Stop Taking Pictures of My Dinner!

New England Fish Chowda.

"Stop taking pictures of my dinner!" exclaimed the Sous Chef who is usually most convivial, however today was a bit under the weather and therefore testy. At about 1:00 pm EST he registered an official "request" for fish soup. Now, "fish soup" could mean anything; bouillabaisse, bisque, stew, cioppino, pho...... Bad attitudes aside, and being a native New Englander, I took pity on him and whipped up an authentic fish chowder, uh- I mean, Chowda. The Sous Chef's all-time favorite seafood joint "S.S. Lobster" in Fitchburg Massachusetts may be a whopping 201 miles away, but nonetheless, I embraced the spirit of things and cooked this up in a t-shirt that says "World Class Maine Lobster Captain. Eat Me if You Dare".

Tip of the Day

* I strongly recommend against adding elk sausage of any sort to turkey melts.

American Pie-dol

In the spirit of the good ol' US of A and the unwavering "patriotism" of FOX TV and all its glorious affiliate stations, I decided to make something uh, American.

Behold! Curry Chicken Pot Pie.

Well, I guess it's American minus the curry. That funny looking thing on the left is a Pillsbury Golden Layer Homestyle Biscuit ®. I KNOW I know; ever since the English Muffin post last week, things have taken a less-than-gourmet turn. I blame last night's season premiere of American Idol. Every year it brings out the bumpkin in me. I should be more embarrassed about this, but I'm not. The rest of the pie was built from scratch and pretty gosh darn delicious -- resplendent with a lovely golden curry and chock full of parsnips, peas, onions, carrots and celery! I don't want to be hasty in my judgment, but folks, this pot pie is going straight to Hollywood.

Riz-o-toe

I am the Sous Chef and this is Lobster, basil, avocado Risotto. Not the most sumptuous pic, I know. We learned tonight that lobster stock (which smells like a sweet blend of bad breath and smelly socks) can keep frozen for 6 months! That said, and with a frozen lobster tail just waiting for its debut, we made Risotto. Uhhh, bon appetit!?! Trust me, it was good.

You Be the Judge

Oh I'd say about 5 weeks ago we purchased this lovely link of chorizo from the terrific Bedford Cheese Shop. Rather than eat it right away, we opted to dangle it artfully from a hook in our kitchen wall ala Italian Salumeria. It looked pretty great up there. I had visions of making its final resting place a perfectly golden, saffron-laced paella. But then it was Christmas... and we made a prime rib roast... and then it was New Years Eve.... and we ordered Thai take out.... And well, we completely forgot about the chorizo. Until tonight. When we realized it was uh, dripping some sort of unidentified liquid. Maybe "sweating" is a better way to describe this particular phenomenon. As a general rule, anytime a food item starts to behave actively on its own (i.e. grow fuzz, implode, ooze, etc.) I tend to feel like that is a really good time to part ways. However, with something like chorizo that is already dried and cured... I'm not sure what to think. My sous-chef thinks it is "probably fine".... You be the judge.

His and Hers Midnight Snacks

What do normal people do after midnight on an average Saturday? Go to bars and chill out with their friends? (Well, technically we did that earlier) No! They make snacks!

Green Olive Tapenade (His)...

We decided to resurrect an amazing green olive tapenade recipe that singlehandedly carried us through the holiday season. My sous-chef took the reins on this one. Quite splendidly I might add. Made with seasoned spanish green olives, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, capers, thyme and a touch of dijon mustard. Served best with toasted bread, crackers, or my favorite-- stuffed into cherry tomatoes!

Chocolate Souffle (Hers)...

A delicate cloud of bittersweet chocolate rose up and floated into her mouth, a spectacular velvet haze of endorphin-laced euphoria. A single raspberry tumbled off the spoon and onto the plate. She plucked it up as if she were four years old again and standing barefoot in her lavender cotton dress, collecting raspberries from the patch behind her grandparents house.....

Magnifique!

The Eternal Breakfast

Pictured: Last night's dinner-- Cilantro and Ginger Salmon Cake with Tomato and Garlic Salsa.

I ate three English Muffins today. Why, you might ask? The short answer is that I was trying to eat stuff is was already in the house to be economical. The more accurate answer is that I was painting and still in my pjs and well, lazy. So I ate three English Muffins (not all at once). I suppose there are worse things that I could have binged on (doritos, chocolate covered pretzels, marshmallow peeps, etc.). As I was chewing the last toasted, golden, buttery goodness of my third and final EM of the day it made me realize how fantastic EM's are and it got me thinking... What would I eat if I knew it was the last meal I'd eat for a while (I'm not going to say my last meal ever because well, I don't want to be morbid-- this is a blog about quiche after all. I generally want to keep things light and fluffy). However, there was even a book that came out recently that interviewed a bevy of world-renowned chefs and asked them what they would choose for their "last meal on earth"-- Krispy Kreme donuts, cheeseburgers and oysters were at the top of the list... So I started mentally assembling my final, perfect meal. I came up with the winning trifecta: an English Muffin drenched in butter, accompanied by 2 over-medium eggs and a sausage patty. and I'm not talking about hand-formed all natural sausage either. I want the frozen, brown coaster-sized, factory-pressed disc of "sausage". Call it a guilty pleasure. Call me what you will. I do hail from a postage-stamp sized town in the Diner mecca of central Massachusetts so maybe that is from whence this all stems. I make no apologies.

However, in the spirit of the culinary arts, I will provide you with a recipe for homemade english muffins. If you try them out let me know! I will be waiting by the toaster with my trusty orange and white package of 6, neatly stacked. I can resist neither nooks nor crannies.

English Muffins Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show: Good Eats Episode: The Muffin Man

1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon shortening 1 cup hot water 1 envelope dry yeast 1/8 teaspoon sugar 1/3 cup warm water 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted Non-stick vegetable spray Special equipment: electric griddle, 3-inch metal rings, see Cook's Note*In a bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, shortening, and hot water, stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until yeast has dissolved. Add this to the dry milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with vegetable spray. Using #20 ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork and serve. *Cook's Note: Small tuna cans with tops and bottoms removed work well for metal rings.