Another day, another dinner. This time it’s tofu massaman curry.

I made refried beans and rajas from Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican tonight. Man it was good.

Here’s the mis en place: Eggs, water, lemon juice and salt, along with about five backs-of-the-spoon worth of drizzled oil: Here it is with about 1/2 cup of the oil integrated: A close up of the finished mayo: And in a container ready for storage: Of course even I can’t just eat mayo (as good as it is) from a spoon, so I made some egg salad. This is simple stuff: Read more

Kerri and I had dinner, a bit on the spur of the moment, at L’Espalier last Tuesday. It was our one year anniversary. I just got the menu from Cole over at L’Espalier and I figure I’ll post it here for the sake of saving and sharing. Sadly, I did not bring a camera. I had the Summer Degustation, Kerri the Vegetable Degustation. Summer Degustation: Butter poached Maine lobster with braised pork belly and sweet corn Torchon of foie gras with candy striped beets and Muscat gelee Air-dried Muscovy duck with grilled escarole, scallion johnnycake and watermelon Pan roasted East Coast halibut with black quinoa, pea shoots and Pat’s baked clams Vegetable Degustation: Twice baked potato leak soup with shaved black truffle Summer succotash with grilled apricots Roasted cauliflower with patty pan squash, feta and green garlic risotto Herb potato gnocchi with grilled nectarine In addition to the lists above (all of which was delicious) we also had the following: Read more

I’m a big fan of pizza and I like to make it at home. Something I’ve noticed the past couple times I’ve made a sauce though is that it ends up bitter and acidic. Jeff Varasano has what is probably the most comprehensive review of making pizza at home and on his site he talks about something he calls “Tomato Rinsing”: Tomato Rinsing: All cans have some bitterness. To lessen this I have developed a process that I call Tomato Rinsing. Read more

I recently ordered some books – The French Laundry Cookbook, Irreligion and In Defense of Food – and they shipped the other day! How very exciting. The main bit in this order is The French Laundry Cookbook. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled on The French Laundry At Home blog, specifically the entry on Maine Lobster Pancakes with Pea Shoot Salad and Ginger-Carrot Emulsion and thought to myself, “self, you have to make that. Read more

Since foie gras is being banned in cities across the country, foodies need a new delicacy. Today I introduce that delicacy: reverse foie gras.

I made a souffle last night. It was fun and exciting and went better than I expected: I also made some bananas foster, which were delightfully good. Sadly, I don’t have a photo of the flaming saute pan.

Kerri and I had dinner at La Carreta at the Colony Mill in Keene, NH tonight. They bill themselves as “authentic Mexican” and, for central New Hampshire, it is (although it doesn’t hold a candle to La TaQueria La Mexicana here in Somerville). I had a plate with a cheese enchilada, a bean burrito and a cheese, bean and lettuce chalupa. It was very very good. The food is more Americanized than La TaQueria but, by American standards it was very authentic. Read more