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Dust off the idols, give them something to eat
It was a good Thanksgiving. We had a tsunami of relatives on Wednesday, but the last two days straight in the kitchen paid off: day before yesterday, the pumpkin tagine, the mushroom-and-spinach panade, the pumpkin-and-ginger rice pudding, and the second apple pie; yesterday, the clementine-jícama salad, the sautéed endive, escarole, and frisée, and the fruit gratin with Calvados and mascarpone. The lemon-rosemary green beans and the hazelnuts pan-fried with sage went by the wayside as either superfluous or out of time, since the turkey finished roasting a full hour ahead of schedule (when does that happen?), but I don't think they were missed. My hair did not catch fire again.1 Tristen ran round the kitchen all afternoon as I cooked and did not catch fire, either. David and his older daughter dropped by after dinner on their way back from the latest Harry Potter; Eric, Ron, and Eddy came for dessert. Today I took Tristen to the Museum of Science; he particularly seemed to like Mathematica and the Omni film about whales. On the way home, we stopped into Curious George's in Harvard Square and I bought him a book of horse myths and folktales. He was telling me a story he wants to write about a child who's a mandrake and how to get them to stop screaming. I think his grandparents are taking him to Maine tomorrow.
I am enjoying not having to speak to anyone and not having to chop anything up.
1. Which it did on Wednesday. First time in my life. I keep my hair stuffed down the back of my shirt when around a lot of open flame, but a hank slipped out as I turned away from the burners and I lost three inches before I could put it out. The burnt ends will need to be trimmed further, which still upsets me to think about. It is not a cooking practice I recommend. But it could have been so much worse, and since the tagine came out fantastically, I shall count my hair as a sort of sacrifice toward its success.
I am enjoying not having to speak to anyone and not having to chop anything up.
1. Which it did on Wednesday. First time in my life. I keep my hair stuffed down the back of my shirt when around a lot of open flame, but a hank slipped out as I turned away from the burners and I lost three inches before I could put it out. The burnt ends will need to be trimmed further, which still upsets me to think about. It is not a cooking practice I recommend. But it could have been so much worse, and since the tagine came out fantastically, I shall count my hair as a sort of sacrifice toward its success.
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Turkeys FREQUENTLY cook in less time than expected, in my experience: especially if you buy something other than the standard frozen Butterball...
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Next year in . . . wherever?
Turkeys FREQUENTLY cook in less time than expected, in my experience: especially if you buy something other than the standard frozen Butterball...
Traditionally we buy our turkeys from Wilson Farm; they are not frozen butterballs and they take at least an hour over the estimated time. (Last year it was something like two hours and my brother almost shivved me with a fork.) This year we got a free-range turkey from Debra's Natural Gourmet and wham, at five-thirty it was dinner. Also, delicious.
PS: any good ideas about something spicy and savory to serve as a sidedish to roast beef, o culinary muse?Looking for something VAGUELY on the stuffing line, but not quite.
I'd do something with spiced-curried fruit and rice or couscous, myself, but chestnuts might also work as a base. Were you thinking spicy-astringent like horseradish or spicy-medieval like nutmeg?
(I also just thought of various dishes with sweet potato.)
I'm slow: how do you feel about things like lemon and fennel?
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More like "Some year in Greater Boston".
and wham, at five-thirty it was dinner.
Ah yes. For future reference: free-range 'uns seem to do that for some reason.
Were you thinking spicy-astringent like horseradish or spicy-medieval like nutmeg?
Grace was thinking something fruity; I'm not sure, myself, but would like some cinnamon or something. I like lemon, though I think fennel might be a bit odd with beef. (Quite like it in other contexts).
...I think we're both looking for something a bit like cranberry-and-horseradish relish, but not with cranberries, matched to roast beef and yorkshire pudding, and more of a sidedish in itself than just a garnish. (Hence why I was thinking about chestnuts). Couscous might work. I don't care for sweet potatoes, personally.
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Figured, but good to know.
...I think we're both looking for something a bit like cranberry-and-horseradish relish, but not with cranberries, matched to roast beef and yorkshire pudding, and more of a sidedish in itself than just a garnish. (Hence why I was thinking about chestnuts). Couscous might work. I don't care for sweet potatoes, personally.
Could you do a sort of marmelade or chutney? Seville oranges are tart and not cranberries.
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I like that he sees a panel from a bestiary reproduced on a wall and next thing has a story for it.
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There is; I got it out of Gourmet.
If you have an e-mail address, I'll send it to youNever mind, everything is already on the internet.no subject
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Yes! I'm waiting eagerly for the November CD.
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In other news, did you hear of Before Pythagoras: The Culture of Old Babylonian Mathematics? I'm thinking I need to go at some point when I'm in the city. It's only on until 17 December; I wish I'd heard of it sooner.
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I'm glad to hear it all went so splendidly. In other news, we have at least one working computer in the house now, so I can send you pictures of you interacting with your godchild. :)
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There should be photographs. My mother got a new digital camera for the holidays, so she was practicing with it as we cooked.
In other news, we have at least one working computer in the house now, so I can send you pictures of you interacting with your godchild.
Please do!