Friday Fluffer - Walk of Shame

The concept of the morning after Walk of Shame smells fishy to me. Fishy in the sense that it's outmoded, what with the rise of the sexually aggressive woman and the modern You Go Girl! attitude to life.

What is shameful about walking home in clothes you wore from the night before with a freshly fucked look on your face?

Guys suffer not from this.

In any case, for those of you (ladies) preparing for every outcome, you might like: The Walk of Shame Kit [link] <------Link Safe for Work.

My favourite element is the Call/Don’t Call leave behind note card. Nice touch.




Pic of Essex Ladette walking the walk of shame from here [link]

Sweet Basil Ice Cream

This was the dessert for my Fall Back to Summer Luxury Dinner for Project Foodbuzz Challenge 3.  Check out the full menu and entertaining tips, and if you would like to be a guest please vote for me!!!  Voting this round narrows the field from 200 to 100, so your vote means alot!  Thank you so much :)

Ever since I saw the Tomato Tarte Tatin in August's Bon Appetit, I knew I wanted to make it.  In fact, I had tried it once before but cooked the sugar a bit too long and burned it.   I can't say this time went without error- while I made sure the tomatoes didn't stick before putting it in the oven, they were definitely stuck after baking with the puff pastry.  It was easy enough rearrange them on the top, but it wasn't quite the prettiest!

To pair with the dessert, I decided to go out on a limb and try basil ice cream.  I've never had it before, but I had just seen it at Megan's blog and it seemed like it would be just the thing to accompany the unique tomato tarte tatin.   This was my favorite course of the meal.  Sure, I loved the soup, but this got me excited.  The caramelized tomatoes were like candy, and the basil ice cream?  Loved.  Not too herb-y, subtle and delicious.  Together it was a party in my mouth :)

Sweet Basil Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop and The Vegan Scoop

1c packed basil leaves
3/4c evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
2 cans light coconut milk
2T arrowroot
pinch of salt
zest of 1/2 lemon

Add basil and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and run, essentially creaming the basil and sugar.  (Mine actually got a little liquidy as I ran it)  Open one can of coconut milk, reserve 1/4c, and add the rest to the food processor, mixing to combine.

Add the other can of coconut milk to a saucepan, then add the basil mixture from the food processor and a pinch of salt.  heat over medium heat to boiling.  Meanwhile, whisk 2T arrowroot into the reserved 1/4c of coconut milk and set aside.   When the basil/coconut milk mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat and whisk in the arrowroot mixture and lemon zest.

Let cool, then refrigerate until mixture is well chilled.  Can be prepared a day ahead.  Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Serve with tomato tarte tatin ;)


Vote now if you haven't yet to help me advance to the next round!!

Sweet Corn & Wild Mushroom Risotto

This was the main course for my Fall Back to Summer Luxury Dinner for Project Foodbuzz Challenge 3.  Check out the full menu and entertaining tips, and if you would like to be a guest please vote for me!!!  Voting this round narrows the field from 200 to 100, so your vote means alot!  Thank you so much :)

Viewed as a transitional course in my fall-to-summer menu (with fall being the appetizer and a summer-inspired dessert), putting corn and squash in the main course was an easy decision.   I decided on using some frozen sweet corn (fresh is no longer available) and dried wild mushrooms in a risotto seasoned with garlic and thyme.  After roasting acorn squash with some warming spices, I used that as a serving "dish" for the risotto.   While the risotto didn't quite come out how I envisioned it, it was delicious and I think almost everyone had seconds (even some thirds)!

And the cod?  Well, I'll have to work on the recipe.  I didn't say much about it during dinner, but I wasn't thrilled with the way it came out.  A low and slow, relatively hands-off method seemed like it'd be easier, but indeed I wish I had caught it a little earlier.   I served it over some arugula that I dressed with a quick balsamic vinaigrette, then topped it with some chopped fresh parlsey, chives and lemon zest and served it with a lemon slice.  We'll wait for a better version, and skip right to the risotto!

Sweet Corn & Wild Mushroom Risotto
loosely adapted from this recipe
Serves 8

My changes mostly reflected the fact that I wasn't able to use fresh corn.  You could certainly use raw corn, fresh off the cob, simply add it after sauteing the onions!  Also, if you have the cobs available, the corn broth from the original recipe would certainly add to the flavor!

3-4T extra virgin olive oil, divided
1-2T butter
1 large onion, diced (or 2 smaller ones)
2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced/pressed (I think I used 2 large cloves)
1T finely chopped fresh thyme
2c Arborio rice
1/2c white wine (optional, I left it out this time)
2qts liquid (I made this up with 1qt veggie stock, mushroom broth from reconstituting the dried mushrooms, and water)
~1oz dried Matsutake mushrooms * (I'd use at least 2oz if you have them)
1-2c boiling water
2c cooked corn kernals (mine were from a steamer bag)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1c (loosely packed) freshly grated white cheddar cheese
2-4T freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In your largest pot/dutch oven, add butter and a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook a minute more.

Add dried mushrooms to a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let steep for a few minutes while you tend to the risotto, then chop before adding to the risotto.  Reserve water and use as part of the liquid, making sure to not use all of the mushroom water so the sediment stays in the bottom of the bowl (not in your risotto ;)).

Stir in the rice and cook, stirring occasionally until all of the rice has been coated (with so much rice, this took a little longer than normal).  If you were using wine, you would add it at this step, stir a bit and let the rice absorb most of the liquid.

Continue adding the stock into the rice ~1c at a time, stirring gently.  Stir a few more times until the liquid is absorbed (not dry), add more stock and continue the process until rice is fully cooked (not crunchy or mushy...  somewhere in between, chewy and soft).   Stir in corn and reconstituted mushrooms after a few additions of liquid.

Taste the risotto and season with salt and pepper.  Taste again.  Drizzle the remaining few tablespoons of oil and add the cheeses.  Stir until everything is fully incorporated.  Cover and allow the risotto to sit a few minutes (or longer) before serving.

As mentioned, I served a large spoonful of this over acorn squash roasted with a little extra virgin olive oil, a good dusting of cinnamon and cumin, and a hint of nutmeg.

*I received these mushrooms (at no cost) from Marx Foods.

Vote now if you haven't yet to help me advance to the next round!!

When is she my girlfriend?

We lack for accurate descriptors when it comes to romantic attachments.

A vast yawning chasm exists between meeting and marriage, a vast yawning chasm chock full of emotion, imagination, miscommunication, good communication, veiled motives, expressed desires, hidden agendas, agendas right out in the open, fear, love, hate, texts, phone calls, emails, dinners, breakfasts, appointments, missed appointments, disappointments, misunderstandings, understandings, mistakes, nights, days, sleeps and exhaustion.

Hmmm. I think I just described male/female relationships.

Q: What do we call someone in whom we're interested, after the first signs of mutual interest?

A: My potential lady interest.

Q: How about between first make-out and first formal date?

A: My impending woman.

Q: And in the area between arranged date and assumed date?

A: (Unsure) My putative squeeze.

Q: Okay, between assumed date and home base?

A: (Resoundingly) Now that's when I can call her my girlfriend!

Q: Between first sex and sophomore sex?

A: God, I hope she wants to do it again.




Bottoms Up, New Lovers!




Emilie Autumn photo from here [link]

Chilled Apple Soup

This was the appetizer for my Fall Back to Summer Luxury Dinner for Project Foodbuzz Challenge 3.  Check out the full menu and entertaining tips, and if you would like to be a guest please vote for me!!!  Voting this round narrows the field from 200 to 100, so your vote means alot!  Thank you so much :)

When I was talking to my mom about the menu for the dinner, she recalled an apple soup she had at some point this summer.  I couldn't recall trying it, but I tried a couple of recipes based on what mom could recall and fell in love.  While it was good on its own, the addition of greek yogurt and chopped salted peanuts really made it shine.  Give it a try while it's still apple season and let me know what you think!

Chilled Apple Soup
adapted from this site
Serves 8

5c apple cider (or unsweetened apple juice)
10 large apples (I used a mix from Smolak Farms, I believe there were some Mutsu, tart Mac's, and maybe a Cortland or two in there)
4c white wine (I used Honey Moon Viognier from TJ's and a semi-dry apple wine from a CT orchard)
zest of 1 lemon
2 cinnamon sticks (~3" long)
4T fruit jam
1/4c dry unseasoned bread crumbs (I may have used Fiber One Crumbs)
juice of 1 lemon
~1/2c 2% greek yogurt
1/2c chopped salted peanuts

Bring cider to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in apples, wine, zest and cinnamon stick.  Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for ~15min.  Stir in jam, bread crumbs and lemon juice and simmer for ~10min.  Remove from heat and transfer half (or 1/4, depending on the size of your blender or food processor) to a blender (I used my Vitamix) and puree.   Transfer soup to a bowl, then puree the rest of the soup.   Add the soup back to the pot, taste and adjust seasonings (you may want more lemon juice to balance out the sweetness).  Heat the soup back up to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer until it reaches your desired thickness.   Refrigerate until chilled, can be prepared a few days ahead of time.

Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt and a good sprinkling of peanuts.  Don't be afraid to add more peanuts, as we all went back for more!

Club Sandwich v BLT

Facts are facts: A Club Sandwich is not the same as a BLT, no matter what misapprehension I have clung to all these years. (The Club is the most ordered item from hotel room-service menus, BTW.)

What was I thinking? They are fundamentally different. Clubs have three slices of bread, BLTs only two. BLTs have only three ingredients - all right there in the name - whereas Clubs are...wait, I am checking out the recipes...actually perhaps I was right all along.

Yes! A Club is in fact a BLT plus another slice of bread with additional turkey or chicken filling. The Club Sandwich is simply a BLT with more layers.

So if the BLT is a regular kind of sandwich, that makes the Club the Threesome of sandwiches.

Nice.


Bottoms Up, Those Lucky Enough to Find Themselves in a Club!






Legs from here [link]

PFB#3: Fall Back Into Summer Luxury Dinner

Thank you to everyone who voted for my latest entry into Project Food Blog!   I was so excited to hear the news, and very grateful to you for helping me move on to the next round.   That recipe was really a winner, so if you're looking to make saag paneer at home you should check it out.  

With the news of advancing to the next round, it was time to celebrate!!  The next challenge?  A luxury dinner party that introduces guests to a new tastes and textures.   I love cooking for others, so I was looking forward to the chance to get some friends together my apartment.   Entertaining can be tricky, so I always try to follow some guidelines to make sure that I enjoy it as much as my guests :)

1.  Plan ahead.   In ideal world, you won't realize on Monday that you need to host a dinner party on Friday.  Give yourself a few weeks to get things together and make a plan.

2.  Invite guests.   Preferably not more than your apartment can hold ;)  Yeah...  let's just say I wanted to make sure I had enough people for the challenge.  I ended up with 8 including myself, and if you've seen my apartment you'd be surprised!  Don't worry, no one sat on the floor :)

3.  Create your menu.   My train of thought for this took several things into consideration: what ingredients I already had, what flavors I wanted to play with, a theme for the meal, and my guests preferences.  Other good pieces of advice are to cook dishes you've already made, or ones that you're comfortable making.  I don't always take this to heart, as I always like to try new things, but I will use a familiar technique with new flavors.  One thing I have learned over the years is to not do too much, choose dishes that you can prep ahead of time, and/or don't require alot of hands-on time right before serving.

4.  Create lists.  The first thing I do is to create a shopping list from the recipes.  Then I make a plan of attack for creating the dishes.   Like I mentioned above I try to chose things I can make ahead of time, and I also do alot of the prep work the night/day before (i.e. chopping vegetables, grating cheese...).  The few days before I also try to stay on top of dishes, so I have an empty dishwasher when it comes time for loading those dinner dishes in!

5.  Cook.  This is the fun part!  Another option for entertaining is to have your guests participate in the process, whether it be assembling their own pizzas or making pierogies (already planning that one!).   Allow yourself some shortcuts to save time if you need it, you don't need to be superman/woman!!   Also, if guests offer to bring something, don't be afraid to take them up on their offer!  I sent my guests the menu ahead of time and said that they could bring beverages of choice (I'm still learning my wine, and usually leave it to others!).

6.  Have a good time!  Always important to remember to enjoy the night as much as your guests :)

I came up with the menu (see above) on Tuesday as a result of my love for both summer and fall flavors.  I'm always so conflicted this time of year that I thought it would be fun to incorporate both into the menu.  To play with things a bit, I put some things where you wouldn't expect them-- apples in the appetizer and tomatoes and basil in the dessert.

Plan of attack:  I made the soup Wednesday evening and the ice cream base Thursday night.   Friday morning before work I vacuumed and set the table.   I came home from work a few hours early to do the rest, starting with the tomato tarte tatin (it was served room temperature).   After that I got the ice cream churning, put the squash in to roast, and began chopping the rest of the vegetables/herbs and measuring out the rest of ingredients.  That brought me up closer to the arrival to my guests, so I started with the risotto, and finally the fish just after they arrived.
 

Plating the main course

I'll be sharing recipes over the next few days, but I'll leave you with some pictures of the meal and comments from my guests about each of the dishes.   Things went fairly smoothly, and everyone left happy and with a full belly, so no complaints here!

Appetizer

Chilled Apple Soup
"I loved the crunch of the peanuts in the apple soup and thought that the Greek yogurt was a great textural compliment as well. It tasted like a caramel apple, but somehow less sweet (maybe the yogurt?). A wonderful start to the meal for sure."

"It reminded me of a less sticky sweet version of apple butter (which I love) and the combo of it and peanuts was amazing.  ...that the apple was thinner and a little sweet plus a little tart really made it pop.  I know the peanuts were meant to be more decorative but I couldn't stop adding more:)"

Main Course

Slow Roasted Cod with Corn & Wild Mushroom Risotto over Roasted Acorn Squash

"My favorite of the dishes was the risotto with roasted squash. The squash was soft and perfectly roasted and provided a soft and flavorful addition to the risotto which was delicious. Some might even say 'holy yum'  :)"

"I was crazy about the risotto.  It was the perfect combination of earthy fall flavors with the mushrooms and late summer sweetness with the corn.  The rice was perfectly al dente and if I was alone I could have sat with the whole pot and totally cleaned it out."

"The risotto was amazing.  I mean, come on...corn AND mushroom...no going wrong there.  Loved that flavor combo.  The cod was mild (which I really appreciate) and flaky and I loved getting the little pops of balsamic in some of the bites.  I never thought mixed greens, balsamic, and cod all in one bite would taste good but I really liked it.  Additionally, while I'm usually not a fan of squash, I ate all of yours."    

Dessert

Tomato Tarte Tatin w/Sweet Basil Ice Cream

"Wow.  The basil ice cream with the tomato tarte tatin was amazing.  It was savory and sweet.  Some bites tasted solidly like traditional, sweet dessert while other bites evoked a pizzeria.  A wonderful end to a beautiful and tasty meal."

"[While I'm usually not a fan of tomatoes], I ate about half of [them] and really was amazed at that.  Not only did you change the consistency of them (which allowed me to eat it while not liking tomatoes in their original form), but the carmelized flavor was great.  And the combination of it and the pastry with the basil ice cream really sang...I think that eating that dessert without a bite of everything at the same time wouldn't do it justice."

Meghan's comment was extremely touching, and summed it up perfectly, "Great company, stellar food and a creative menu: the recipe for a lovely evening."  Amen!

 
     Does your grandmother continue to wear 3" heels into her 80s?
     Have you (or someone you know) ever dated 28 people in one month?
     Do you have a good nickname or wear a fanny pack?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you're invited to my next dinner party :)  We had some great (and funny) conversations and it was a perfect way to celebrate my participation in Project Food Blog.   It has been such a great experience and I feel like I have so much more to give!  Voting opens tomorrow, so if you would've liked to have been my guest, please help vote me into the next round!! 

What's your best entertaining tip??