see a pate’ being offered as a starter.  I love pate’ on a fresh piece of roll, sometimes buttered, and a good glass of wine.  Over the years I have had game pate’ made from rabbit, duck, deer, wild boar, chicken and goose liver.  It is exquisite with a Chilled bottle of German wine.  Now that’s something I don’t do at home!

Just now, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Fresh bread…not toasted…regular Cole slaw with the dressing…save the bacon from breakfast…lol.  This would be no problem on Silversea…ask and you shall receive…lol.

If I ever get back on MSC I’m going to ask the YC Maitre D’ to make my Italian sandwich. Are you ready for this one?  
 

Take a full length soft French bread split length wise, splash balsamic and olive oil on top and bottom…heavier on the balsamic, start with mortadella, sweet cappicola, a layer of muffuletta (chopped olives, onions, tomatoes and oregano in oil) then a layer of baked ham, thin sliced dill pickles, Genoa salami and provolone cheese.  Fried roasted peppers are optional…LOL.  Now that’s a sandwich!!

4 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

This sounds delicious!  Other than at breakfast, though, I don't recall seeing Bacon being available at a buffet restaurant.  Cole slaw?  What type?  A raw version without any type dressing?  Toasted or not?  

Fresh bread…regular Cole slaw with the dressing…save the bacon from breakfast…lol.  This would be no problem on Silversea…ask and you shall receive…lol.

Absolutely agree with RK…the Chef makes all the difference.  How many times have I seen this.  And how many times I have found great food on the most unlikely ships!  All due to the expertise of the Chef in charge.  Unfortunately ships and lines come and go.  What is great one day can be disappointing in the blink of n eye.  Sometimes we just get lucky and happen upon a talented force in the galley.  The best food and biggest surprise I ever encountered was onboard the Regent Sea…now long gone.  Every meal, every buffet and every tea was a total triumph.  

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning CGT....been a while. Hope you are doing well.   That sandwich sounds DELICIOUS😃

Thank you Lois!  I just got in from dialysis…and anxiously awaiting my kidney transplant.
 

That sandwich is a winner.  I used to serve it at my restaurant way back when.  We called it “Turkey In The Straw”.  It was very popular…along with my slow cooked brisket and slow roasted roast beef.  I actually slow roasted boneless turkey breast and baked the ham…yummmm!  

18 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

I too like a good sandwich especially when it's a melt.

 

Being a foodie I too like eating one of our many Deli's in Brooklyn. A fresh Brisket with the top slice dipped in the Au Jus is GREAT.

 

I prefer a Pastrami on Rye with Deli Mustard, no interest with cheese. Even Wall Streeters like even Cole Slaw on the Sandwich minus the Mustard.

 

And a proper fried fish sandwich with tartare and either rings or fries are great with a Pub Beer.

If you can get all the ingredients in the buffet you can have: a roast Turkey with baked Ham with Russian dressing topped with Swiss cheese, bacon and Cole slaw…on rye bread…preferably light rye.  This sandwich is a killer!

Food has always been my number one concern onboard ship.  While the old days of exceptional gourmet dining are long gone there are newer lines that have, pardon the pun, gone overboard, with fine dining and alternative options.  Celebrity and Cunard are good mass market lines with better than average dining options.  Cunard First Class is legendary.  Windstar, Oceania and Azamara are very good small ship boutique lines with exceptional dining options.  Right now Oceania is leading that pack. Then you have the luxury lines…Seabourn, Regent, Silversea and Crystal are top notch with Regent winning that race by a nose.  Although you can hear little complaints on each right here on CC.   Then you have the Yacht Club on MSC…which is a mass market line with a ship within a ship concept.  The YC is an excellent product for those who don’t want to give up the big ship experience but want an upscale experience on a mass market line.  
 

In response to Salty’s OP I would suggest Celebrity for your next mass market cruise.  I would suggest Windstar for you next boutique cruise.  And I would suggest Oceania for your purely food indulgence on your next cruise.  If you feel like spending more than $700 per night then feel free to book on one of the luxury lines or Cunard Grill Class.  

On 1/9/2022 at 5:26 PM, Quarantined said:

Guest relations are really doing their very best to make sure I’m as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. I asked if it was possible to get a bottle of champagne to keep in the minibar fridge, and after some deliberations they sent me a quite decent bottle. Two (plastic) glasses as well. 
 

Whether this is down to me having the premium package, or because I was in a suite? Can’t say, but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 
 

Sunset seemed an apt moment to celebrate that I’m more or less symptom free. 

Perrier Jouet…nice!  Beats the hell out of a hospital!  I hope you get out of quarantine soon.  Did I understand you to say that you actually had Covid back when, were vaccinated twice after that and now have Covid a second time??  If that is so then I would guess that the antibodies are speeding your recovery and lessening the intensity of you current flu??  Hoping that you get well soon and thanks so much for posting.  This has been an interesting thread.

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I do as well.  As a solo, preparing a prime rib at home would not be a good idea.  Too much work and too much meat.  (I like left overs, but, for a prime rib.....?)  I really like lamb and I don't know why I don't cook lamb chops at home.  I don't grill; I don't have a broiler pan (thought it came with my stove and it didn't--should have kept the old one before I disposed of that stove).  For you cooking experts, would cooking lamb chops in a skillet be OK?  

Of course you can cook lamb chops in a skillet!  Simply lightly rub with olive oil or vegetable oil then garlic salt and pepper.  Sauté on high heat to get a crust then finish in oven at 400*…medium rare to medium is best.  

7 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

CGT,   What do you think of a Bourbon pecan pie?

(We did not like it as much as the regular one.)

Bourbon pecan pie…yes…but I still lean toward the standard…reminds me of my mother and grandmother.🙂

How can they screw up such a simple recipe??  They probably never heard of Karo syrup.  The recipe is on the label of the Karo bottle…for crying out loud!!  
 

Another thing I can’t stand is the destruction of a good basic pecan pie…like a chocolate pecan pie…ughhh.

17 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I am going off a TV show but I noticed the hosts would always admonished contestants for having a messy cooking bench. They always kept telling them to work clean and that the bench should always be clear. Some of the challenges had them in a professional kitchen and I remember one contestant who was messy the chef who owned the restaurant looked horrified😂 and said you need to clear your bench this is not professional.

 

After watching the show I tried to "work clean" and I have to say it does make for a better cooking experience. I feel like I can focus on the processes better. I guess it is like that saying messy place messy mind 😜. 

Rules of the kitchen:

Mis en place and clean clean clean!  I always used a clean bleach towel with a bleach testing kit that tested the bleach content in the water…no more than 3%.  

AND…don’t forget the whipped cream!!

31 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

New Year's Eve was spent watching football games with a favorite Cassano's Big Cheese Pizza with Black Olives ordered for dinner.  New Year's Day began with a "sinful" breakfast, according to my cardiologist, that included a half of a grapefruit.  Dinner was slow cooked Pork Country Ribs and Sauerkraut (which will provide several leftovers) with a dessert of Graeter's Peppermint Stick Ice Cream.  This day after New Year's will be leftovers.  

Peppermint stick ice cream with hot fudge, marshmallow and salted nuts…my favorite!  I’ll keep trying to expand your horizons RK…lol.

The visits to the ships galleys and conversations with chefs never get old.  I can remember getting pizza lessons years ago from the cooks onboard the Leonardo DaVinci as well as numerous recipes over the years.  

2 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

We are also hunkering down tonight and tomorrow.  I made a small pizza tonight and we are having my “Christmas Dip” and a crab and seafood dip.  Tomorrow we will go easy as I have to weigh in at Dialysis on Sunday morning.  Holidays are killers when it comes to weight!  Tomorrow we will have a brunch of roast beef hash that I made out of our wonderful strip loin Christmas roast.  That will go with poached eggs and baked beans.  I know…boring but at least I won’t overeat.  I am saving a nice spiral ham for next weekend.
I’m not even having a sip of Champagne tonight…so sad…😪

CORRECTION: DW just ordered (requested) me to make linguine in clam sauce for tomorrow…lol.  Happy (at least an improved) New Year!!

On 12/26/2021 at 6:05 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

CGT,

Congratulations too!

 

The kitchen is my All Time Playground... Silly as can be, if I could get the chance to cook in the kitchen on the QM2, I think I would impress the Chefs. My father was a Chef and taught me well.

 

I find everytime I am on board or even in a regular restaurant, I find it a learning experience. As a teen, my parents wanted to send me to the Culinary Institute of America and could have had a position in The Plaza in NYC..... Oh well.....

Cooking professionally for a living is really tough.  I could only do it for 2 or 3 years at a stretch.  I used my culinary skills to relax me even though I was in real estate all my life. I like to think of it as practicing my art.  Even when I was in real estate full time I would manage to cook dinners for large fraternal groups.  I could never quit the kitchen for long.  It’s been a lifelong obsession.  

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Shall we drift over to ask what everyone is doing, food-wise and otherwise, for New Years Eve and New Years Day?

The two of us are having ham and eggs for dinner tonight.

We are NOT attending our city's downtown extravaganza with many thousands of people crowding the sidewalks, theaters, galleries and restaurants.

Tomorrow, Mr. S. is making a fresh ham (pork roast) to share with a good friend who is also a very talented cook.  Another nice day at home.

We are also hunkering down tonight and tomorrow.  I made a small pizza tonight and we are having my “Christmas Dip” and a crab and seafood dip.  Tomorrow we will go easy as I have to weigh in at Dialysis on Sunday morning.  Holidays are killers when it comes to weight!  Tomorrow we will have a brunch of roast beef hash that I made out of our wonderful strip loin Christmas roast.  That will go with poached eggs and baked beans.  I know…boring but at least I won’t overeat.  I am saving a nice spiral ham for next weekend.
I’m not even having a sip of Champagne tonight…so sad…😪

6 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and all of the others who participate on this Forum!  

I’m not wishing everyone a Happy New Year this time around.  I’m offering everyone A Better New Year because it HAS TO BE BETTER than 2021!!

On 12/26/2021 at 7:25 PM, rkacruiser said:

At my upscale grocer, I discovered a commercial brand of Egg Nog that was new to me.  C. F. Burger Creamery's product that was rich and more delicious than any Egg Nog that I have purchased at other grocers, such as Kroger's.  At $4.29/quart, I hoped it would be good and it was.  Another quart is on my shopping list for this week.  

 

Glass #1 was plain,  Glass #2 contained a double CC.  Too much CC, I decided.  Will try with a single dose of CC, but, drinking it plain, may be the most enjoyable thing for me to do.  

Getting the mixture of alcohol to balance with your egg nog can be tricky.  Most people add too much when less is actually the answer.  I prefer brandy in my egg nog but rum will do.

15 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Sounds good. I like it with a Fried Egg on top...

Fried hash with a crust and two poached eggs on top…superb!