Dinner again...

So, enough of my philosophical musings. Let's talk food. 

I made dinner for four people the other night. I made: 

Risotto: Butternut Squash, Maple-Cured Bacon, Crispy Sage

Crispy Roasted Duck: Haricot Vert, Watercress, Vinaigrette

Two very simple dishes, but fairly tasty and easy to serve to many people at once. Boston in the Spring can be a bit chill, and I find duck and risotto to be optimal comfort foods. The key with duck is to let it roast for three hours on 250, allowing the fat to drain out of the skin through holes that you have poked in it. Then you raise the temperature up high (375) and let it get a little smoky (turn off the fire alarm) so that the skin crisps. I did some things wrong here, so learn from my mistakes. First, you have to turn the duck breast side down for those three hours. In my haste to get it in the oven, I forgot this for the first hour and not enough of the fat drained out. So, not crispy enough. Second, I couldn't make up for this mistake when I turned up the temp. because I allowed some of the fat to drip down to the bottom of the oven. That's a real problem, because duck fat burns at low temperatures, and smokes a lot. Also, you must have the duck directly on a rack if you don't have a proper roasting pan, or nothing will ever get crispy because it will roast in its own juices. Now, no one was complaining about the duck, but these are things that can be prevented. 

Risotto has a pretty good wow factor, partially because you can't make it ahead. If you have an open kitchen, you can mingle and make your risotto while your guests enjoy cocktails and marvel at your culinary prowess :) My risotto needed more butter and half and half at the end. This makes a world of difference. As it was, my risotto got a bit too gloppy, and much less smooth than I prefer. I also could have used a dash more stock at the end. You have to be careful about your stock, because if you use too much at the end you're going to come out with something like rice soup. If you use too little, you get the consistency of oatmeal. You have to taste it constantly to make sure you're going to reach al dente at the right moment. In short: simple concept, temperamental process. 

Now, if you want something that is easily made ahead, then you can make pasta. I make ravioli because you can roll it and cut it without the aid of a machine. That's probably my next dinner escapade. Honestly, I made so much of it not too long ago that I felt like I was becoming a one hit wonder and decided to move on to other things. However, like my defunct penchant for Lady Gaga, I feel like it might be a good time to bring back an old favorite. What should I put in my ravioli, dear readers? What delicious cheeses, vegetables, or meats can I shove into my protean pieces of pasta? Are ravioli sexy?  I welcome your commentary on this matter, as well as people willing to taste my culinary cornucopia. All right, I'm done with the alliteration. Seriously.

I bid you peace. 

Old News...

Looking over old papers, I found one from about two years ago, here in severely altered format. I was just getting out of school for the second time, and this paper was my final for the English Capstone course. Hopelessly confident and idealistic, I wrote it on ethical and moral contingency in Iain Pears The Dream of Scipio, a book I still return to even now to remind myself of my ethical process.  


Reading this paper again, I find I have become far more cynical in the past two years than even Iris Murdoch, who writes:  


"Good is mysterious because of human frailty, because of the immense distance which is involved. If there were angels they might be able to define good but we would not understand the definition. We are largely mechanical creatures, the slaves of relentlessly strong selfish forces the nature of which we scarcely comprehend. At best, as decent persons, we are usually very specialized . We behave well in areas where this can be done fairly easily and let other areas of possible virtue remain undeveloped...the self is a divided thing and the whole of it cannot be redeemed any more than it can be known" (Murdoch, The Sovereignty of Good, 89).


Now I'm a little older, a little less wide-eyed, this reads truer than it ever did before. Goodness, such as it exists, is a fragile and rare thing. I thought then that it might be all the more beautiful because it happens so infrequently. The question I ask myself now is again existential and spiritual, but framed very differently. Whereas in my paper I saw the Good as glorious because of its mysteriousness, as good because of its nearly unreachable place in the sun (see the Allegory of the Cave), I now see it as opaque and unattainable: a world of darkness punctuated only by haphazard flashes of insight and selflessness. How do we find salvation when so much of our capacity to do good is outside our control?

The only light I can find here is the same one that Murdoch and Pears find: we invariably sacrifice to protect and nurture the things we love (or think we love) whether or not that seems right. Now, often the thing we love is ourselves, or a figment, or an outright lie, but nonetheless it is nearly always out of a kind of love that we act. Does it suffice then, that we act on occasion out of love for the other? Is that enough to save us (and I don't mean 'save us' only in the protestant Christian sense, in terms of personal salvation, but more in terms of palpable communities and relationships)? I don't really know anymore. I know only that we could stand to talk about it more, struggle with it more, and stop being self-righteous about it.

To close, I plagiarize myself of two years ago:

"Presupposing a Platonic divinity, and thinking back on the influence of Scipio’s remarkable text, what is to keep the liberal-ironist from becoming disheartened by the implication that what an individual perceives as “the Good” may simply be the false reflection of the divine, or as also posited, the mistranslation of historical fragments? What if “the warmth and light of the sun” merely implicates us all in a lie of reflection, where all of our ethical and moral choices represent at least as much wrong as right (if not more)? At the end of the day, the ironists may find themselves racked by “resentment, fantasy, and despair. The refusal to attend may even induce a fictitious sense of freedom: I may as well toss a coin" (Murdoch, 77, 89).

If nothing else seems transparent, it seems clear that we can never afford to "toss a coin."

I bid you peace. 

So, Not so Frugal...

When a friend invited me to Craigie-On-Main for 'research,' I simply couldn't resist. Let me warn you in advance that this is not a frugal dinner. Dinner at Craigie is a sensual excess, an inspiration to the amateur chef, and a reminder that food has the power to change your life. 

Craigie specializes in fresh, organic, local food. That goes for everything from their meat to their cocktails. Their menu changes daily, dependent on the market. The list of their local farm suppliers is on the back of their menu, but you don't need to see that because you can taste it. 

Stepping into Craigie from the cold, rainy evening was like stepping into another world. With a  totally open kitchen facing the doorway, the impression was of well-controlled chaos as chefs performed their intricate dance in the tight passages between lowboys and hot fry pans. The environment was that of a bistro, with warm decorative touches amidst elegant but homey surrounds.  Tables were farther apart than at Ten Tables, giving everyone a little bit more room to have intimate conversation. 

We had, of course, the six course tasting menu. The ten course was a bit too steep, and the six is very satisfying in terms of portion size. To start (and yes, it was different than the sample menu) we had three amuse-bouche: first squid noodles with crispy roasted garlic, then house cured salmon, then fried Maine clam with squid ink. All of these were delicious, but my favorite was by far the house cured salmon, which was worth dying for. 

Second course was sashimi-grade tuna with a chili vinegar, ginger harissa, and avocado. Third was a striped bass, cooked to perfection, on a ramp sauce. Fourth was chicken leg comfit and boudin noir with a micro-green salad and poached egg. By the fifth course, I was unclear what I was eating anymore, but I knew that it was delicious. I remember eating a succulent rib and crispy pork belly and zucchini pasta in a pork ragout. 

Finally, and this needs a separate mention, I cannot begin to describe the joy and comfort of bone marrow on toast. I have had few culinary experiences that were more hedonistic, rich, and other-worldly. Served right out of the bone it came from, the marrow is silky smooth and creamy, buttery and earthy. In other words, exactly what one needs on a rainy evening. 

The meal ended with homemade sorbet as a palette cleanser, followed directly by a kind of napoleon with chocolate and a banana foam. 

Now, Craigie also has some of the better cocktails I've ever had, and they would give Gargoyles a run for their money.  I can only remember that I had the Northern Lights and St. Bruno, and both were fresh, refreshing, and properly made. That brings up the service actually, because my first drink was late arriving and therefore was immediately taken off of the bill. The service was crisp but informal, and all of the staff were attentive. We were left to finish our meal in peace (one of my pet peeves is when wait staff try to take my plate before I'm done with it or otherwise pester me). 

Well, I'm smitten with this place, but I won't be able to afford it again for another year. Here's to eating! 

I bid you peace. 

Nailin' Palin...

I don't really want to talk much about Sarah Palin, but I ran into the Weekly Dig's winning protest cover for the event. Check it out. They are right about the WTF appeal and the clean design. And yes, there was a porn of the same title (Nailin' Palin) developed during the last presidential campaign. I have no idea how I know this. No, really, I don't remember. 


What morons these people are. No wonder they've become so popular. 

When I Began...

I was looking back over some old blog posts from when I began, and as I recall, I had some lofty goals when I started. I've tried to stay focused, but I have lost my way a few times. My promise to you is that we'll talk more about food in the future. Mostly, I'd like to talk more about making food at home. After all, that's the most frugal living there is. 


Some of you have been complaining that I don't make enough food. My response is that, this summer, I will cook you all under the table. In fact, I'll do you one better friends: I will begin posting instructional video of yours truly making delicious food so that I can share it (figuratively) with all of you. Isn't that good of me? 


Soon....just let me get through the rest of the semester?

Jamie Oliver Continued...

Hulu - Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 4 - Watch the full episode now.

I can't tell you to watch this show enough. Everything this man is doing is bringing people closer to eating good, healthy food again. No matter what McDonald's, or any other chain does, they will never be able to say that they support the health of this country like Oliver's Food Revolution is doing for the children and community of Huntington, WV.

Also, and I can't believe that I've never posted this before, here's the website for the national Slow Food movement. I encourage you to support it. This is about utilizing local agriculture to make delicious local and culturally specific foods that we may otherwise lose because of big agribusiness. Find out for yourself who your local and sustainable farmers are and support them! This is the way to make this kind of food affordable for everyone and support small farms that care about the foods they are producing.

As Boston and its surrounds start to move into the growing season, I'll be producing a series on these farmers, farmers markets, and food cooperatives that you can join. Keep reading, folks!

I bid you peace.

If I Ate Food...

3-Year Vintage Gouda has become all the rage around here. I don't know if suddenly someone discovered that it was delicious and decided it was worth exporting, or what, but it is (delicious) and I love it. Not much more expensive than Manchego, and even stronger, it has everything you want from a cheese designed to stand up to the heaviest of red wines. And it did (stand up) to a scrumptious Chateaux Montelena (2006). Lovely.

That's all I've got. Oh wait..http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/go_fug_yourself/2010/04/fm2010_winner_video.html#more
I never want to hear a word from Kanye again. Damn you Kanye! Your music is so catchy, but you're such an ass! Anyway, your gf looks ridic.

Laters...

Me.

Hulu - Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 3 - Watch the full episode now.

This show seems to have the right idea about changing the social environment through food:

Hulu - Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 3 - Watch the full episode now.

I remember my own cafeteria experiences at school as being some of the worst food experiences of my life. The problem of food for our children is real, and prevalent, and highlights the problem with factory-farmed and over-processed food: it kills people. Lots of people. This adds a new urgency to the mission of the this blog. The enjoyment of fresh food is not simply a hedonistic pleasure, an extra to be enjoyed by the few. Fresh foods are vital to life, health, and well-being, and should be something that every child in America has access to. There's a lot at stake, and Oliver is fighting against the entrenched propaganda of decades, an entire way of life based around the idea that it is all right to feed children bad food.