one six b's welcome home dinner

i know it has been all quiet on the one six b front and i am deeply sorry for not giving all at least a heads up that the kitchen would actually be closed a large part of november and december as pak law jets about, taking a break from the cooking and stretching his legs on the golf course! the dessert kitchen too, albeit located at the other end of the island, was also closed for the past month or so but for the very different reason of remodeling! the re-surfacing of the one six b thread is thus officially marked with this post, with pak law back in the kitchen from down under - eight kilos of meat in tow no less (yes eight!), and auntie ta busying herself in her new kitchen, fully decked out i hear with a spanking new oven!

it has most definitely become a one six b ritual now that every time anyone flies home from australia, he or she will be tasked to go to butcher X, buy a specific cut of meat (okay, sometimes several cuts of meat) and hand carry it back for the welcome home dinner the day of or the next day following arrival. pak law carried almost equal halves of prime rib and leg of lamb this trip home and reopened the kitchen with his signature prime rib roast (ala thomas keller style) and roast leg of lamb.

as much as i do agree that a good quality cut of meat does make a world of difference to its taste, i have to admit that there is some skill needed in balancing the precise timing and temperatures needed to cook the meat to the perfect state. pak law has somehow mastered the technique and works purely by feel....no timers, no meat thermometers, nothing! the end result is a flavorful roast - seasoned only with salt and pepper and accompanied by a touch of horse radish, the meat was tender, moist and pink on the inside, encased by a light and crispy, slight burnt layer. no one described the tenderness and texture of the meat better then uncle d who exclaimed on his first bite that it tasted like sashimi! this is without a doubt one of pak law's best servings of the prime rib roast....and if he charred the outer layer a little bit more, the meat would come quite close to that served at the renowned peter lugers!

the beef was good, but i was personally blown away by the leg of lamb. working with a butterflied leg of lamb instead of the usual rack, i found this cut a lot more tender, flavorful and overall just excellent. these slices literally melt in your mouth and explode with flavor, slightly different from the rack, which is still good by the way, in that the meat in the rack's slight more textured and just that bit more chewy. i had three slices of the gorgeous meat and am now secretly hoping that the upcoming reunion dinner will feature the butterflied lamb leg again!

nothing could have completed the meal any better than auntie ta's yummy-licious pavlova. baked in her brand new oven, the pavlova had the pristine white and perfectly marshmallow-y  meringue base, freshly whipped cream and ultra fresh and sweet korean strawberries and blueberries. it was truly bliss!

it is without a doubt that we were spoiled rotten that evening (three bottles of wine accompanied the dinner too!) but i guess there really isn't any better way to celebrate coming home then good food enjoyed in the presence of great family!