Cinnamon. Ginger. Cardamom. I'm wrapped in a blanket of warm spices. Add a pinch of saffron and you have the colour of the sun as well! The smells from this dish was absolutely intoxicating.
I was excited to see "Chicken B'stilla" on the January schedule for FFWD a few weeks back. It was a recipe that had intrigued me when I had first picked up my copy of Around My French Table and was flipping through the book.
There's nothing more comforting on a cold winter's morning than a bowl of hot, creamy oatmeal. I've had a renewed love for oatmeal in the last couple of months, and my renewed love made me nostalgic for my mom's oatmeal she used to make me as a kid.
Despite what I call this as a "cheat" gravy, it does not come from a mix. The reason I call this "cheat" gravy is because is uses fairly unorthodox ingredients in what we generally know as gravy. Soy sauce and oyster sauce? In a gravy? Yes, it sounds weird, but trust me, somehow it works.
There's nothing really healthy about this dish when you run down the ingredients list: flour, butter, full-fat milk. And this is the time of the year (post-holiday) when I really don't need more fat and carbs going to my waistline.
Yet Dorie Greenspan's recipe for "Gnocchi à la Parisienne" was intriguing and I couldn't resist but at least make a half-recipe of this French version of an Italian dumpling.
Step #1: Plan an elaborate, multi-course menu.
Creamy oyster soup for starters. A surf-and-turf-inspired main of lobster ravioli and pork ravioli. And a dessert of chocolate pear tart.
Rule #1 I've learned about making Christmas dinner: Never give your guests the option to choose. Apparently I learned the hard way when I came up with the brilliant idea to ask my brother what he wanted me to cook for Christmas dinner: turkey, duck, or goose. Naturally, he gravitated towards the one thing I have never cooked on that list.
In all honesty, I really am just yanking my brother's chain when I say that he had to make my life difficult, as I do like a good challenge in the kitchen and am always eager to try new things. Plus family always makes the best guinea pigs. I've never roasted a goose, but I thought, how much harder can it be compared to a chicken or turkey?
(Almost wordless Wednesday. I just wanted to wish all you wonderful readers out there a happy 2011! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
It's been a crazy busy last two weeks, most of which have been spent in the kitchen. Will post soon as I get back into the groove of things, but for now, happy hump day!)
Posts
All Comments
© Blogger templates 'Neuronic' by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
