Sous Vide Savvy

My parents got us this crazy chef contraption for Christmas: a Sous Vide Supreme water oven. We had no idea what to do with it, but after some research in my equally fabulous Modernist Cuisine book, it looks pretty easy!  The idea is basically to cook your food at a specific temperature without the food ever contacting a heating element.  (Shrink wrapped inside of a water filled oven.)  All the temperature cooking without any of the charring/coloring/taste altering effects.  A medium rare steak is medium rare out to the very edges, NO gray.  Sear it for 30 sec a side and there you go, literally melt in your mouth.  

Who knew putting your food in a ziplock bag and giving it a little spa bath for a few hours would make perfectly cooked, tender yummies?  Reminds me of the crazy Japanese practice of massaging cattle for perfectly marbled wagyu beef...  How come my food is getting more pampering than I am??  Hmmmm.....

Going with this year's Christmas gifting theme of one-for-you, one-for-me-too P-5 got us a huge delivery of Omaha Steaks.   Score one for Omaha because those suckers are already shrink wrapped and ready for bath time!
We added the perfectly cooked, ridiculously moist and tender chicken to a risotto recipe from Cooking Light: Pumpkin-Shiitake Risotto with Pancetta and Pine Nuts served with a side Pear and Winter Lettuce Salad (see below)

I used a package of dried Asian shrooms I picked up at an international market in Vegas (because who doesn't grocery shop in Vegas?!)   I subbed in bacon for pancetta because we have 80 pounds of it after our NYE group ski trip in Boone, NC, and Bibb lettuce for the endive bc the endives at Kroger were looking a little janky today...
Popped in a movie and propped up by the fire in our matching little for a comfy little wintery Sunday supper!

Rehydrated shroom assortment (no clue what language that is... but apparently these mushrooms are fancy!)

Omaha shrink wrapped chickies in for a swim!

Saute - take 1

Saute - take 2 (con cerveza)

Risottofied!

Ready for their debut!

Heat up some olive oil on medium, and sear for literally less than a min per side, just for color!

Pear and Winter Lettuce Salad (4 servings, 103 calories): 
2 heads thinly sliced Belgian endive (I subbed 1 head Bibb lettuce)
1 small head thinly sliced radicchio
1 large sliced pear

Dressing
In a large bowl, combine and whisk together:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tb white balsamic vinegar (I used white cooking vinegar)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. 

Complete with toasty pine nuts!