Adapting

It wasn't me who soaked dad!!!I have a whole new routine now.  Instead of coming home from work, pouring a glass of wine, and preparing an involved, gourmet meal, my day now revolves around the boy's schedule which understandably leaves very little time to cook.  It's amazing how exhausting our days can be, even though our big adventures are usually our walk around our neighborhood or maybe meeting a girlfriend for lunch.  We all look forward to bath time.   The boys love the water and the chance to soak mom and dad.  The other night I was dangling Alex's toes in the lovely warm water, when dad asked me a question.  I turned, still holding the super soaker, I mean Alex.  He took aim and sprayed the wall, the roll of toilet paper, and dad.  It was very, very funny. 

As part of my new routine, after the boys go to bed (hence the reason why I like bathtime) I get to cook our dinner.  It usually still involves a glass of wine and a gourmet meal, but with a lot less effort.

We have been eating  a lot of grilled fish this summer. Grilled Halibut with Meyer Lemons, Rosemary, and ThymeThe most important trick to grilling fish is to oil the grate before you cook.  That way the fish doesn't stick to the grate.  Secondly, don't overcook the fish!  This sounds simple, but it is very, very easy to do.  My advice is to take a glass of wine outside by the grill and just watch the fish.  Pretend that the piece of fish is a pancake--when the top of the piece of fish starts to turn opaque around the edges, flip it.  Cook on the second side for 3-4 minutes until the second side is marked with clear grill marks.  The overall cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish and the temperature of the grill.  My favorite fish to grill are snapper (it's thin, so it will cook quickly), salmon (I marinated a couple of salmon steaks in Toigo orchards bourbon apple bbq sauce.  It was yummy), and halibut.

And now I'm off to go bathe the kids!

The Demise of Gourmet

I was pretty surprised today to learn that Conde Nast will no longer publish Gourmet magazine.   As of October 20th, instead of browsing through the articles about food and cooking, you can read "Details Magazine," a new magazine that Conde Nast is launching which advertises, "More Celebs.  More Styles.  More Douchebags."  Seriously.  I'm not joking.  

I am not a subscriber to Gourmet, although I have purchased the magazine on occasion.  However, I hope that this closure doesn't harken the end of the food magazine.   One reporter, who clearly has not heard about the newest exciting addition to the Conde Nast family, speculated that Gourmet is ceasing publication after 68 years because more people get their recipes on line.  While this may be true, and as a blogger there is a part of me that hopes this is true, this commentary misses the point of food magazines.  Food magazines aren't simply about the recipes.  It's about about looking at the pictures, reading about new ingredients, and learning about new chefs and restaurants.  Above all else, it's about inspiring cooks to create new dishes and be passionate about food.

Gourmet Magazine, rest in peace.  I hope that Klutz in the Kitchen will survive for half as long!

Life is Good

What can I say? I’m sitting outside, sipping a rum swizzle, listening to the melodious harmonies of tree frogs, blowing smoke rings, and watching the moonlight sparkle off the clear Bermudan waters. Maybe I’ve had one too many swizzles, but I am also watching a boat with four shadowy figures on board coast through the inlet with its lights off…Images of “The Beach” come to mind, but unfortunately Leonardo DiCaprio is nowhere to be found….

Medallions of Veal With Gran Marnier ReductionAnyway, a lot of my friends ask me how I come up with recipes. It is a process based off of my own experiments and shamelessly “borrowing” the work of others. I love to read cookbooks, but I hate to follow recipes. I use them for ideas, however I hardly ever follow a recipe word for word. I often cook what I crave (good thing for my regular dining companions, my husband and my brother, I’m not pregnant) or what I have readily available. For example, on Tuesday, I wanted to cook something high in protein, i.e. meat, but something I had in my freezer so I didn’t have to make a separate trip to the grocery store. I defrosted some lovely veal medallions. I was contemplating making a lemon caper sauce, but I ran out of regular olive oil to sear the meat, and I only had blood orange infused olive oil. Orange made me think of Gran Marnier. Because it has a high sugar content and of course lots of flavor, Gran Marnier reduces into a perfect syrupy consistency, and was a lovely pairing with the veal. I had some Swiss chard in the fridge. I quickly sautéed the greens with garlic and the remainder of the unflavored olive oil, added a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, and a teaspoon of sugar and cooked until almost all the liquid was gone.

Yes. Life is good.

Easy Summer Meals

Insightful remark of the night...summer is here.  Just because it is hot outside doesn't meant you have to stop cooking, but on these hot nights I crave lighter meals.  (Ignore my posts on venison stew and the five course meals we have been eating lately).  Light doesn't mean lacking in flavor, however.  On Saturday we went to a concert and brought a picnic supper of prosciutto, mozzarella, and sun dried tomato sandwiches.  Last night we didn't have much time to prepare dinner, so I defrosted some Smithfield Farm Lamb sausages, seared them in a hot skillet, and served them with a fresh baguette, sauteed peppers and onions, and stone ground mustard.  It was easy and delicious.  Tonight we had another favorite--lemon and herb grilled trout.

Sometimes it's ok to be a glutton

Just in time for bikini weather comes two almost back to back nights of pure gluttony--dinner at Makoto in Washington, and the Culinary Institute of America's American Bounty restaurant in Hyde Park, NY.  My husband's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated at Makoto, one of the best restaurants in DC.  Dining at this Japanese restaurant is a unique experience.  Their sushi is amazing, but I highly recommend getting the complete dinner, a series of small plates that includes sushi, but for me the highlights were the other dishes.  I'll go into more detail on the restaurant review page, but I can't resist describing the first dish.  We started our meal with conch and wild mushroom soup served in a conch shell over "fire."  This  soup is traditionally cooked over a fire in Japan so it was served next to a flaming piece of blue lava. ok, I have no idea if it is really traditional or not, but I have no reason not to believe them and the flame was a completely gratuitous and enchanting accompaniment to the meal.  It just got better from there... 

I really enjoyed the meal because it was challenging.  I think that so many "gourmet" restaurants are simply variations of the same theme.  Although we had some familiar flavors at Makoto--ginger, mushrooms, avocado--there were many unfamiliar tastes.  Also, the way the flavors were mixed together was completely foreign to me.  Luckily I already hired a master chef to teach me the art of Japanese flavors.  Stay tuned for that adventure!

I am visiting my mom for the weekend which means lots of good food besides our trip to the CIA, and of course being spoiled by mom.  I can't complain.

Update on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 7:58AM by Klutz in the Kitchen

I've just been informed by the aforementioned Master Chef that he is not a Master Chef.  In fact, he is an Iron Chef.  Coming soon, Iron Chef America Battle Kitchen Klutz.  Let the battle begin!