Aside from any other issues - for things with varying consistencies, a bar blender will *definitely* get them smoother than a food processor. Some things like beans will want to get smooth in the food processor, but where you have liquid and then harder stuff, a food processor will just knock 'em around. The bar blender, you just put it on high and wait until it's as smooth as you like.

Made several small plates tonight but this one in particular made us feel like we were at the tapas restaurant!

Quickest route from broth-with-nothing to a meal is to throw some rice noodles/ramen noodles/what-have-you in there and grab a spoon and some chopsticks!

I really like to sweat some sliced fennel bulb and onion, then add tomatoes (fresh or Muir Glen) and broth and a parmigiana rind and cook for a while and maybe finish with a little pastis or other fennel flavored liquor.

If seasoned properly and made quite thick it comes out wicked hearty and rich tasting for being all vegetable. It does need a lot of salt though.

Just posting for future searchers. In Portland, we usually go to Hugo's - which is great - but this winter we changed it up and went to Miyake and it was great, great, great. I'm not sure how often they really change up the omakase - our first plate looked much like the first plate in the picture above - but it was excellent, regardless, and reasonably priced - or would have been if we hadn't tripled the cost by opting for the big wine/sake pairing. Hey, it's the holidays.

Thanks to SE and the author for a spot on recommendation!

It turned out like a million bucks! I mean you can try to get a sear like that in a cast iron pan, but it's only going to get the high spots. In the hot oven, you could just watch through the window as it got a beautiful crust on it in about 8 minutes.

I think the V-roaster must have gone in cool and never got hot enough to smoke up the fat? In fact, I left the catch pan in the oven the whole time, so it was already at 550F when the fat hit it. Absolutely no reason to have done it that way. *smacking self on forehead*

I'm really not sure if a sheet full of water would hurt or not but I wasn't going to take any chances on Thanksgiving! Maybe I'll try it with just my wife and I. Publix often has 1-bone rib roasts that are pricey, but not outrageous, given how rich the meal comes out with just a couple of simple sides!

Thanks guys!

I love fancy beer and fancy food but when there's a crowd, I like to seriously keep it simple. We got married at a park - no glass - and so had a Craigslist chick pouring Sam Adams, Sam Summer, and Miller Lite (this last is what we all drink at work for whatever reason) into clear cups, along with some bum-wine (Yellowtail) for non beer drinkers. Toast was with Lindeman's Framboise!

The only terrible part about our Cochon Butcher experience was listening to the hipster college students in front of us puzzling over the difference between pan-cetta and bru-schetta. :facepalm:

How do you prep corn tortillas for tacos? Is there anything quicker than griddling every single one on both sides?