Deb Space

On our last trip to Chicago, Scott and I stocked up on some of his hometown goodies: Vienna Beef Hot Dogs (food writer/blogger Michael Ruhlman waxes poetic about the dogs here), Sport Peppers, and Chicago Relish so we could have Chicago-style hot dogs whenever we want. Our celery salt comes from Penzy’s, another Chicago institution, which has a shop in Grand Central Station. The dill pickle spears, yellow mustard and fresh tomatoes are easy enough to find locally. Here is the result of our latest effort:

A couple of months ago my husband asked me if I’d like to go to Tom Colicchio’s restaurant Craft for my birthday. I don’t know if I answered, but I do remember jumping up and down and clapping my hands. I might have even squealed. So I figure that that counts as a “Yes!” Unfortunately for Scott, he came down with a sinus infection and couldn’t go. He urged me to go so I did. Of course, I took pictures. Too bad the iPhone doesn’t have an app that captures smells.

Everything on the menu, which changes seasonally, looked great, but I decided on the tasting menu. All seven courses were sublime. (This saves me the trouble of trying to find seven different adjectives for super yummy.)

The dinner started off with Raw Tai Snapper, American Caviar and Island Creek Oyster. I love really fresh fish and this was melt-in-the-mouth fresh and the oyster was very tender. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

The second course was Brebis Blanche Agnolotti Matignon & Lamb Bacon. The agnolotti were filled with a creamy sheep’s cheese and paired with really smoky bacon. Everyone took an extra slice of bread to sop up the gravy except me because we ran out of bread. A very astute busboy asked if we wanted more bread and so I didn’t have to leave any more gravy behind on any other dish.

I was really excited about the third course: Olive Oil Poached Cod, Morels, Chickpeas, Fava Beans and Razor Clams. I’m a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and have heard him rave about razor clams so now it was my turn. Oh wow! I totally get it. The razor clam was cut up into tiny pieces, lightly breaded and fried. Somewhere in all that, was something spicy. It woke up the entire dish. The cod was tasty and mild. I kept filling the morels with the fava beans and chickpeas (Those were chickpeas?!) and mopping up the sauce and the foam, but I was really waiting for the next bite of razor clam.

When course number four, Guinea Hen Black Truffle Grits and Brussels Sprouts, came, we began to wonder how many courses were left. The waiter assured us that there were two desserts, which made us all smile. I like Tom Colicchio’s thinking (or is it the Chef de Cuisine James Tracey?). I’ve had a few tasting menus that had really small plates, but in this case I was really getting stuffed. The black truffle was delightfully woody and the guinea hen was perfectly cooked. The grits were creamy and the Brussel sprouts so tender that I think Scott would have eaten them.

The final savory course, Elysian Fields Farm Rack of Lamb Gnudi, Trompette Royale & Swiss Chard, was the best yet. I was surprised and delighted with every dish, but I was most surprised that each kept getting better. One of the thing that had been a mystery while watching the show Top Chef was lamb. Every time one of the judge raved about how the lamb was perfect when it looked shockingly pink, I wonder is it was almost raw. I now understand. That beautifully cooked pink meat was perfect. Despite my fullness, I kept wanting to eat more. Oh, and hidden in the Swiss chard was some braised beef.

After all the rich food, this sixth course was quite refreshing. I could eat big bowls of Meyer Lemon Sundae Hibiscus Syrup & Coconut Meringue although I didn’t have the room at the time. As you can see, it was served in a shot glass. There was a couple of layers homemade granola.

For the grand finale, we had Chocolate Ganache Tart Cocoa Nib & Creamsicle Ice Cream. Slurp, slurp! I refrained from picking up the plate and licking it although the thought did cross my mind.

As we were leaving we received chocolate muffins as a going away gift. I shared mine with Scott and showed him pictures in the morning.

I recently made a tarte tatin (recipe via Julia Childs) for a couple of birthdays (you ladies know who you are). It was very exciting and decadent and easier than I expected it to be.

Because of a transporation mishap, I HAD to make another the next day, except I made it with peaches instead of apples.

Here’s a look at carmelizing, peachy goodness in the pan:

And out of the pan:

On Monday I was making dinner (trying out a new mushroom sauce for pasta) when I heard a low wailing noise. I had both air conditioners turned up so the sound outside it was muted. When I came out of the kitchen, I didn’t hear it anymore. It sounded like the tornado warning so I consulted the computer and saw a tornado warning for my county. I trotted into the kitchen and shut off the gas.

After that I got Boo! ready to go and filled a tote with things I thought I might need: a blanket to protect Boo! and me from flying broken glass, a knitting project I wasn’t going to finish in an hour (the length of the warning), water bottles, a bowl for Boo! a flashlight, and a bottle of moisturizer (why I’m not sure). I was about to write a note for Scott when he walked in the door. We turned on the TV to look at the radar (big red blotch over Oak Park!) and then headed straight to the basement where one of our neighbors was already waiting with both his cats (in a luxury portable cat house). We were joined by a family of six after an awesome roll of thunder and some brilliant lightning. I’m really surprised more people didn’t join us.

From the basement windows the lightning was spectacular, turning the sky silver every few seconds. I’ve never seen so much lightning ever during a storm. The thunder was terrifying. I knit. Scott held Boo! Thankfully Boo! doesn’t react to thunderstorms unless the thunder is really loud. He was more interested in playing with the neighbors (We were well away from the cats).

We waited until the worst of the storm had passed before going upstairs where I finally could finish my pasta sauce. It was quite nummy. (Recipe below the cut.) As for the rest of the storm it kept going at a lower, but still impressive intensity for hours.

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Oxymoron of the day: fat-free half-and-half.

That’s just wrong.

As predicted, I had to make gyoza this week. I found a recipe I hadn’t tried from China Express, which is one of my favorite cookbooks. I used the filling for wontons, a combination of pork, water chestnuts and other flavorful goodies (like green onions) and put them in gyoza wrappers because I used the wonton wrappers for turkey wontons. Scott and I have been feasting the past couple of days. I’m getting better at the timing of the streaming/frying of the gyoza. Yesterday Scott complimented me by saying that they looked exactly like they do in the restaurant. Today we finished wrapping, frying and freezing. I think I’ll be ready for more tomato and onion salads tomorrow. What to do with the rest of the onions? I wonder if scallion pancakes freeze well…

The turkey is swimming in the brine!

Three pies are done!

The cranberry sauce and cranberry chutney are done!

One soup is made, the other prepped!

I chopped most of my veggies and herbs are chopped and nestling either in containers or baggies.

My husband has got tomorrow’s (today’s, really) schedule down to the minute. (There is room for a nap if we stick to it.) Now if we can only control the oven’s temperature. Big if…

This is my first Thanksgiving as a married woman and the first one in years that I haven’t done with my usual co-pilot. That means that I had to make my first pumpkin pie solo. It went really well until I realized that I forgot the cream. Ooops. (Who wants that fattening stuff anyway? It tastes awesome without the cream.) If it’s a little dry I found a recipe for a “hot brandy sauce” so I’m not worried about that.

For Toby because she asked about it!

Every city in Japan has its own candy. Since I spent the most time in Kyoto, I collected the most candies there.

These pretty blue crystals were the first package I picked up. The shapes remind me of sea urchins even though the colors remind me of the sky. These crystals also came in pink and if I remember correctly yellow.

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One of the charming things I discovered in Kyoto are the covered shopping arcades. In several areas of the city, the street is roofed for several blocks. That provides much need shade and relief from the hot summer sun as well as rain. The effect is wonderful. The street becomes a long, often sinuous tunnel where surprises await.

More below the fold.

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That was the name of my first lunch in translation. It was quite delicious. Looks nice, too, doesn’t it?

The restaurant was on the Teramachi-dori, one of the covered shopping arcades in Kyoto, and despite its having a French name, my lunch had a very Japanese feel and taste to it. The pork slices were a fattier cut than I was used to and tender enough to practically melt on my tongue. The vegetables were sautéed lightly so they still retained their crunch. The sauce was tangy, sweet from the rum and slightly acidic (I suspect from vinegar). A healthy sprinkling of freshly ground pepper gave the salad a nice bite. The meal was a real delight on a hot afternoon. It was 95 degrees Farenheit with a heat index of close to 105. The only thing a little out of sync was the potage. It was hearty enough for the coldest winter night, but it was so good I couldn’t resist finishing it.