Raw Purple Asparagus & Cannellini Salad with Mint July 20, 2009

When I laid my eyes on the beautiful hued purple asparagus I knew I had to make something with it. As the weather got warmer I had salad increasingly more on my mind. I sliced the thick purple asparagus stalks thinly on a bias and tossed it with cannellini beans, sweet onion, mint chiffonade, lemon juice and olive oil. How simple is that for a summery dinner? The beans provide enough oomph that the salad can serve as a entree perhaps with a tear of crusty bread to accompany it. Purple asparagus are sweeter than green ones and having it raw retained a juicy refreshing crunch that complemented the creamy beans. Everyone who’s had this salad has loved it so far including me.

Oyster Ceviche July 13, 2009

It’s a treat to be able to slurp down a few oysters when I head to my favorite farmer’s market in Santa Monica. The Carlsbad Seafood people are always there shucking up some delicious oysters. For a take home bag of a dozen it costs $10 which is not bad at all. Especially when they are ginormathon like the Catalinas above. They were larger than usual around this time, maybe a tad bit too large. With the super fresh oysters I made Eric Ripert’s oyster ceviche. The flavors were so simple but refreshing just like a ceviche should be. Lime, cilantro and onion. The touch of lemon oil was nice though and I played a heavier hand of Tabasco cuz I’m crazy like that.

Skirt Steak a la Bordelaise July 11, 2009

One day I decided to make veal stock. I purchased a 24 quart stock pot, 10 lbs of veal bones, a large chinois and got to work. I went with the French Laundry recipe involved no roasting of the bones, but an important blanching step, veal stock #1, veal stock #2, and remouillage. Oh, and lots and lots of skimming. The ever funny and entertaining Carol can tell you better than I can what the process was like.

The simmering veal stock made my apartment smell so good. Savory, meaty, comforting. I hated washing that big ass pot but the rewards were well worth it. The reward being a meal of delicious steak bordelaise. I used Bouchon’s recipe which actually did not call for bone marrow, a traditional ingredient. But sadly I could not get my hands on any so it didn’t really matter. When I bit into the juicy skirt steak with sauteed mushroom and bordelaise sauce spooned over it I was one happy girl. The sauce was deep, flavorful and so delicious. How could it not be? After all, delicious homemade veal stock reduced with red wine and paired with steak is a stellar thing. I reduced the remaining veal stock into demi-glace and froze it in one tablespoon measures. My pantry feels a bit more proper having homemade demi-glace ready to go.