a cookbook recipe so successful it deserves a mention...

Seafood Gratin from Barefoot Contessa at Home: shrimp, halibut, and lobster layered with julienned leeks and carrots in a thick sauce of seafood stock, cream, wine, and saffron; topped with a mix of panko, parmesan, parsley, tarragon, and garlic, and baked until golden.

served with quinoa and squash the farmer's market lady called "asian" (it was large, round, and very close to a pumpkin), cubed and roasted; browned in the broiler with some parmesan right before serving.

chardonnay.

Lamb Patties with Pomegranate-Orange Glaze, Tsatziki, and Couscous

Tsatziki: mix 1 c Greek yogurt (Trader Joe's makes a great nonfat Greek-style yogurt) with 1 chopped Mediterranean cucumber, 3 cloves crushed garlic, and some olive oil to thin out the sauce and combine ingredients. Refrigerate.

Mix ground lamb with minced yellow onion, shallot, serrano chile; chopped cilantro and mint; salt and pepper; roasted and ground cumin; 5-spice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and coriander powders; add one spoon of prepared harissa. add one beaten egg and mix well. check for correct spices by sauteing a small lump of the lamb in a frying pan. form patties and refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the glaze, mix 1/2 c of pomegranate juice, juice of 1/2 orange, 1T honey, orange zest, and coriander in a small pan and simmer until reduced and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Place patties on barbecue. Cook one side until edges turn dark, then flip and coat top of each patty with pomegranate glaze.

Serve with simple couscous (I use whole wheat) and a Rhone wine (I drank a 2001 Crozes Hermitage).

green tea buckwheat noodles with thai-style ragout

marinate small cubes of tempeh in light coconut milk, panang curry paste, and thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves for 1-2 hours.

saute finely sliced onions, shittake mushrooms, and thai eggplants (quartered) in canola oil, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. once onions are translucent, add tempeh, marinade, and sliced garlic. saute for 5 minutes, then add pea shoots and pre-soaked seaweed. mix and add buckwheat noodles. mix until sauce is distributed and serve.

appetizer: pates (forestiere and foie au poivre) with baguette and white burgundy (to be drunk throughout meal)

main: quinoa cooked with chicken broth
chicken with mushroom sauce: cut chicken breasts into small pieces (1-in cubes) and marinate at least 1 hour in salt, pepper, dried spices, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil. drain marinade and flour chicken. heat pan (not non-stick) and add oil. when oil is hot, add chicken and brown on all sides. remove from pan and keep warm. add oil to pan (do not remove browned chicken stuff) and add sliced shallots and mushrooms. cook until mushrooms shrink, covered, about 5-10 minutes. add white wine and scrape browned chicken stuff with a wooden spatula, mixing into mushrooms. add chicken and stir until heated through. turn off heat and add a large spoon of creme fraiche.

salad: arugula with halved cherry tomatoes and aged goat cheese.

cheeses: reblochon, chevre, st. felicien, comte, epoisse

dessert: raspberries-- i was going to serve them with cream but we were too full so we ate them plain.

no food in the house but an eggplant and some oldish mushrooms:

cut eggplant into small cubes. peel cloves from one head of garlic and smash slightly. cut spring onions in half. mix all with olive oil, salt, pepper, peppercorns (the 5-baie mix), and sprinkle dried thyme on top. roast in hot oven until eggplant is soft and brown, then add quartered tomatoes and roast until they start to disintegrate. saute shittake mushrooms in a pan with some olive oil and add roasted veggies. cook covered for 10 minutes, then add zest of 1 lemon and cook until tomato disappears. add water if necessary. add chopped cilantro, cook 30 seconds longer, and serve on top of bulgar wheat. would go well with poultry or fish.

salad:
small mediterranean cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, hass avocados, spring onions, nectarines, fresh ginger, fresh mint (all diced)
dressing:
fig-violet-hazelnut jam with hazelnut vinegar and olive oil
on the side:
baguette, camembert, st. agur

cotes du rhone

langouste-flavored surimi medallions with creme fraiche and oeufs de lompe caviar

trout and almonds with istara (basque cheese) on baguette, eaten with spicy olives

drink ricard

dorade in roasted garlic cream sauce with bulgar pilaf

roast garlic with olive oil in oven.

slice spring onions and saute in a saucepan with butter until translucent. add bulgar, saute until coated with butter. add chicken broth (2 broth : 1 bulgar) and bring to a boil. cover and simmer until cooked.

mash roasted garlic and saute in butter with tarragon. add dry white wine and reduce to a thick creamy sauce. turn off heat and stir in creme fraiche (thick).

coat filet of dorade in salt, pepper, and flour and saute in olive oil with the skin side down. flip, saute until opaque, and serve with garlic sauce and bulgar.

i was out of lettuce so i made instead a salad of cherry tomatoes, avocado, and aged chevre.

drank chardonnay (used for cooking too)