SethG

Oops, forgot to mention the pie. No, I didn't make one. My friends brought over a key lime pie, though.

I made my version of the menu last night. Fish: I bought some blackfish fillets at the Brooklyn greenmarket. I couldn't bring myself to buy flounder, even though that was the obvious substitute. I'd never had blackfish before, and I was told that it's a flat, white fish (with pinkish overtones), so it seemed like it would work and be a little more interesting. And I thought it worked very well. The fillets were thick, so I sauteed them for a good three to four minutes per side, producing a nice, light browning on the outside and the slightest hint of rosiness remaining in the center. I went with Rochelle's meuniere technique-- this was serious fun. I got the pan really really hot, then threw chilled butter in there and watched it melt in just a few instants. Like Varmint, I was worried about overdoing the butter, but if anything, I pulled it off the heat before it was browned enough. It did have that slightly nutty browned flavor, but it could have used more. Unlike Varmint, I thought we had plenty of lemon juice and capers, but as I did these by feel, I'm not sure I followed the recipe. I've never made fish using this technique before, and I found it to have an extremely pleasing satisfaction-to-effort ratio. I've been wanting to cook more fish at home, and this experience will definitely lead to more similar meals. I also roasted asparagus as per marie-louise's suggestion. This too I've been meaning to try, and it too was so easy and satisfying. As was the rice, although I took advantage of Jacques' permission to skip the vegetable garnish entirely. Still, just cooking the rice with sauteed onions, stock and thyme made for a nice, interesting counterpoint to the fish. All in all, a wonderful and quick meal. We had two friends over, and they brought some champagne, which we drank through the whole meal. And it tasted great with everything-- even the asparagus, I thought-- but maybe I was just light-headed. I was pretty tired by the time we ate! Next time I'd like to try actually filleting the fish. I have filleted a fish or two in my time, but I could certainly use the practice.

Hi Suzanne, As you can see from the time of this post, we are in jet lag mode. I think I'll skip lunch today and focus on Saturday's event. If all y'all are planning a BC meeting at Le Zinc or City Hall, please do it as a weekday lunch! I work in the area, and would love to join you.

I think tomorrow night I'll be making the "sole," or whatever near equivalent I can get tomorrow morning at the Brooklyn Grand Army Plaza farmers' market. And I happen to have some asparagus on hand, so I'll be making that, and Jacques' rice pilaf, which also includes asparagus. But I like asparagus, so who cares? I don't think I'll be doing Jacques' method for the asparagus, though. I think I'm going to do a sauteed asparagus thing that I read about in the most recent Viana La Place book that I checked out of the library. (It's a lovely book about how to live the good life as if you were in Southern Italy, by the way.) I'll be mixing Italian and French, but we're talking about fish with butter and rice so I don't think there will be much of a clash of cuisines. I also have no idea what I'll drink with it. But since I've already revealed my menu incompetence by including asparagus in two parts of the meal and by mixing different cuisines, I'm sure whatever I'd choose to drink would have no influence over the rest of the group! (And by the way, I haven't had much time to post, but I have checked in here at the "G" every now and then, and I want to say that you are all very kind. If there's a nicer group of people in cyberspace, I'd like to hear of it. Maybe one day I'll actually make it to a gathering and meet some of you.) Edit: on second thought, I think I'll leave the asparagus out of the pilaf, and include a little more of the other stuff.

What a great post, marie-louise. I think there's a sidebar next to the BB recipe in Jules et Jim in which Julia gives you the option of skipping the cheesecloth and straining the sauce instead. Personally, I thought the cheesecloth route made for an easier time than straining would have. I also noticed in Julia's 1961 BB recipe that she too asks you to flour the meat before browning. But that edition of the recipe does not ask you to add butter/flour at the end. Maybe you should do one or the other, but not both? Your experimental approach to these recipes is an inspiration. I'm going to try to be a little more bold in that regard myself.

I have a Calphalon grill pan, and I seldom use it. It seems impractical to me, because I thought you aren't ever supposed to heat an empty hard-anodized aluminum pan. It messes up the metal somehow. Isn't that what the materials that come with the pan say? So when I use the grill pan, I always add some oil before I heat it, which just seems stupid when I'm making hamburgers. Please tell me I'm doing this all wrong.

Thanks for all of your kind words of congratulations. I think my wife would be very amused to hear herself called "Mrs. Seth." Her name is Robin, and she did not take my last name when we got married (a decision I support). But you guys can call her "Ms. Seth." I'll tell her we compromised. I still crave some duck, but I'll do fish. I think something quick (and easily obtainable nearby) like fish is more likely to get cooked by me this weekend than something like duck.

When I was in Tuscany with my wife in 1999, we kept telling ourselves that we didn't like the bread because the Italians don't put salt in it. And I think that really was the reason. The Italians use bread as a vehicle for other things or an ingredient in a larger whole (much as most of their cheeses are intended to be used), so this makes sense for them. But not for us. We, like many Americans, like to just rip the bread apart and eat it. Or maybe the bread just wasn't that good. But it's amazing the difference salt makes.

Thanks, Maggie! I think it comes as a surprise that the recipe becomes time-consuming, because if you read it it doesn't look that bad. But the lardons are done as their own step; then you brown in batches; then you assemble all the aromatics, which takes longer than you think it will... somewhere in the middle you start glancing at the clock and you wonder why this has to be so complicated, even though it's simple. I've made Julia's beer braise a bunch of times, and I've put that in the oven in less than half an hour. And that's the main reason I've made it several times. No lardons to deal with, no croutons or any of that jive. Just onions, beef, beer, and maybe a couple other things. And it is good shit. But I think the big Beefy B was even better. So I dunno. I guess the lardon barrier just has to be crossed. I also meant to say before that the mashed potatoes were good with the Bourguignon sauce. And I am not a mashed potato fan, so I never make them. But wasn't Julia's recipe kind of restrained? Just a little butter and milk. I'm sure each of you has a dozen richer recipes for creamy, delicious mashed potatoes. What happened here? We're talking about Julia Child, dark lady of the Butterdome. Why so cheap with the butter here?

Okay, so we had a baby last night. His name is Nate. Eight pounds, three ounces. 21 inches. We're very happy, and tired. I've just arrived at my office, at 9:30 p.m., hoping to straighten up a bunch of things right now so I won't need to return until next week. But I just had to check in on everybody's Beef Bourguignon. I loved the creme brulee. My torch technique needs work-- I wish I'd seen Rochelle's advice before I tried it myself. I had a few black spots, and the top wasn't really smooth. Still tasted good, though. And the custard was fab. I used a rather large orange, and I thought the orange zest was an inspired addition. My wife and MIL did too. I don't have a bunch of little ramekins, so I poured the whole recipe into a six cup souffle mold. I cooked it maybe five minutes longer than called for by the recipe, and cooled it a little longer too. Came out great. I think oranges are so variable, the two Jakes should have been more specific about the type and size/weight of the orange. (Or they could have provided a measurement (two Tbsps, say) for the zest.) The beef was also a total winner. What I thought was the biggest inconvenience was the cooking time-- when I've done prior stews like this, I've been instructed to leave the thing in the oven for three or four hours. (This is what Julia says to do in MtAoFC for Beef Bourg, by the way.) A long cooking time gives you time to do lots of other things. Here, we were told to cook until tender, not falling apart. I took mine out of the oven after one hour, forty-five minutes. And I think it was plenty tender, but I didn't have the kind of time I thought I'd have to go across the street to the playground with my daughter or whatever. It felt like the dish sucked up my whole day. Why do you think Julia has reduced the cooking time? Has the meat changed in the last 40 years? She's also dropped the skimming she used to require after the cooking, which I'm glad about. After we ate the leftover beef the next day, there was still about a cup and a half of sauce left over. I brought it back to a simmer, strained it, ran it through a defatting pitcher and poured it into an ice tray. I now have several cubes of strained Bouguignon sauce that I can defrost and use when I make steak. Do you guys think this will work? I'd like to think of other ways to get the essence of great Beef B without the hassle. I'm sure those lardons of salt pork add a ton of flavor, but there's gotta be an easier way. And the separate cooking of the onions and the 'shrooms is totally irritating. Is it really necessary? They tasted great the next day, after sitting in the sauce for 24 hours. MatthewB, I saw that CIA at home book yesterday while my wife and I were pacing around a bookstore waiting for her labor to get serious. I was going to suggest in Suzanne F's Professional Chef thread that she review it for us! Did you take a good look through it? Okay, sorry for rambling. Gotta go.

This is starting to resemble your bio, Tommy (where I've never dared to tread), but let me add my voice to the chorus. I love the reports. Keep 'em coming!

Sat. night: Beef Bourguignon; mashed potatoes; Swiss chard sauteed with garlic; and Creme Brulee! There's still about half the beef left over, and it will taste even better tomorrow.

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. I didn't have any beef stock on hand, but I remembered Ms. Tillie saying something in her stock course about how you can get away with prepared stock if it's a long-cooked stew. Since the sauce in our menu was mostly wine, not stock, I fell back on Better Than Bouillon. And when I cooked the onions, I didn't even bother with that; I used water. But I did find a six pound chuck roast at Costco this morning. I cut off two pounds of it and put it in the freezer. And the chard at the Brooklyn greenmarket this morning was very nice-- golden yellow stems-- but I didn't want the oven on any longer, so I sauteed it instead of roasting it. As for the wine, I don't know anything about your wine, but I did get recommendations at a local shop. In the dish I used a Vin De Pays D'Oc called Bouchard Aine & Fils Pinossimo Pinot Noir. $8.95. I tasted it before I poured it in, and it was wholly unremarkable. Worked out great in the dish, though. And to drink with the food, the shop owner recommended a California Pinot Noir. Edna Valley Vineyard, 2000, for $19.95. Edna Valley is owned by somebody else, and I would remember who that is if I knew anything about California wine. Anyway, after it was decanted for about an hour and a half, it was really nice. I'm no expert, but this is the first time I've been directed to a relatively reasonable pinot noir and not been disappointed. I'm going to buy more.

So am I the only idiot who spent all of this beautiful afternoon (in NYC, anyway) cooking Beef Bourguignon? I'll reserve comment, but I want to say two things: 1. Beef Bourguignon is a pain in the butt to make in one day. 2. Beef Bourguignon is worth the trouble. I still haven't fired up my new torch; I'm letting the Creme Brulee harden a bit more-- I've actually stuck it in the freezer for fifteen minutes, because I'm insecure. But I'm looking forward to that. And to our discussion.

Hey guys, my Beef Bourguignon is in the oven. A warning for any of you who may not yet have begun: it takes a while-- a good hour and a half of work for me, maybe a little more, although I may be slow. Also: now that I'm making the menu, I realize that there's a scheduling issue. The creme brulee custard should cool at least four hours (!) after it's baked-- meaning I should have made it this morning. I'm going to try to stick it in the oven right after the beef comes out, so I can serve it this evening, around nine or nine-thirty. But if you want to serve it right after dinner, you gotta spend the whole day (or parts of multiple days) in the kitchen.

Don't forget a mandoline!

Friday night: roasted chicken, stuffed under the skin with shallots, parsley, and rosemary; deglazed the skillet afterward with a little wine & stock for a good gravy that was totally unneeded; red onion and fennel wedges roasted along with the chicken in the same skillet; and a butternut squash puree.

You know, it's true, I haven't made a lot of bread or pizza dough. I have made numerous pie crusts and I've never had to divide. And maybe I'm an overloader-- I do occasionally have overflow issues, which I regard as part of the fun of cooking. But with the eleven or fourteen cup models, I'd worry that for many jobs the ingredients wouldn't fill enough of the bowl to get well mixed. If you get one of those biggies, you really need the small processor attachment too, I'd reckon. I think the seven bridges the gap pretty well.

Thursday: Red Snapper fillets cooked "en Papillote" with shallots and tomato. Asparagus with lemon butter sauce. Brown/wild rice.

This thread sent me to my Cuisinart to look at the model number, and now I see why I got confused. I have the Cuisinart DLC-5. It's a seven-cupper; its feeder is a simple one piece thing. I use this machine constantly. It is extremely reliable. It has one big plastic button that I enjoy pushing. The pieces fit in the dishwasher with plenty of room to spare. I have never once thought the machine was difficult to clean. Unless you're cooking in a cafeteria, you won't need an eleven cup food processor (much less a fourteen-cupper) very often. If you cook for two to four (or even six) people most of the time, don't bother with those big models. You won't use them much. Get the DLC-5. It's a hall-of-famer.

Got it! Thanks. I'll try it soon. But that's another topic. I swear I saw it the other day in a Borders in Manhattan. You can get it on Amazon.com.

Oh, I've tasted chard! I just haven't cooked it myself. And that risotto treat thing sounds great. And of course, because I went to the library to get it, the book finally came in the mail today.

I've never cooked with chard, and would like to give it a try. I looked thru Jules et Jim and didn't see anything more appealing, although maybe braised red cabbage would be nice. After giving this book a thorough once-over, I'm pretty excited about the duck, all the fish, several of the potato dishes, and that turky galantine. Not to mention the eggs and the artichokes. When are we making the menu? I'm not sure I can commit to a specific day, but I'm probably good for some day within the next week. And yes, I finally got the book... from the library! I'm sick of waiting for my purchased copy to arrive. (By the way, I love NYC. I looked the book up in the on-line catalog, which is available on the web, and found out that the book was checked in at the Chatham Square branch, which is quite close to the Manhattan courthouses, and today at lunchtime I just zipped over there and checked it out. So easy. Who knew?)

Check out this award-winning () thread!

Suzanne, you kept this wonderful Thompson's variation from me! How could you? Now I have to make it again come Thanksgiving. And Sam, your turkey is out of control-- I don't know if I dare post whatever it is I'll be making after that!