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• Suddenly, we’re in Paris.
• The Baltic Cruise 2010: Friday and Saturday, St. Petersburg
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Strutt

”Triple tall, uhm, three-shot americano in a small cup, please?” I always feel like a dweeb when I talk Starbucks in an independent coffee shop.

“How about four shots?” She asks. “The machine makes two shots each anyway.” There’s wisdom to that.

“Yes, please.” Things are looking up. She asks for $2.86. Cheap breakfast, things are definitely looking up.

A little after 8:00 a.. ET, Kalamazoo. As usual, I didn’t sleep well. Five hours, maybe six. I started The Hunger Games last night on Kevin’s recommendation--big character surprise in the first chapter, promising.

The Strutt is right next to the hotel, and I remember dimly coming here the last time I was in town on business. I’ve got the place more or less to myself. Sting’s Sister Moon is playing in the background. The room’s pristine, and the four of us here are groggy groggy. Now, Five For Fighting, unplugged version of that superman song. Incrementally less groggy.

A half-day of meetings, then home via car. I’m looking forward to the drive, upgrading my lease was one of the better ideas of 2009. Planning a two-week stay-cation, once the Buffalo project is done. Where did the year go? 

Monday, September 28, 2009

Beef and Barley Soup, Deconstructed

Last night’s slightly schizophrenic meal was the happy convergence of three factors: the fact that I’d never made beef and barley soup before, the reality that I’ve never seen a short rib that I didn’t want to braise, and the giddy desire I had to use our new pasta/soup bowls from Sur La Table (the only thing nicer to hear than “we need new dishes” is “take them out of the household account,” so thank you, my baby P!).

I’d found a bunch of recipes, but as I looked at the short ribs (Frank from Holzkopf’s recommended them for the soup), I couldn’t see them any other way than braised--deep deep brown, fork tender, and full of the flavor of beef. I also for some reason wanted a sense of contrast: the savory of the ribs, the comforting substance of barley, and the clear taste of homemade broth simmered with carrots, celery, and onion.

The resulting meal was a composed bowl: barley moistened with a ladle of stock and topped with a braised short rib and tomatoes. Honey P. thought it was luscious, but I wasn’t as convinced. Next time, a heftier stock, and perhaps braised oxtails removed from the bone? Or perhaps a more traditional pot-au-feu. Fall in Chicago, after all, has begun…

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Method Madness

I’ve really come to love Method products. The first one I bought was their daily granite cleaner, and I was surprised by its effectiveness and its fantastic, light smell. Then I tried their laundry detergent and dryer sheets, which I also really love to use--they get clothes clean, but without the cloying smell of most fabric softener. Just tried their dishwasher tablets, more terrific results. I also like their commitment to natural products and to the environment. Pricier than traditional cleaning products, yes, but so far, worth it. 

Back to the Kitchen

A couple of times a year I end up on a project that just totally kicks my ass--week upon week of intense work during which I can barely maintain the basic routines in life. The work I’ve been doing over the last couple of months culminated in a series of three daylong presentations this past week, after which we all took a well-earned breath ... and I got back into the kitchen.

Few things make me happier than cooking, and with friends and family coming over for dinner last night, I really got the chance to play.

We started off with mini pizzas on the grill--dough I’d made and frozen a couple of weeks back, along with a sauce of roasted tomatoes from the garden, pesto (my basil’s been growing really well in the Earthbox), and mozzarella. I’m tweaking the technique, but I should be able to post my grilled pizza notes later this week (I realize that for some of us it’s the end of summer, but as the impossibly blue-eyed Whole Foods person said to me once, a real grill master isn’t deterred by rain or snow).

The main course: halibut covered in pesto and baked in a 425-degree oven (approximately 10 minutes for one-inch fillets). I’d originally planned to sear them on the stovetop and finish them in the oven, but the pieces that the fingmonger cut were so uneven that I couldn’t be sure they’d turn out well. Note to self: always ask for the pieces to be cut as equally and evenly as possible (though at $19.99/pound, they should know better).

Dessert--an apple, walnut, and peach preserves tart (Clearbrook Farms preserves courtesy of our dear Lady Barbara) finished with a little creme fraiche.

But the soup was the big hit of the night. I adapted the following recipe from a butternut squash recipe in a great article in Bon Appetit about sugar pumpkins, and I wanted to give give them a try. You’ll need two sugar pumpkins to get the necessary amount of puree (notes on puree, below):

Pumpkin, Carrot, and Apple Soup
(serves eight)

In a soup pot, warm:

2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter

Add:

2 yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt, to taste

Sweat the onions on medium-low heat until they’re soft, roughly eight minutes. Add in:

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 cups of sugar pumpkin puree
4 cups of chicken broth

Simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes, until carrots and apples are soft. Using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, process until smooth. Add in:

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon hot curry powder

Taste for seasoning, garnish with chives, and serve.

Notes on pumpkin puree: cut the sugar pumpkins in half and scoop out the seeds. Place on an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet, cut side down. Bake in a 325-degree (F) oven until soft, roughly an hour. Remove from the oven, let cool, and scoop the flesh from the peel. Chances are the flesh will be watery, in which case you should let it drain in a colander to remove the excess moisture before you puree it in a food processor or blender.

Friday, September 25, 2009

TRX Trainer, Lifesaver

I first read about this little contraption in an InFlight magazine, and I thought it might be a dependable alternative to trying to find gyms when I travel. Truth be told, the TRX Trainer just sat in my duffle bag the first two times I carried it with me. But with this last trip, I was desperate to get a couple of workouts in. And I’m really pleased to say that this thing really works. You can get a full-body workout in with 20 minutes or really work up a sweat in 60 minutes. My current favorite is the handstand pushup. And at only five pounds, it’s easy to port around. I bought the Special Forces edition (honestly, for the color), but I’ve seen the pro edition, and it’s also fairly nice.