I have to watch the sugar with my Type 2 diabetes, but I will occasionally indulge in a little bit of something lightly sweet. I invented a little light dessert that the whole family really loved. I served it at the conclusion of a meal of chicken piccata, vegetable ragout, and rosemary-sage roasted potatoes served with a Bordeaux Blanc. Try this.
Ingredients:
Compressed fig almond cake (any good cheese shop will have these)
Fresh chevre (goat cheese)
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Medium-coarse sea salt
Tupelo honey
Blood (Moro) orange
Zest of a Meyer lemon
Cut fig cake into 1/8" thick slices, and cut each slice into one inch segments. Arrange about ten of these segments in the center of a dessert plate and microwave for 10 seconds.
Fluff the chevre with a fork, and sprinkle a layer of the chevre on top of the fig cake segments.
Sprinkle a touch of sea salt on the chevre to give it flavor and contrast with the sweetness (and to activate your taste buds).
Shave a few paper thin slices of parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the chevre.
Carefully cut the peel from the blood orange, then cut out the segments from their membranes. Cut each segment into three pieces.
Arrange four pieces of blood orange segment around each plate, and place one or two additional segment pieces on top of the parmigiano-Reggiano.
Dust with Meyer lemon zest.
Drizzle a very fine thread of Tupelo honey all over the mound of cheeses and fig. Should be less than a teaspoon for each dessert (maybe even half a teaspoon).
Enjoy!
This is a beautiful dessert, and I'm going to serve it at our next dinner party. I hope you like it, too.
Note: The real joy of this dessert is the manner in which all these ultra-fine ingredients complement each other. You cannot get the same result with lesser ingredients, so unless you can get real Meyer lemons, real parmigiano-Reggiano, real blood oranges, and real Tupelo honey, don't waste your time. Trying to make this with regular lemon zest, domestic parmesan, navel oranges, and a squeeze bottle of Sue Bee honey would be a disasterous disappointment, to say the least.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
RIP Argie -- May 12, 1992 - January 16, 2008
First born of his litter, Argie was the most strongly-willed cat I've ever known -- and the most affectionate.
For the years of his life that he was an outdoor cat, Argie was cock-of-the-walk and he fought large dogs and won. He hunted many birds and chased many butterflies, not content with the annoying restrictions of gravity. He survived the antifreeze poisoning that took all but one other member of his feline family, but contended with the resulting kidney damage for the last five years of his life.
Once indoors, Argie calmed down into an affectionate yet still aggressive cat, always hogging both food and petting away from his sisters. At night he would stand purring on my chest and touch my face with his paw whenever he wanted me to stroke his face, which was all the time. He would curl up between Lisa and me, nose-to-nose with me on the pillow, paws making little biscuits on my neck while he purred. He would wait for me while I showered, then yell at me when I got out of the tub, and calm down only after I gave him a good cuddle. Argie was the cat who would, against all conventional wisdom, eat leftover vegetables from a plate. He pawed the surface of water before drinking it, in the same instinctive fashion as his much larger jungle-dwelling kin.
In the end he weakened and stopped eating. He layed comfortably in his personal spot in the closet as his breathing became more and more shallow, then finally stopped. I found him that way this morning, head resting comfortably on one of my shirts the way he liked, stretched out to fill the space that was his alone.
Argie, we layed you to rest in the flower garden where you will be among sunshine and beauty. Later that day the first snow of winter blanketed your grave, and all around you was soft and quiet and new. It was a good day to die.
Though you may rest in peace, you will always live on in our hearts and memories.
We love you, Argie Boy.
For the years of his life that he was an outdoor cat, Argie was cock-of-the-walk and he fought large dogs and won. He hunted many birds and chased many butterflies, not content with the annoying restrictions of gravity. He survived the antifreeze poisoning that took all but one other member of his feline family, but contended with the resulting kidney damage for the last five years of his life.
Once indoors, Argie calmed down into an affectionate yet still aggressive cat, always hogging both food and petting away from his sisters. At night he would stand purring on my chest and touch my face with his paw whenever he wanted me to stroke his face, which was all the time. He would curl up between Lisa and me, nose-to-nose with me on the pillow, paws making little biscuits on my neck while he purred. He would wait for me while I showered, then yell at me when I got out of the tub, and calm down only after I gave him a good cuddle. Argie was the cat who would, against all conventional wisdom, eat leftover vegetables from a plate. He pawed the surface of water before drinking it, in the same instinctive fashion as his much larger jungle-dwelling kin.
In the end he weakened and stopped eating. He layed comfortably in his personal spot in the closet as his breathing became more and more shallow, then finally stopped. I found him that way this morning, head resting comfortably on one of my shirts the way he liked, stretched out to fill the space that was his alone.
Argie, we layed you to rest in the flower garden where you will be among sunshine and beauty. Later that day the first snow of winter blanketed your grave, and all around you was soft and quiet and new. It was a good day to die.
Though you may rest in peace, you will always live on in our hearts and memories.
We love you, Argie Boy.
Monday, December 31, 2007
This Year's New Year's Resolution Is...
...NOTHING!
That's right -- I don't need one! I'm already doing it!
I'm steadily losing the one pound per week on average (hitting a couple of plateaus along the way, as expected), and my body is genuinely liking it. I feel better, and my face doesn't look downtrodden or depressed when I pass a mirror. I breathe easier, I'm more active, and I'm not craving the bad stuff anymore. I have a temporary yen for one thing or another every now and then, but they're easily ignored.
And my medical tests are all spot-on, except blood sugar, which is catching up nicely. Turns out that fat absorbs insulin, so the more fat you have, the less insulin left over to do its job on your blood. So it's only a matter of time (and a double-dose of Metformin).
Lisa's short little arms wrap all the way around me now and her hands meet behind my back, which hasn't happened in over a decade.
It's all happening exactly as planned, and I feel a sense of accomplishment. I can't believe I let myself get this way, but I can't let that get me down a second time; it's onward and upward forevermore.
Goodbye, 2007. Hello, 2008!
That's right -- I don't need one! I'm already doing it!
I'm steadily losing the one pound per week on average (hitting a couple of plateaus along the way, as expected), and my body is genuinely liking it. I feel better, and my face doesn't look downtrodden or depressed when I pass a mirror. I breathe easier, I'm more active, and I'm not craving the bad stuff anymore. I have a temporary yen for one thing or another every now and then, but they're easily ignored.
And my medical tests are all spot-on, except blood sugar, which is catching up nicely. Turns out that fat absorbs insulin, so the more fat you have, the less insulin left over to do its job on your blood. So it's only a matter of time (and a double-dose of Metformin).
Lisa's short little arms wrap all the way around me now and her hands meet behind my back, which hasn't happened in over a decade.
It's all happening exactly as planned, and I feel a sense of accomplishment. I can't believe I let myself get this way, but I can't let that get me down a second time; it's onward and upward forevermore.
Goodbye, 2007. Hello, 2008!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Five Week Hiatus
Well it's been five weeks since my last post, but I've now lost twenty-one pounds! Everything is right on track, but I know I can do more. I've learned more about what works and what doesn't, and I feel a lot better and more mobile than ever before. If this is what 300 pounds feels like, I can't wait until I hit the magic 200!
My concentration is now on eliminating all manner of night eating and getting to bed by midnight each night. The days of working until 3 or 6 AM are over. The consistent schedule will help a lot.
Thanksgiving was great. We had both sets of in-laws plus the Four Musketeers (David, Matt, Jimmy, and Mekail) and Sandy and her husband Michael for a cozy fourteen at Ted's Montana Grill. For $530 (which included a $106 tip for excellent service) I got to let someone else do the cooking, plus I didn't have a mountain of leftovers to burrough through afterward. No, just a nicely balanced meal expertly prepared. Ted's was great, but next year we might try the Colonnade. I never thought I'd have so much fun *not* cooking!
Learned how to make outstanding pizza dough, and how to make pizza an actual diet food, believe it or not. Everything from scratch -- I'm even milling my own whole wheat flour now! The flour and dough is from scratch, the pizza sauce is from scratch, the sausage is from scratch (so I can control the fat content), fresh veggies, fresh mozzarella balls sliced into medallions by hand. Hand-tossed, docked to prevent puffing, baked on a 500F stone for 8 minutes. Incredible.
The half-inch-thick wooden peels you get in consumer-oriented stores suck because you can't flick a fully-laden pizza from peel to stone without the toppings sliding all over the place, so I have a super-thin aluminum sheet peel with a long wooden handle coming from Fantes.com.
I'm also going to experiment with starting the docked dough undressed on a baking screen placed on the baking stone for four minutes to set the exterior surfaces, then dressing the pie and taking it off the baking screen and placing it directly on the baking stone to finish. Hopefully that will eliminate the unbaked dough the sauce sits on and make a finished pie that is both chewy and fully baked through and through. The reason why pizzerias don't do this is obviously because of the expense of time needed to fatz with everything, but this is home cooking for loved ones, so extra care is warranted, eh?
Now if only I can build a real brick pizza oven in the back yard...
KBO!
My concentration is now on eliminating all manner of night eating and getting to bed by midnight each night. The days of working until 3 or 6 AM are over. The consistent schedule will help a lot.
Thanksgiving was great. We had both sets of in-laws plus the Four Musketeers (David, Matt, Jimmy, and Mekail) and Sandy and her husband Michael for a cozy fourteen at Ted's Montana Grill. For $530 (which included a $106 tip for excellent service) I got to let someone else do the cooking, plus I didn't have a mountain of leftovers to burrough through afterward. No, just a nicely balanced meal expertly prepared. Ted's was great, but next year we might try the Colonnade. I never thought I'd have so much fun *not* cooking!
Learned how to make outstanding pizza dough, and how to make pizza an actual diet food, believe it or not. Everything from scratch -- I'm even milling my own whole wheat flour now! The flour and dough is from scratch, the pizza sauce is from scratch, the sausage is from scratch (so I can control the fat content), fresh veggies, fresh mozzarella balls sliced into medallions by hand. Hand-tossed, docked to prevent puffing, baked on a 500F stone for 8 minutes. Incredible.
The half-inch-thick wooden peels you get in consumer-oriented stores suck because you can't flick a fully-laden pizza from peel to stone without the toppings sliding all over the place, so I have a super-thin aluminum sheet peel with a long wooden handle coming from Fantes.com.
I'm also going to experiment with starting the docked dough undressed on a baking screen placed on the baking stone for four minutes to set the exterior surfaces, then dressing the pie and taking it off the baking screen and placing it directly on the baking stone to finish. Hopefully that will eliminate the unbaked dough the sauce sits on and make a finished pie that is both chewy and fully baked through and through. The reason why pizzerias don't do this is obviously because of the expense of time needed to fatz with everything, but this is home cooking for loved ones, so extra care is warranted, eh?
Now if only I can build a real brick pizza oven in the back yard...
KBO!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A Beautiful Night!
Tonight was my first Société Mondial du Vin event. Master Sommelier Michael McNeill sat directly across from me during the dinner, which focused on the cuisine of Northern Italy and featured pairings with a dozen wines from the same region. We talked a lot, and I learned quite a bit.
This was my first exposure to others in the Société Mondial du Vin, and they are a great group of very accomplished and pleasant folks. I'm really looking forward to meeting the rest of them as I attend more events.
Michael McNeill is impressive, to say the least. He's approachable and very happy to help you understand more about wine, and he's great reassuring you to just relax, enjoy, and the knowledge will come as you're exposed to more and varied wines.
How true. Each flight of wines enabled me to contrast and compare like I've never been able to before. Comparing a young wine and a more aged wine made from the same grape in approximately the same region enabled me to better identify fruit and tannin development, and it gives me an idea of how to better judge other wines in future.
Stephen Gross, our Bailli, announced some of the new events we should look forward to in the coming year, which promises even more activity than years past. This is really going to be fun. And it's about time; I'm 46, and I've only been on two vacations in my life so far.
But the biggest star of the evening was Michael Tuohy, the chef of Woodfire Grill. You've heard me talk about him before, but tonight was a true privilege.
The meal started with an amuse bouche of cured lardo, sliced so thin you could literally read through it, on a slice of grilled artisan bread slathered with black truffle paste.
This was followed by a first course of artisan cured meats. There was a terrine of cheek and trotter en gelee, cured pork loin, pancetta, and the finest chorizo I have ever tasted. These were accompanied by a truffle sauce and a fig paste that contrasted perfectly.
The second course, a porcini risotto with parmigiano-reggiano, was so perfect that the place went mostly silent with people staring lovingly at their plates while savoring the dish. I have never had a risotto like this. Literally perfect in every way.
The main course was a braised spotted pork shoulder in gremolata on a bed of creamy polenta. I was surprised how Chef Tuohy was able to make such lean pork tender and succulent, and so beautifully fragrant.
The final course was a cheese plate with accompaniments of lavender honey, quince syrup, and pralined pecans.
And everything was paired with many beautiful wines that I won't soon forget.
All I could think the entire time was, What an incredible privilege this is. I am eating and drinking the finest food and drink the world has to offer, and everyone in the room is truly happy. It can't get much better than this.
Michael Tuohy is a national treasure, and if it were up to me, he would be officially recognized as such and given tax-free status for the rest of his life. Whenever I experience something of excellence like this, and I try to imagine the thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears he put in at the lower rungs perfecting his craft, the personal and financial risks he has taken to get where he is now, and how hard he works to continue to deliver perfection in food every day.
Compared to that, my sincerest "Thank you" just doesn't suffice.
Bravo, maestro. Bravo.
This was my first exposure to others in the Société Mondial du Vin, and they are a great group of very accomplished and pleasant folks. I'm really looking forward to meeting the rest of them as I attend more events.
Michael McNeill is impressive, to say the least. He's approachable and very happy to help you understand more about wine, and he's great reassuring you to just relax, enjoy, and the knowledge will come as you're exposed to more and varied wines.
How true. Each flight of wines enabled me to contrast and compare like I've never been able to before. Comparing a young wine and a more aged wine made from the same grape in approximately the same region enabled me to better identify fruit and tannin development, and it gives me an idea of how to better judge other wines in future.
Stephen Gross, our Bailli, announced some of the new events we should look forward to in the coming year, which promises even more activity than years past. This is really going to be fun. And it's about time; I'm 46, and I've only been on two vacations in my life so far.
But the biggest star of the evening was Michael Tuohy, the chef of Woodfire Grill. You've heard me talk about him before, but tonight was a true privilege.
The meal started with an amuse bouche of cured lardo, sliced so thin you could literally read through it, on a slice of grilled artisan bread slathered with black truffle paste.
This was followed by a first course of artisan cured meats. There was a terrine of cheek and trotter en gelee, cured pork loin, pancetta, and the finest chorizo I have ever tasted. These were accompanied by a truffle sauce and a fig paste that contrasted perfectly.
The second course, a porcini risotto with parmigiano-reggiano, was so perfect that the place went mostly silent with people staring lovingly at their plates while savoring the dish. I have never had a risotto like this. Literally perfect in every way.
The main course was a braised spotted pork shoulder in gremolata on a bed of creamy polenta. I was surprised how Chef Tuohy was able to make such lean pork tender and succulent, and so beautifully fragrant.
The final course was a cheese plate with accompaniments of lavender honey, quince syrup, and pralined pecans.
And everything was paired with many beautiful wines that I won't soon forget.
All I could think the entire time was, What an incredible privilege this is. I am eating and drinking the finest food and drink the world has to offer, and everyone in the room is truly happy. It can't get much better than this.
Michael Tuohy is a national treasure, and if it were up to me, he would be officially recognized as such and given tax-free status for the rest of his life. Whenever I experience something of excellence like this, and I try to imagine the thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears he put in at the lower rungs perfecting his craft, the personal and financial risks he has taken to get where he is now, and how hard he works to continue to deliver perfection in food every day.
Compared to that, my sincerest "Thank you" just doesn't suffice.
Bravo, maestro. Bravo.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
What a couple of weeks!
Two weeks of heads-down work have left no time to post, but what a couple of weeks it's been.
At work we brought in a new client that we're really looking forward to working with, and are about to start on another project with an existing client, so it's going to be busy. (Note: if any of you know of an absolutely top-notch software developer who is experienced with most of the Microsoft product stack and looking for full-time employment in the Atlanta area then please let me know).
Still losing weight, and feeling better all the time. My stomach continues to shrink inside, making portion control instantly relevant to me when I sit down to a meal. I still need to increase my exercise, though.
Got the FoodSaver. They sent the wrong color, but considering all the strife in the world today, I think I'll be able to deal with it. Maybe.
The sous-vide water bath arrived, but it was covered in a strong-smelling corrosive chemical and the heating element leaked a heavier-than-water clear fluid that pooled in the bottom of the basin during testing. I'm negotiating with the eBay seller on its return. Missed out on three other water baths that were in pristine condition, but I didn't want to spend as much as the other bidders, so no deal. My goal is to be cooking sous-vide before Thanksgiving.
I've joined the Slow Food movement. You should, too (see Relevant Distractions). Julie Schaffer runs the Atlanta convivium (chapter), and she's apparently a big fan of Michael Tuohy's Woodfire Grill, too. I've heared many good things about her and the Atlanta convivium, and I'm looking forward to my first event with them.
And now for the big news... I've been accepted as a member of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the most prestigious gastronomic society in the world, and also in the inner Societe Mondiale du Vin, it's wine appreciation arm. I've always wanted to be a member of the Chaîne since I heard of them some twenty years ago. I don't know when the next induction ceremony will be (where I receive my ribbon of rank), but our first event is a Mondiale dinner at the Woodfire Grill! Many thanks to David for watching the kids.
Got a wardrobe refresh, too. A decent tuxedo, a tweed sport jacket, a navy blazer, three nice pairs of trousers, and a few formal and casual shirts. A little tailoring by the very capable hands of Michaela Jordache, and everything fits to a T. Brad Pitt I'm not, but at least I don't look like such a schlub with proper tailoring. (Incidentally, Brad Pitt often exclaims, "Adam Churvis I'm not, but at least I know what software is.")
Made a beautiful batch of glace de viande from about twelve pounds of chicken backs. There's so much fat in backs that you have to transfer to another pan every half hour of roasting and pour the fat into the stock pot for the simmering stage. Then at three hours into the simmering you have do to a complete defatting, then recombine the defatted stock back in with the cooked backs and vegetables, add water back up to the top, and continue simmering for another six hours. Then you're back to defatting all over again, but it's much more manageable the second time around. I always freeze the fat, then scrap the settled gelled stock back into the pot for reduction. Can't waste a drop!
I use a 50-50 combination of beef and chicken glace to simulate a veal glace, and it works very well. I'm using that today for the beef Bourgogne I'll be vacuum packaging for later in the week. Tonight it's Butterflied Cornish Game Hens with an orange sauce made from the jus, chicken glace, Valencia orange juice and zest, and Grand Marnier. I'll be serving with roasted root vegetables (potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots) and green peas braised with Boston lettuce and pearl onions. And the excess will from now on be vacuum packaged for reheating later in the week, so it will taste as fresh as the moment I made it.
Life is good, y'all. KBO!
At work we brought in a new client that we're really looking forward to working with, and are about to start on another project with an existing client, so it's going to be busy. (Note: if any of you know of an absolutely top-notch software developer who is experienced with most of the Microsoft product stack and looking for full-time employment in the Atlanta area then please let me know).
Still losing weight, and feeling better all the time. My stomach continues to shrink inside, making portion control instantly relevant to me when I sit down to a meal. I still need to increase my exercise, though.
Got the FoodSaver. They sent the wrong color, but considering all the strife in the world today, I think I'll be able to deal with it. Maybe.
The sous-vide water bath arrived, but it was covered in a strong-smelling corrosive chemical and the heating element leaked a heavier-than-water clear fluid that pooled in the bottom of the basin during testing. I'm negotiating with the eBay seller on its return. Missed out on three other water baths that were in pristine condition, but I didn't want to spend as much as the other bidders, so no deal. My goal is to be cooking sous-vide before Thanksgiving.
I've joined the Slow Food movement. You should, too (see Relevant Distractions). Julie Schaffer runs the Atlanta convivium (chapter), and she's apparently a big fan of Michael Tuohy's Woodfire Grill, too. I've heared many good things about her and the Atlanta convivium, and I'm looking forward to my first event with them.
And now for the big news... I've been accepted as a member of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the most prestigious gastronomic society in the world, and also in the inner Societe Mondiale du Vin, it's wine appreciation arm. I've always wanted to be a member of the Chaîne since I heard of them some twenty years ago. I don't know when the next induction ceremony will be (where I receive my ribbon of rank), but our first event is a Mondiale dinner at the Woodfire Grill! Many thanks to David for watching the kids.
Got a wardrobe refresh, too. A decent tuxedo, a tweed sport jacket, a navy blazer, three nice pairs of trousers, and a few formal and casual shirts. A little tailoring by the very capable hands of Michaela Jordache, and everything fits to a T. Brad Pitt I'm not, but at least I don't look like such a schlub with proper tailoring. (Incidentally, Brad Pitt often exclaims, "Adam Churvis I'm not, but at least I know what software is.")
Made a beautiful batch of glace de viande from about twelve pounds of chicken backs. There's so much fat in backs that you have to transfer to another pan every half hour of roasting and pour the fat into the stock pot for the simmering stage. Then at three hours into the simmering you have do to a complete defatting, then recombine the defatted stock back in with the cooked backs and vegetables, add water back up to the top, and continue simmering for another six hours. Then you're back to defatting all over again, but it's much more manageable the second time around. I always freeze the fat, then scrap the settled gelled stock back into the pot for reduction. Can't waste a drop!
I use a 50-50 combination of beef and chicken glace to simulate a veal glace, and it works very well. I'm using that today for the beef Bourgogne I'll be vacuum packaging for later in the week. Tonight it's Butterflied Cornish Game Hens with an orange sauce made from the jus, chicken glace, Valencia orange juice and zest, and Grand Marnier. I'll be serving with roasted root vegetables (potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots) and green peas braised with Boston lettuce and pearl onions. And the excess will from now on be vacuum packaged for reheating later in the week, so it will taste as fresh as the moment I made it.
Life is good, y'all. KBO!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
A Nice, Relaxing Weekend
Lots of good stuff to report:
Progress
I've lost another two pounds. I'm still ahead of the game and gaining ground, not weight. I'll be ramping up my exercise plan a little bit this week.
Chocolate
I've been a chocolate snob for a while, but haven't had any for weeks because of the diet. I tried a tiny piece of bittersweet chocolate while making dessert for Sunday dinner (haven't made dessert in weeks, so treating ourselves), and it was so sweet I didn't even like it! I have no desire for eating solid chocolate anymore!
Of course I'll cook with chocolate, but I'm going to control the amount of sugar in recipes containing it. And substitute cocoa for part of the chocolate. Tonight's dessert had too much sugar in it and was larger than it should have been. I have my bearing on very small dessert portions now, and using less sugar in the recipes. Tonight's was the last dessert of normal size and sweetness that I'll ever create. I'm not a kid anymore.
Gourmet cooking with less fat
Maybe it was my impatience with waiting for the new sous-vide equipment to arrive, but I came up with something a little similar.
Saute de-stemmed cremini and shiitake mushrooms in a little butter and salt, reserving the stems for the sauce. You don't need much butter at all if you cover the pan in the first couple of minutes to generate steam that condenses into water that drips back into the pan and sort of braises the mushrooms. Remove the saute pan from heat.
Mince a single piece of thick bacon and fry to render its fat. Toss in a minced onion, some bay leaf, green peppercorn, reserved mushroom stems, and thyme. Add a bottle of pinot noir and reduce by 3/4, then add a few pieces of glace de viande and a little water or stock. Simmer a bit, strain through a chinois, pressing on the solids. Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, two teaspoons of honey, and adjust for seasoning with Kosher salt and white pepper. Instead of mounting with butter, just thicken with a thin slurry of cornstarch. You should end up with a small amount of strongly flavored sauce.
Bring the mushrooms back to high heat and dress with a couple ounces of sauce, then saute until the mushrooms are thickly glazed.
Trim chicken breasts, sprinkle with cognac, season with salt and white pepper, and toss in some fresh herbs. Wrap each separately in a square foot of plastic wrap, then in a square foot of aluminum foil. Steam for ten minutes, turn and steam for another six minutes, then let rest for fifteen minutes before unwrapping and slicing across the grain in 3/8" medallions.
Fan the medallions across the plate and drizzle the sauce sparingly over the center of the fan, and serve with a few mushrooms.
Family dinner
Had The Three Musketeers (David, Matt, and Jimmy) over for Sunday dinner. It was nice to relax for a while and share a decent meal (see above).
KBO!
Progress
I've lost another two pounds. I'm still ahead of the game and gaining ground, not weight. I'll be ramping up my exercise plan a little bit this week.
Chocolate
I've been a chocolate snob for a while, but haven't had any for weeks because of the diet. I tried a tiny piece of bittersweet chocolate while making dessert for Sunday dinner (haven't made dessert in weeks, so treating ourselves), and it was so sweet I didn't even like it! I have no desire for eating solid chocolate anymore!
Of course I'll cook with chocolate, but I'm going to control the amount of sugar in recipes containing it. And substitute cocoa for part of the chocolate. Tonight's dessert had too much sugar in it and was larger than it should have been. I have my bearing on very small dessert portions now, and using less sugar in the recipes. Tonight's was the last dessert of normal size and sweetness that I'll ever create. I'm not a kid anymore.
Gourmet cooking with less fat
Maybe it was my impatience with waiting for the new sous-vide equipment to arrive, but I came up with something a little similar.
Saute de-stemmed cremini and shiitake mushrooms in a little butter and salt, reserving the stems for the sauce. You don't need much butter at all if you cover the pan in the first couple of minutes to generate steam that condenses into water that drips back into the pan and sort of braises the mushrooms. Remove the saute pan from heat.
Mince a single piece of thick bacon and fry to render its fat. Toss in a minced onion, some bay leaf, green peppercorn, reserved mushroom stems, and thyme. Add a bottle of pinot noir and reduce by 3/4, then add a few pieces of glace de viande and a little water or stock. Simmer a bit, strain through a chinois, pressing on the solids. Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, two teaspoons of honey, and adjust for seasoning with Kosher salt and white pepper. Instead of mounting with butter, just thicken with a thin slurry of cornstarch. You should end up with a small amount of strongly flavored sauce.
Bring the mushrooms back to high heat and dress with a couple ounces of sauce, then saute until the mushrooms are thickly glazed.
Trim chicken breasts, sprinkle with cognac, season with salt and white pepper, and toss in some fresh herbs. Wrap each separately in a square foot of plastic wrap, then in a square foot of aluminum foil. Steam for ten minutes, turn and steam for another six minutes, then let rest for fifteen minutes before unwrapping and slicing across the grain in 3/8" medallions.
Fan the medallions across the plate and drizzle the sauce sparingly over the center of the fan, and serve with a few mushrooms.
Family dinner
Had The Three Musketeers (David, Matt, and Jimmy) over for Sunday dinner. It was nice to relax for a while and share a decent meal (see above).
KBO!
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