Tomorrow I am having friends over for dinner. Unless I panic and pare down the menu it will be a five course formal meal. Dress and behavior will be totally informal but I enjoy doing the fancy table, good food, course after course routine. And what is the point of having my mother's china and silver if they don't get used? Mother did not believe in having things "too nice" to use. Hooray for Mom!
I still have some items to pick up tomorrow (fresh produce from an upscale store where more variety and better quality may be found). Most of the ingredients are already on hand at this point. Soon I shall take out the spice blender and put in peppercorns, juniper berries, a bay leaf, a couple allspice, thyme, marjoram, and sea salt. Whir that pup up and lo! a rub to put all over the pork loins so they may absorb it through the night. Pork roast tomorrow!
It will be a wintery meal: roast pork, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts; before all that a butternut squash soup; at the end fruit cake, cookies, port.
While I enjoy cooking, I absolutely loathe cooking for one. While I know that I deserve better, I probably sit at the dining table for a meal by myself about twice a year. The rest of the time I am eating while watching television, at the computer, or standing up. I know. Not good. Maybe this is why I go overboard when I have the chance to feed others. I am looking forward to it.
Sweet dreams, y'all.
--the BB
4 comments:
Sounds yummy and elegant. As it happens, I just put up some music that might work nicely as background for the cocktail hour as you wave about your cigarette-holders (I know, you don't smoke). Check it out. Three different versions of one old winter song.
Enjoy the deliciousness!
While I enjoy cooking, I absolutely loathe cooking for one.
Well, there is a guest room here, and you are welcome to come and cook any time.
How was it? I hope your guest properly appreciated your culinary efforts.
Got some cheap but fresh fish (whiting) and and thinking of making fish soup especially since I brought back some saffron from Turkey. Any recipes or ideas? I can just improvise, I know what goes with what, but I am not a frequent fish soup maker at all, so I would be grateful for advice or recipes. I'm also going to make lentil soup, but I made some of that last week -- amending my own recipe (well, recipe in my head, soup is not something requiring strict recipes, I cook that by instinct) to approximate a delicious homemade lentil soup I had in Istanbul. (Note: if you use carrots in lentil soup, trying grating them rather than slicing or dicing them and putting them in the soup that way -- whole different texture, and the taste is a little different too and the soup somewhat more delicate. Don't forget the garlic, of course. And onions.
Lovely lentil soup advice. Alas, dear, I "don't do" fish so can be of no help there. Too much cod liver oil as a child. Good luck with it; I am sure it will be delicious since you are a skilled cook.
The meal is tonight. I will report back later. I drove clear across town to get some higher quality produce and cheeses.
And bless my friend Steve in California who sends me wonderful wines!!!!!! Whatta guy!
Okay, you can come stay in the guest room with friend Steve's wines in tow :-).
Enjoy.
I got goat cheese at the farmers' market today -- hadn't been to the local farmers' market in two months due to travel, holidays, being broke, et al. We have a very nice local goat farm and goat cheese maker called Goat Lady Dairy (there is a link in the foodie section of my blog toward the bottom right) and they have fresh chevre, crottin, a talegio (sp) type of cheese, a goat camembert a little like the "camellia" cheese from our old Sonoma Valley people, Redwood Hill, and a few other goat cheeses including one with ash. They also JUST starting making goat yogurt. Very good with the local raisin-pecan granola (which is not too sweet - want some?).
I am mostly a veggie, especially at home, but I decided I needed some fish as brain food. And I do like fish. Although I am still of the generation that got fed cod liver oil in childhood. Boy do I remember that one.
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