Cassoulet Day 3 - the Conclusion!

We shopped, we cooked we conquered.

Honestly the best thing about cassoulet is that on the last day, all you do is bake it to reheat it and form the top crust. That being said, Bourdain's Cassoulet is a little untraditional, actually since, it has no breadcrumb top, and the overwhelming presence of the beans - too many in my opinion. But the meat was amazing and tender and tasty.

We had a few friends over to sample the goods, and the wine did floweth! We started the night with little cucumber canapés with a lemon creme fraiche and black roe topping with a prosecco. Then we started the dinner portion with a roasted beet salad over frisee with an orange vinnegrette and feta, paired with a Côtes du Rhône rose. Following that we had the cassoulet, heaping plates for all - a really dry red is perfect, and we chose a nice Bordeaux. Dessert was the husband's amazing lemon tart also from Bourdain's book with a great muscato.

Though it was a fun evening, it will be a while till we make it again. Cassoulet is more work than you think (especially if you confit the duck yourself!), and it takes a lot of funds to make this meal. Everyone should try to make something like this, especially if you don’t have to be the head chef!

Cassoulet Days 1 and 2

I have been pushed from the kitchen. The husband has forbade me to have a primary hand in one of the greatest dishes ever. Cassoulet. He is he master of this creation and not I. And it might be slowly festering inside me, but I am making do as the prep and sous chef - even though he has taken away my cleaning duties as well...

If you'd like to follow along, we're making Bourdain's recipe from the Les Halles book. It's full of meat and wonderment. If you have never eaten cassoulet, or seen it, or heard of the thing, it is a one pot deal featuring as much meat as possible. Basically, it's white beans cooked in a dish lined with pork skin, with alternating layers of pork belly, duck confit, and pork sausage. That being said you can add whatever kind of meat you'd like, though this is traditional. The porkier the better. And the white beans make it healthy!

We began this dish with a three day plan, day one (Friday) was pretty simple, all we had to do was soak the beans over night and then salt the duck legs which were to be confit in the morning. We spent the time before starting the festivities with shopping. Off to Gene's in Lincoln Square for the ordering of the belly and skin to be picked up in the morning, as well as the duck legs.

We ended up soaking about 1/3 as many beans as we needed and awoke to them pouring out onto the kitchen counter. Then it was off to Paulina Market for the duck fat and the rest of the ingredients for our Sunday feast!

When we got home, the husband covered the duck in the liquid fat, along with rosemary, thyme and some garlic, and cooked it in the over at 375 for two hours (longer than the recipe asked, since our legs are actually quarters), the cooled it in the fridge. He then simmered the beans with pieces of the skin and fat as well as the belly, cooking the beans and creating a luscious broth. While that was cooking he fried the pork sausage in some of the reserved duck fat, and after used the remaining to brown onions and a few pieces of remaining fat from the belly which were pureed following the browning.

Once all the parts were sliced and diced and simmered, then came the layering. In the bottom of a large oven safe pot or dutch oven went skin first, then beans, the sausages, beans, pork belly, beans, duck confit, and more beans along with a dollop of the onion puree in each layer. Presently they are in the oven, and have to cook another hour. After they will sit over night in the fridge and have another session of cooking tomorrow!!!

As the sous chef, I don't see why I have to stay up and wait for them to finish their time in the oven tonight. Technically, I'm on vacation for another few days, so I'm heading to bed.

Wings

I love chicken wings. For all the lovely euro-cuisines, nothing makes me more giddy than a big pile of crunchy juicy buffalo style chicken wings.

Tonight I went to Buffalo Wild Wings, not my first choice, since they tend to over sauce their wings. However, these wings totally satisfied my craving. This morning, Emeril had a whole show on wings on as a repeat. Not fair. Only last night the husband threw in my face the face that he went to wings. Something had to happen, so following rehearsal we decided to go to Wing Zone in Milwaukee, which frequently has a dancing chicken on the roadside corner promoting. It's supposed to be fantastic. However, they have no place to sit, so the party was transfered to BW3.

When I'm at home, chicken wings are a treat. I make them for special occasions due to their fried status. Sometimes I'll so a blend of dry spices and cook them in the oven. But when I fry them, that's when the fun comes in.

A couple of years ago I bought the husband a fryer as an xmas present. Since then we use it sparingly, for specialty items, like this bitty chick. I fry my chicken wings, or drummets unflowered till golden brown at 350-375 for no more than 10-12 minutes. Remember never to leave your fryer unattended!!!

For the "Buffalo" sauce, I have kind of developed my own recipe. Depending on the amount of wings I melt 1/2 to 1 stick of butter, add in 1-2 Tbs of sriracha sauce, or more! Then I add a few Tbs of white vinegar and actually some Emeril seasoning. If you don't have that you can do chili powder, paprika, garlic and onion powder. Actually one of the more fun parts about making homemade wings is experimenting with flavors.

Anyway let the butter cool slightly till it's thick enough then toss the wings in it and remove them after coating so they stay crunchy.

There's no substitute for a great chicken wing! And frying stuff is just downright fun. Make some for your favorite Sunday sports game and try out different flavor combos! Regardless, they are fried and spicy and full of lovely goodness.

Dinner not to be repeated (read at your own risk.)

I thought I'd share what you should not eat for dinner. I have a little cold, which is at the stage where you don't want to do anything except lay in bed. This definitely means not cooking.

I knew I had to eat something healthy, since we have a concert in a few days, so I started pulling things out of my pint-sized fridge. I had picked up a chicken breast and my bag of kale from a friend's much larger fridge/freezer. Noticing that my tiny tomatoes were about to be completely ruined, I picked out the ones that I could salvage and quartered them. The I recalled how a friend said she loved cottage cheese with them, and having some threw in the tomatoes, eating as I prepped the kale. I thought this was smart and healthy, it was like a little appetizer.

Sauteed red onion, garlic and chili flake in olive oil. Added blanched kale and a little white wine vinegar. Presto! Yummy. Kale.

These two separate dishes, however, DO NOT go well together. I realized after almost finishing my absurd amount of cottage cheese and tomatoes that I didn't want the chicken breast I had been thawing. That was sad, as the appetizer quickly became the accompaniment for sauteed kale. UGH. Just writing about it makes me feel gross.

Anyway, don't ever eat these two things in the same sitting. You won't be happy, no matter how much you think it doesn't make a difference.

Milwaukee

I am living here for a bit. A stint with Florentine Opera as a Studio Artist will have me and 3 other compatriots residing in a charming hotel till end of May.

I love my room, it is covered in fake flowers but it feels like home...some kind of florist's version of home anyway. Actually I am quite comfortable though my kitchen is tiny and the fridge a bit of a joke. My freezer actually thawed all my items so that I had to salvage what I could about a week ago. We have a very respectable grocery market within close proximity, and the Soprano and I spend evenings wondering through the isles, as she be a foodie too.

One thing I have learned from the short time I have lived in my studio. Portion size is important. You can't go making a whole mess o'food, because A: you have no where to prep such an amount, and B: you cannot possibly store said food in your tiny fridge.

More to come.

Virginia ham? Psha.

No. Although I have had some while here and it's great.

I'm still in Virginia working outside DC, and just had the pleasure of family visiting, the husband included. My parents graciously treated us to several wonderful meals over the weekend. Here is a little recap...

Foti's in Culpeper (don't forget only 2 p's, says the Maestro)
I had some reservations regarding this place. A good friend had recommended it having gone there the previous week with his own family. We made reservations, and due to the removed setting of this small community we probably didn't need to, not a large amount of people in attendance, even on a Friday night. Coming in the "front door" we passed through a long hallway dotted with other shops, one being a really nice wine/beer shop, with local products as well as classic favorites (including Gruet!) The restaurant is a little dark, but very prettily decorated in a kind of late 1800's "pad" style. We ordered some aperitifs and a quick antipasto of plank roasted brie, which was quite nice. Then we had 2 orders of each, the duck breast with cracked pepper peaches, and pan fried soft shell crab with sweet breads. The soft shell crab was really lovely crispy goodness, and it's always able to eat the shell and all! Bottom up. The sweet breads I thought could have been crunchier, in opposition to their rich velveteen. For dessert I had pots du creme - 3 of them - all chocolate. We had a really nice Malbec to accompany per the Father's suggestion.

Thorton River Grill, Sperryville

We had been to this little bistro before for brunch, and they do have a great brunch. In mind for a bit more simpler dinner, we split salads instead of getting an appetizer, which were butter lettuce, blue cheese, and bacon. Very traditional American, but really charmingly executed. Three of us got the diver scallops for the entree. Since this is "good-ol-boy" country, they have fantastic portions. The plate came with four massive scallops, accomp with sugar snap peas and Israeli couscous. Cooked perfectly, and served in a sassy beurre blanc. The wine with this nosh was also very fitting, we did Riff's pinot grigio, crisp and light.

Iron Bridge Wine Company, Warrington

This might be one of my favorite meals out that I have had while living here this summer. We started out with a wine flight each. My mother and I each went for the Virginia trio, a Kluge blanc de blanc, a Viognier, and something else red who's name escapes me but was part Merlot and part Cab. All were great, though the nose on the Viognier was probably my favorite part of the whole flight. It was fruity and floral, without being to over powering. Sunday-Wednesday these guys do a 3 course for $30, and it's well worth it given you can have anything your little heart desires off of the menu. I did a diver scallop ceviche to start, which was sliced horizontally on top of a cold salad of roasted red peppers, watercress, onions and banana peppers, along side also was half of an avocado and some lemon. I thought it could have been salted a little better but the taste was light, but still indulgent. For the main I chose the rack of lamb, served with a cherry demi glace, asparagus and a fabulous cheese risotto and Yukon Gold potato cake which was fried. That cake might just have made my day. Dessert followed, I had a beautiful strawberry-creme filled crepe and a glass of Sauternes.

Who know rural Virginia foodies had it so good... Next time I'm pulling out the stops and doing the Inn at Little Washington, just for kicks. ;)

The cube of cheese commeth

The place: Trump Intl Tower, NYC, 86^th floor.
The time: a few hours ago.
The food: …um….

Nuit previous we were asked to come and sing at a fancy party for our Maestro in NYC, hence to stay one night and return for our continuing rehearsals the following day. The event was indeed posh enough, and as far as one can tell, fairly positive in the respect of promo-ing our upcoming performances. The only downer of the luscious evening was the food.

Whilst our voices might have been unforgettable for this lot, the food certainly should be. It started well enough, or so we thought. Tiny, tiny crisps with crab and smoked s. atop, and dill of course, because it’s green and pretty. Then our Brit compro and fellow voicer’s fave arrived with great pomp. The ever ready CUBE OF CHEESE, of course accomp with tooth picks. A must have, I'd have thought. OH! I almost forgot the grand sushi rolls too large to place in a gaping maw let alone your mouth.

Then we sang and we were quite brilliant, or so many told us. But who really knows, because they were probably contemplating what they had just eaten and were at a loss of space for anything else in their brains.

Dinner was in appearance an amazing spread. About every dish included Chicken, or Fish: Sesame chicken, chicken marsala, breaded chicken, breaded fish, fish alla teriyaki, fish alla lemon, CHICKEN alla lemon. It was all very good, but... There was a lot of meat for the masses. And they for some reason had leftovers…. We can eat more later?!

Dessert, however, was indeed compensatory for the previous tour-de-force, little tartlets and tiny, tiny miniature chocolate croissants, and other doll-sized goodies. Yum…and the wine was very nice as well!

Overall, it was fun… I then got back to the hotel and realized Les Halles was on the next corner round from us…about cried out of shame for my only meal in NYC.