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TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2003 link
I used up the last of my Christmas duck confit last night, in a dish of cassoulet. I used this slow-cooker recipe (sort of*) from the New York Times. It was delicious - when September rolls around, I'll have to hit up my parents for another batch of confit - but I don't think it should be called cassoulet.
In my mind, one of the defining aspects of cassoulet is that lovely, fat-soaked top-crust of breadcrumbs. The NYT recipe suggests putting the cooked cassoulet into a baking dish, sprinkling with breadcrumbs, and baking for 15 minutes to turn the breadcrumbs brown. I don't think this is any substitute for the transformation that the breadcrumbs go through after being baked slowly for three or four hours while soaking up broth from below and being drizzled with duck fat above. When I had cassoulet n Carcassonne the crust was so thick, solid, and crunchy that the waiter cracked it with two spoons, and pork-and-thyme-scented steam rushed into our noses. Amazing.
That being said, the slow-cooker version is nice because you don't have to pay attention to it. And really, nothing beats a slow-cooker for cooking beans.
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MONDAY 24 MARCH 2003 link
The early asparagus this year was a treat, and now there's green garlic. Spring has officially arrived. We've been having a green garlic fest around our house - last night was cabbage with green garlic, the night before was lamb marinated in rosemary and green garlic. I made some pasta with asparagus, green garlic, snap peas, and Meyer lemon - that was a good one. I put green garlic in my omelettes, in my tofu, under the skin of a chicken before I roast it.
Strawberries are here, too, and the Upstarts people are back at the farmer's market, so it's time to start some tomatoes. My tarragon is just beginning to poke a few leaves up above the ground, and so are my chives. And the sun's setting later - Catherine got to stay in the water until 6:30 last night.
I don't mind when winter begins, but I'm always glad when it ends.
END-OF-WINTER PASTA WITH GREEN GARLIC AND VEGETABLES
Make this sauce while the pasta is cooking. Reserve some of the salted pasta-cooking water to toss with the sauce at the end.
3 T. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 stalks green garlic, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
10-12 stalks asparagus, sliced thinly at an angle
2 big handfuls sugar snap peas, de-stringed and cut in thirds
zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
2 T. butter
cooked pasta of your choice (I like angel hair, because it cooks so quickly)
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
asiago, Parmesan, or romano cheese
Sauté the onion in the olive oil until it's beginning to soften, about 4-5 minutes then add the green garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the asparagus and cook for two minutes, then add the snap peas and lemon zest. Season slightly with salt (remember that you're adding some salty pasta water at the end), and cook, stirring frequently, until the peas are just barely beginning to soften - you want them slightly crunchy, but not raw. Add the butter and lemon juice to the pan, then toss with the hot pasta and reserved pasta water. Check for seasoning. Serve with cheese, if you like, and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Serves 2.
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THURSDAY 20 MARCH 2003 link
"826 Valencia helps students, age 8-18, with their writing skills, in the realm of creative writing, expository writing, or English as a second language."
From Review of the Chocolate Chip Cookies by Jackson Galan, Age 13:
Homemade cookies tend to be a lot better than the store-bought kind, and this is a classic example [...] but in a tight spot, Chips Ahoy! wouldn’t be a bad snack.
Read Galan's review, and learn more about the program. If you live in San Francisco, it sems like a great place to volunteer. (Hey Jennifer, this means you!)
826 Valencia is also the site of the city's only pirate-supply store. Just in case you need a spyglass, some rope, or a handful of lard, now you know where to go.
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THURSDAY 13 MARCH 2003 link
We just got back from a trip to Anaheim. We went for work, but we also went to Disneyland - OF COURSE. I love Disneyland. It really is the happiest place on Earth, even if they took down the sign that said so.
We got to eat at the Blue Bayou! I've wanted to eat there ever since I was little. If you don't know what it is, for some crazy reason, it is the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean.
The food wasn't bad. I had very low expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised. However, since it's inside the park, they don't serve alcohol. I'm (temporarily!) not drinking wine right now, so that didn't effect my dinner one way or the other, but for anyone else eating there... Wine would have been nice to cut the richness of the food. There are some healthier choices, but it's also a red meat or cream sauce kind of place. Here's the menu. On the whole, I'd recommend lunch over dinner - not as overpriced.
The real reason to go to the Blue Bayou is the atmosphere. My favorite thing about Disneyland (as an adult) is the attention to detail. There are crickets chirping, fireflies dancing, and the moon drifts in and out of the clouds. That's right, folks, the moon. No matter what time of day it is outside, at the Blue Bayou it's always a sultry moonlit Louisiana evening. Chinese paper lanterns are strung above the tables, and wisteria drapes the balcony of the house behind you. My favorite thing about Disneyland (as an adult) is the attention to detail. There's so much to look at, who cares so much about the food? (And yes, this is the only time you're every going to hear me saying that.)
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