Cookbooks & Dreams
April 7th 2009 20:31
Category: No Category
Just a Sampling
Today is the day I decided to clean out and dust all my books, not just my cook books, but the whole lot which isn't small bunch, nor is it the largest library around, probably numbering somewhere in the mid to high hundreds, books that is. Cook books, I just finished counting and I have exactly 137, not counting magazines I've kept over the years because of their recipes, you know the ones Bon Appetit, Gourmet, that type.
Now you'd think that with 137 cook books around the house I'd manage to find a recipe I'd want to use sometimes, but strangely I rarely do. I love reading recipes, just sit down with a good cook book, a cup of tea, and a warm dog curled up next to me and I can spend a cold winter day dreaming the day away about fresh vegetables, exotic fruits, the best of shell fish, and all the wonderful spices in the world with which to enhance them and bring out their best flavors.
To actually use one of those recipes, well, that's rare. I do note, to myself, the ingredients that are used in conjunction with different foods, the spices and herbs that are blended together with the dishes and they are frequently my inspiration when cooking. It is from cook books that I learned that paprika goes well in more than stews and with more than beef. A cookbook taught me that ginger root, grated can be used in hot drinks and that sage has more uses than just with fowl.
Many a time I regret that as a young woman I didn't know there were culinary colleges that I could have gone to and learned my trade as a chef. I would have loved that, when I was younger and stronger and had the ability to spend 12 hours a day, or more, at work. But as I reach my 60's this is not a reality that I can at this time achieve, I wish it was, but alas it's not. So, I spend some of my time dreaming up menus with a friend who did go to culinary school, who can call herself a trained cook, if not yet a chef. We come up with wonderful meals, none of which we can afford, but what we'd serve if we had a restaurant. We'd do this after perusing cook books together. Weird way to spend a Saturday, but sometimes you just have to dream.
If we had a restaurant we'd have a fixed menu each night, a fixed price, wine included with dinner, the exception to the menu's fixed price would be cocktails. There would be two choices of appetizers, two of soup, fish course, main course, salad and dessert would depend on the main course. The appetizers, soup and fish would depend on which main course was chosen, each course would have it's appropriate wine, and after dessert we would serve cheese and fruit, perhaps instead of dessert.
An example, simple, menu:
Appetizer - Escargot w/ crisp French bread, though this dish has a great deal of garlic we would offer a crisp white wine with it; Second choice - Pate' (Chicken liver) also served with toast points, finely minced onion and a dollop of fresh horseradish sauce, this would also come with a very crisp and cool white wine.
Between: Fresh Lemon Sorbet (sorbets to cleanse the palette)
Soup - First choice would be a clear soup with beef broth with a sprig of fresh rosemary and freshly chopped chives served with a Zinfandel; second would be a cold soup like a gazpacho served with a White Zinfandel
Between: Fresh Lime Sorbet
Fish Dish - First fresh Trout with sweet butter and toasted almonds served with a white perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc; Second would be Ahi Tuna, sered, with a balsamic vinaigrette, served with Sparkling White wine.
Between: Fresh raspberry sorbet
Main Courses - Pepper Crusted Pork Loin, quickly sered then grilled over apple wood, served with roasted potatoes, fresh green beans and a hearty Pinot Nior; second would be Roasted Rosemary Stuffed Chicken served with fresh baby carrots and baby bok choy and whipped buttery potatoes, this would be served with a White Burgundy
Desserts - With the pork meal we would serve a light dessert of lavender mouse with a vanilla sauce; the chicken would have a vanilla wafer layered with fresh whipped chocolate cream, another wafer, a layer of mocha cream and another wafer, all drizzled with chocolate sauce. Both desserts are served with the appropriate Sauterne or Champagne
Or
instead of a formal desset a choice of cheeses and fresh fruit served with coffee and liquours or Champagne would be offered.
| 39 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Janice M Cali
I and Me
Just Writing
Sorry for the omission.