Oh, hello. Yes, I've been a tad distracted, what with turning 25, producing this and, oh yes, getting this to this guy.The whole working-two-jobs thing really changed my relationship with cooking for a little while, where remembering to put a yogurt and Lara bar in my bag before work was a serious culinary achievement and our social eating as a couple became centered on event-ish dinners out (mmmmMMomofuku in all its incarnations - not that there's anything wrong with that). The first visit back to Hostessland called for baby steps.
After inviting the lucky and adorable couple, my lovely friend Marlene and her boyfriend David, I immediately forgot the date and agreed to work during the day on that Saturday. I now had 2 hours of prep time -- this is where clever menu planning comes in.
Criteria: something warm and wintry without being heavy or requiring hours of attention. Something elegant and pretty without being fussy. Impressive but can be assembled in two hours.
Solution: Two small roasted chickens with herbs, basted with lots of stock and white wine; pretty rainbow carrots roasted whole in the pan, and my new favorite secret weapon: celery root puree.
I put a little cream in the puree because I had it, but honestly it is so sweet and creamy to begin with you don't need it, or perhaps a little milk to soften it in the blender. J cubed the celeriac, I boiled it & covered to keep warm, and blended right before serving.
The best part? Marlene, who is German, informed us with a blush that at home, they have a special name for celeriac: "Stehpimmelsalat" -- steh=stand, pimmel=penis, salat=salad". Translation: "Boner Salad" for its enhancing properties! What more can you ask from such an ugly vegetable?
Also, an elegant salad to start from Heidi. I only had red beets on hand so it ended up being predominantly red and a little tart, but it's kind of pretty that way. I bet this would be good with a little strong cheese crumbled on.
And: Chocolate Bourbon bundt cake from Orangette. Turns out the part about releasing it from the pan before comletely cool is no joke. I left it overnight. The ensuing tug-of-war resulted in a mangled top surface. Not to be daunted, I remembered that necessity is the mother of chocolate ganache (cream + chocolate? really?), and sure enough, the hot mess of cake was seriously improved by a shiny layer of satiny chocolate sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar (but what isn't?). The sugar gets me every time: rustic but so pretty. This cake is boozy and delicious.
Oh right, I love cooking for people! Moral: it's all about picking the right menu and half the work is done.
