Gratin With the Girls

The boys went up elk hunting, so to celebrate a week of freedom from boy food (read: eggs, meat, whatever "hot dish" is), two of the girls and I went shopping yesterday, then made dinner and enjoyed it with three bottles of wine and their first viewing of 300. Well, 300 is admittedly not your typical "girly" movie, but if you can explain to me how several dozen attractive, goateed, mindblowingly ripped and noble men in very little clothing would NOT appeal to straight and bisexual women, I will take it under advisement. And then I will ignore you, because Gerard Butler is hot tasty goodness.

N picked up stuff to make pad thai, and it turned out awesome, even the tofu part, which is cool because I'm not usually all about tofu. But that is not what I made, so I have no idea what went into it because I was absorbed in my third glass of wine and my new game, "Restaurant Empire" while she was making it.

I made potato gratin. This one is loosely based on a potato gratin recipe in Nigella Lawson's book Feast. It is so simple and so creamy and decadent; it is seriously the epitome of a fall recipe. I made it for Supper Club in September and upon making it this second time, I've firmly decided it is a keeper!

Also, the quantities are very much by feel - it's a pretty forgiving recipe, which is great for parties where you're tired and lazy but still want to impress.

White wines are probably best with this - we drank a chardonnay and my latest wine obsession - Menage a Trois white blend from Folie a Deux. It's a fairly heavy dish and a nice bright fruity white cuts through it and keeps it from being way, way too much.

Potato Gratin

Approx. 4 lbs potatoes - I like to use about 2/3 baking potatoes and 1/3 sweet potatoes.
Approx. 4 cups liquid - Nigella specifies heavy cream, which is fine. The first time I made it, I didn't have enough heavy cream, so I used buttermilk too. This second time, I used about 2.5 cups of Straus half & half (a whole jug), and about the same amount of Straus whole milk. Both times, it's rocked.
One onion, cut in half lengthwise.
Spices of your choice - a little salt and pepper, maybe a cinnamon stick, nutmeg, bay leaves, sage - all tasty.
Cheese - Nigella does not include cheese, which is all well and good but to my mind an oversight, as cheese can only improve a dish. Anything that grates and melts well is fine - I used two cheeses the first time, but I can't remember which two, and the second time I used Beecher's Flagship. As much or as little as you like - it's just going on top.
That's all. Nice, huh?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and slice the potatoes as thin as you like. I go with some a little less than 1/4 inch and some a little more - the thinner ones will break up more, so you end up with a nice varied potato texture. Put into a pot. Put in the onion halves (this is why you cut it lengthwise, so it will stay together at the root end of each half). Put in spices. Pour in liquid. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes have a fair amount of give, and the onion is starting to fall apart, having imparted its flavor to the liquid. Then put the potatoes and the sauce into a 9x13 baking dish, removing the onion and any other whole spices or herbs. Grate the cheese over the top and pop in the oven until it is lightly browned, or until you can't wait any more and must DEVOUR IT.

More birthday surprises!

In a further celebration of birthday week, I went to the haunted house in Post Falls with several friends of mine. For $6, it was well worth it. Pitch black inside with tiny twisty pathways. I kept running into walls. I'm just glad I didn't fall down! The actors all did a great job, although I think it must be exhausting to have to scream for every group that comes through - all night. In fact, as we were exiting a room, one of the actors asked our guide to bring some water for them on his next walk through!

After we all exited, chased by chainsaw-wielding high school students (scarier than adult maniacs, that's for sure), I was asked what to do next. What could the answer be but Indian food? So we all drove back and met up at Bombay Palace for deliciousness. Three orders of garlic naan, two of plain naan, plus two chicken dishes, lamb vindaloo, and an appetizer combo, chana masala, paneer tikka masala, and aloo gobi. Yum! I have a new obsession with the paneer tikka masala. Cubes of paneer that have been baked in the tandoori oven, then cooked with a slightly spicy, rich, delicious, orange-red sauce. The sauce is nice and thin too, so it's dippable with the garlic naan, which makes my belly deeply happy. Don't get me wrong, everything else is great too, but I think the paneer tikka masala has won my heart. At least for now. It's great for when you're not as hungry, because hunger would make chana or dal a better choice (chickpeas and lentils being really quite filling and all). The cheese almost has a baked-tofu texture and the mild flavor of the cheese highlights the sauce. Then douse your rice with sauce and eat, making sure to clean the bowl with your naan. Okay, now I'm hungry again. At least I have aloo gobi leftovers in my fridge!

Birthday Surprises

For my birthday, my darling boyfriend got me an air hockey table, which he and his brother were "testing" when I returned from Greenbluff, walnuts, hazelnuts, pickled green beans, honey, cider, and pies in tow. Six of us gathered on Sunday to eat delicious chili, presided over by myself and my boyfriend's sister in law. We also baked the Golden Apple pie from Walther's Fruit Ranch. Outstanding apple pie. I opted not to taint my pie with COOL WHIP (shudder) like a couple of people did, but to each their own. I'd venture that this pie was good enough to overwhelm the nastiness of Cool Whip anyway.

As far as cheesy goodness goes, it was not lacking one bit! I made a plate chock-full of the various cheeses I had in the fridge - six cheeses, which is quite a lot, and technically cheese plates should have an odd number, but it WAS an informal gathering. Comté, Fromage Blanc, Up in Smoke, Purple Haze, Bartlett Blue, and Rogue River Blue! It was the last of the Rogue River until next September, and I'll cover the delights of that cheese in a separate post because it is that good.

Then on my actual birthday (Monday) the boy surprised me yet again with a magnum of Chimay Blue. It was delicious. Malty but refreshing... yum. According to the website, Chimay Blue ages well, particularly when it is the magnum. We're going to have to get a few more bottles and age them for awhile!

Tots and Sprouts

Tuesday nights I have bowling league. Yes, bowling, sport of cheap beer and fried food. My friends/teammates and I are not shy about the pitchers of Kokanee and/or Bud Light, and I was hungry, so I also ordered my bowling alley standby. The 7-10 Split. What a depressing term for what is easily the most delightful thing on the menu (the nachos compete well, but are brought down by the nasty not-guac they're served with). A basket of curly fries and tater tots, paired with the sauce of your choice. My preferred pairing is honey mustard for the tots, ketchup for the fries. After a dalliance with ranch and another with tartar sauce, I've returned to being a purist when it comes to fries. I devoured it with glee. The best moment of the night, however, was when my friend ordered a hot dog and received what the server termed a "split weiner." A hot dog sliced lengthwise down the middle for no conceivable reason. Outstanding.

Then I got home, 12-pack of Session Lager in hand because I do my best to be a nice houseguest, to find that there was food. Meat things, which my vegetarian soul was not attracted to, but also brussels sprouts. They looked beautiful and smelled even better. Alas, my carnivorous boyfriend and his equally carnivorous brother and friend had maliciously tainted the sprouts with bacon. I was denied sprouty goodness!

Tonight: I think I must cook up my very own batch of sprouts. Roasted with some olive oil, salt and pepper, then doused in lemon juice, they ought to hit the spot.

I sell cheese. Partly to keep my sanity (we law students are not widely renowned for that trait), but also, and mostly, because I love it beyond all reason. This is intended to be something of a journal about cheese, and probably food in general. I'll attempt to keep the whining about school to a minimum, but I can guarantee nothing, since all that pesky reading does get in the way of cheese. I was thinking about putting in a picture of cheese, but instead, here's my super-cute puppy. This photo has to do with cheese in one way: that is doggy birthday cake, and the frosting was made by putting cottage cheese in a blender and adding food coloring. The idea sounds pretty nasty to me, but it was a huge hit. Right after this picture was taken, Izzy's cake was stolen by another dog. Izzy ended up with extra frosting to compensate. Good times!