LoneGansel

I followed Chef Jean-Pierre's recipe this time around, but decided to go with whipped potatoes as my side.

Tarragon and sage is a great herb combination, though I do think that beef stock based sauces tend to overtake the subtle flavor of chicken breast. In the future I'll most likely return to chicken stock, though that's more of a personal preference than anything.

I think one of the most underappreciated methods that the chef shows is how to finish a protein in the oven. The fact that it lets me clear a space on the stovetop makes it that much easier to focus my attention on the things that actually require mental effort to complete.

For the potatoes, I boiled diced russets in saltwater before draining and putting them through my ricer. From there, a few tablespoons of butter, some sour cream, and milk brought a bit of tang and texture to what can be a very forgettable side.

I started by pan searing the ground venison, then deglazed the pan with with red wine before adding my scratch sauce to make a bolognese-inspired meat sauce.

I creamed some al dente spaghetti with the sauce, then plated it before garnishing with Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley, and red pepper.

This is one of my own recipes that I've been working on for a bit of time that's getting closer and closer to being finished.

The shape and flavor of the cipollini onions is perfect for making mini blooming onions, which came out nice and crispy after a two-station Cajun breading and some time in the air fryer.

A drizzle of homemade gochujang mayonnaise was a great topping for the meal while being a fairly versatile sauce overall.

The filet was pan seared to 120°F, then rested for a few minutes while I made the pan sauce. Red wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire, beef stock, and a touch of cream. Seasoned with black pepper and finished with garlic butter, it came out really velvety and smooth.

In the future, I think I'll serve this with a single blooming onion on top of the filet, and perhaps swap the umami sauce I have now for an au poivre-inspired sauce. Part of me thinks the blooming onion effect could be improved with wet batter as well, but these are all more reason to make this dish again soon.

I used a combination of recipes, but Maangchi is my favorite YouTube channel for Korean cuisine.

I substituted rice noodles for the udon-style jajangmyeon noodles because it's what was in my pantry. I really like the contrast the pure white noodles had with the black sauce, though, and will probably use rice noodles going forward. I somewhat prefer the thinner rice noodles from a texture perspective as well.

Can someone who's made this tell me whether or not I should be removing the seeds from the cucumber slices? I've done it both ways and, while I can't tell a difference myself, I'm still interested in knowing the traditional method of making the dish.