9.15.2010

For the next few weeks, I suggest you eat a lot of tomatoes.  It will be months and months before they are worth eating again.


sliced with a pinch of salt
BLT
bacon, arugula, tomato quiche   
Caprese salad
French Tomato Tart
barely roasted cherry tomatoes
corn chips and fresh salsa
Hoosier Mama Summer bounty handpies (green city market)
gazpacho
bruschetta

Or can some tomato sauce right now and open it in January when you've had it with roasted root vegetables.

9.08.2010

Remembering Bastille Day

An impromptu barbecue or game night can be a great time, but a real party with decorations, food and drinks to match the occasion can be ridiculous and awesome. In planning Kris' Bastille Day birthday party, I enlisted the help of some kiddos I know to make French flags for a garland and to hang all over the apartment (as well as on the building's door to direct friends to our new place).


Kris bought and our friends brought a ton of great records, some French and some funk by request. 


We drank too much French wine and beer.


We ate: five kinds of cheese, crackers, radishes and cucumbers with salted whipped butter, baguettes, ham and gruyere palmiers, blackberries, heirloom tomatoes...


When I attempted to stack my croquembouche, the party-goers insisted on an inalienable right to immediately consume the cream-filled dark chocolate ganache covered profiteroles.   I quickly abandoned the plan and retreated from the plate of pastries to avoid these dessert radicals.


(Super Easy!) Profiteroles:
Ruhlman's pate a choux ratio
Whipped heavy cream, a vanilla bean, a few teaspoons of sugar
Dark chocolate melted with heavy cream, 2 drops of almond extract