Upscale Dining

This weekend I came upon something very special in my cellar, a 2006 Sutter Home cabernet sauvignon.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last of its kind.  Despite its rarity, I twisted off the screw-top on the small bottle for my friends, because they deserve the best.  I always try to bring something special to the table when entertaining.

The cab is just what I need to make onion gravy for the popular peasant dish, Toad in the Hole.  Not to be confused with eggs in a basket, toad in the hole is a dish of sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter.  It's very Brittish and can be very bland, but with the proper ingredients and care, it can be an inexpensive hit dish at brunch.

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Please Sir, I Want Some More

I haven't had many cooking opportunities lately, but I've also been quite lazy.  I could make good food, or pay someone to make great food--and handle the cleanup.  Tough choice.  To force myself back into the kitchen, I promise my girlfriend's mother that I will start cooking for her daughter again.  That's a promise this Boy Scout can't break.

Now I find myself in a small kitchen--in which I cannot lay across on the ground if desired--armed with a cast iron skillet, a pot, and a recently acquired ceramic knife (butter knives weren't cutting it anymore), staring at my hungry belle.   I miss my Japanese steel and French pans, but I remember that it is I who does the cooking, not them.  Of course a 10" Classic Shun Chef Knife slices more gracefully than the bright orange (assumed sharp) toy laying in front of me; a Staub dutch oven performs great unseen magic during slow braises deep in the oven; and having more heavy bottomed pans than burners is completely necessary for a cook raised with the 'be prepared' mantra--but being a good cook is often about ingenuity, and sometimes sacrificing presentation for flavor.

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Someone's Bitter

Updated on Monday, March 2, 2009 at 12:00PM by Stash

Snow, you bitter mistress, where did you come from?  You were nowhere to be seen at three this morning.  Now it's absurdly early, and not only are you falling, but you've already laid a base coat on the ground.

Delta calls.  Flight is cancelled tomorrow.  Snow in Atlanta too?  She isn't just bitter, she's freaking pissed.  I remember Atlanta as a place where I could go swimming, and while still in the pool, my hair be completely dried out by the sun, which would leave a disgusting, sticky chlorine residue behind.  Never thought they'd get snowed out.

An extra day at home will be appreciated.  Can't remember the last Monday I was in town.  Good thing is, at the risk of having leftovers, I can cook tonight.  Just have to figure out what.

This would be a good day for one of those one pot meals- one of those things people call 'comfort food.'  Not exactly my specialty, especially in this region, but I want something filling, that just sits in my stomach warm.  I want to be able to feel that sensation long after the meal.

No time for hippie substitutes or even white meat.  Need fat- need sausage.  It's a great ingredient that leaves delectable bits behind that will greatly enhance everything else in the pot.  Sausage goes great with fennel-  most Italian sausages are seasoned with fennel seeds.  Dried cranberries always contribute to a wonderful wintry mix.  Get a carbohydrate in the pot and I'm done.

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