(above, the table setting for Annie's birthday dinner, where I served Boeuf a la Nicoise)
Oh hi everyone. It HAS been a while, hasn't it? Okay, I admit it. I'm such a bad blogger. I'm not nearly as reliable as old standbys like Orangette or Amateur Gourmet who don't seem to have anything else going on in their lives and have all the time in the world to post about last night's dinner or the latest fabulous restaurant they went to. Although I guess Orangette has that pizza place going on, which in this economic climate sounds like a recipe for disaster (pun intended). Like seriously, how boring is that menu? Did that sound bitchy/bitter? It seems Kathy Griffin has rubbed off on me. Anyway rest assured, I am indeed okay. I did not have some sort of tragic accident that resulted in the loss of my sense of taste and I certainly have not hung my hat up on Well Fed. I also have not yet bought a new camera. I know, I know. I'm on it.
(above, a mustard and bread crumb coated boneless leg of lamb from Suzanne Goin, which I didn't post because I didn't bother to take the internal temperature and upon slicing into the middle, discovered that it was still completely raw)
So Mark and I went to go see Julie and Julia and it got me thinking about my own blog, not that I want my life turned into a movie (but if it were, I would want Ryan Reynolds to play me and Jason Statham to play Mark) So I logged on and it was actually really nice to see so many comments wondering where I was and when I'd come back. Thank you, guys. It's very flattering that you want more. I didn't start this blog for anyone but myself, as a easy to access library of recipes I'd make again, but the fact that I have readers has sort of affected the way I cook. I love hearing from people who have made a certain dish and had it turn out great and I like hearing about slight alterations readers have made to the dish. Even if I haven't been cooking, I'm glad you guys have been. And trust me, I will start posting again.
I started a new show recently which also came with a promotion and more responsibilities. It's a new series for TLC which will premiere on September 30 and is about a beauty pageant coach in Columbia, South Carolina. This job requires me to make periodic trips down south which has gotten me more than a little obsessed with barbecue, specifically the regional specialty of mustard based sauce and pulled pork. You know how I love pulled pork. A while back I made some some using a different recipe than the one I have on here for Mark's birthday. We had about 25 guests coming over for dinner. We rented a a whole mess of chairs and a couple tables which we set up end to end in the back yard. It was very Martha Stewart. In addition to the pork, I made a salad of grilled romaine with thinly sliced green apples, bacon and a smoked blue cheese dressing, potato salad with capers, caperberries and scallions, and roasted corn and barley salad with grilled endive and basil chive vinaigrette. Although it was all set up buffet style, I'd never served that many people for dinner and the fact that I pulled it off was very empowering. It also got me slightly addicted to cooking and eating outdoors.
(above, homemade pappardelle with slow- braised leeks, prosciutto, and porcini breadcrumbs from Jamie Oliver that Annie and I made but I didn't post because we overcooked the pasta and I didn't love how the process photos turned out)
Since then I've made an amazing whole chicken cooked under a brick and marinated in a combination of lemon and orange juice, olive oil and lots of red pepper flakes and pimenton as well as chicken thighs coated with a breadcrumb mixture flavored with lemon zest, lots of garlic, parsley and finely chopped anchovies. Both recipes are from the fantastic book Italian Grill by Mario Batali and both of which I promise to blog more specifically about. For a simple dinner I like to rub pork loins with a spice rub Jessica brought back from a trip to Egypt. They cook for about 7 minutes per side and the results have a nicely spiced, charred outside and a very juicy, tender middle.
Eating outside with all of our friends, a leisurely dinner that stretched well into the night, has made me want to completely re-landscape the back yard now that the kitchen is done (or almost done - the wallpaper for the breakfast room goes in next week and I STILL have to put the latches on all the doors). I want it to function like an outdoor room. I want to be able to serve at least ten people a sit-down dinner under the clear sky, surrounded by olive trees and pots of rosemary. I bought some fantastic French bistro style folding chairs and a long rustic table made from reclaimed douglas fir. I'm meeting with landscape architects and designers and once we choose one, I plan to document the process here, like how I did with the kitchen.
I think for several months I thought of this blog as a bit of a burden, to be honest. I dreaded the idea of taking pictures of the process of making a meal. Often I just wanted to get it done with so we could eat. I think I needed a break. But now I'm feeling a bit rejuvenated. I can't promise one post a week, but I will be posting. Now I just need to get that camera...