I felt like this event was epic enough that it deserved a post. I decided to prepare a complete meal, not just a side dish, and have it ready for Elizabeth when she came home at 7:30. Please note the time on the microwave's clock -- this was taken after I'd put everything on the table. Actual time was 7:32, but it changed to the next minute when I pulled the camera out. 3 minutes is definitely considered on time for me - much better than 3 hours after the planned mealtime!
This meal was truly epic on so many levels since it involved several firsts -- first time served on time, first time using the food processor for one of Julia's recipes, first time using the mandolin/grater that Elizabeth gave me! Dinner consisted of Salmon a la Costco (same recipe that was discussed in a previous post), Gratin Savoyard, and Haricots Verts a la Maitre d'Hotel. Of course, for a beverage we enjoyed glasses of some wonderful grape juice. I'll talk about the dishems in separate posts so for now its just a teaser -- "Stay tuned, news at 11!"
All in all this was a pretty major accomplishment for me getting things done in a timely manner. For example, knowing that I'd be blanching the beans I actually thought far enough ahead to put a big ol' pot of water on the stove to start heating before I even opened the recipe book. My normal technique is to wait until I get to the part that says "boil for 15 minutes" and then think about filling the pot and finally putting it on the stove to begin heating -- yep, there goes 30 minutes or so.
The really huge time saver - guilt free food processing! Lest you feel like judging me for not being a French cooking purist and using my crazy knife skills to evenly make about 1,000 potato slices...Julia gave me permission! The trick is you need to have the right edition of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Keeping in mind that when he first edition was written in the late 1950s, Julia hadn't used a food processor since it wasn't invented yet. Lucky for me, I have a 1983 edition of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" with a personal note written to me by Julia Childs and Simone Beck (Julia's co-author). Well, it isn't exactly a personal note in the usual sense but it is the "Foreword to the 1983 Edition" which implies it is meant for me since I have the 1983 edition. They point out that many changes in kitchen equipment took place since the original writing of the book, "probably the most significant has been the appearance of the electric food processor, which has made amazingly light work out of many formerly long and arduous cooking procedures..." They also point out that non-stick pans, meat thermometers, all purpose flower, and enriched rice have made a difference. So there you have it, guilt free slicing with the gadget!! I did think of using the mandolin (to work my way up to the electric food processor) but since I needed it to slice cheese I didn't want to wash it. Of course, I ended up having to wash it anyway plus the food processor. The art of dishwashing -- maybe that's the book I should write...
I suppose using the mandolin was an accomplishment. Not new technology but it does have a lot of sharp edges and I came away with a bunch of freshly grated cheese and all ten fingertips intact! This was truly a very epic dinner -- on time, new technology, no boil overs, no injuries, no damage to the house. Oh, and it tasted really good!
Stay tuned and I'll describe the fancy sounding food in a day or two.
In the meantime,
Bon Appetit!
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