a busy and festive day in kitchen

11-28-2019 Thu. 


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee baileys  | home baked toast | home baked orange&dates bread | apple 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | roasted sunflower seeds 
DINNER ---  skewers of sword fish, nagaimo, shiitake, gingko seeds, negi, green chili | caramelized  sliced kabocha | warm salad of baby kale, radicchio and beech mushroom | roasted red pepper sauce | saffron butter | country bread | braised and roasted lamb leg with spices and caramelized onion | steamed vegetables fennel root, carrots, and eggplant | wine  ||  homemade five-layer chocolate and butter cream cake with homemade honeycomb candy | homemade candy cranberries | cognac  

• most of things made from scratch,  festive in process. 

duck cassoulet

11-22-2018 Thu. cold 


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee and Irish cream  | homemade orange dates bread | fruit 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | candied fresh cranberries  
DINNER ---   wine | duck confit and sausage cassoulet | steamed and fried Brussels sprouts | simmered Japanese squash | homemade apple pie 

• long cooking process for the cassoulet. beans socked 12h,  cooked with vegetables+ herbs broth  for 2h. duck confit salt cured for 2 days, low  temperature baking in fat (uncovered, 170d ) for 8 h. final assemble with layers of fried bacon, sausage, beans, duck, herb, vegetable bean broth+sofrito+mustard,  bake uncovered 350d for 2 h.  

quabili pilau, no Turkey

11-24-2016 Thu.  



WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | homemade orange dates bread | fruit salad  AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | roasted watermelon seeds
DINNER ---  steamed eggplant with garlic and chili sauce | curry cauliflowers | quabili pilau: Afghan baked rice with lamb shank, carrots and resins | wine 

 

• no fuss and terrific 

eight-treasure duck

11-26-2015 Thu. mild, sunny. 



BREAKFAST --- coffee  | bread and cheese | apple
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- ( at W.S. 's ) dim sums | tea
DINNER --- ( at W.S. ) steamed duck wrapped in lotus leaf, with stuffing of seasoned rice and nuts | sauteed squid and celery | winter greens | shanghai kao-fu |stir-fried threaded cabbage | wine 

 

• six-hour steaming in a lotus leaf, the duck comes out tender moist , the stuffing is well seasoned and with eight ingredients of nuts, mushrooms and cured meat.

Turkey run, homemade everything

11-27-2014  Thu. cold, cloudy.



BREAKFAST --- coffee with Irish cream | scallion pancake | grape fruit | apple
DINNER --- ( at Inger's, by Patricia)  cheese and olives | wine | Thanksgiving turkey | mashed potatoes | yam | Brussels sprouts | homemade cranberry sauce | homemade pecan pie | homemade pumpkin pie

 

• a story-book Thanksgiving dinner, three-day preparation and cooking.

a cosy turkey-less Thanksgiving

11-24-2011 Thu. mild, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | doughnut | clementine | Japanese persimmon | apple and pear | blue cheese and baguette
LUNCH --- ( at Sunrise Market midtown ) udon noodles
AFTERNOON-TEA-TIME --- ( at Pizza Roma in west Village ) Roman style porcini pizza
DINNER --- sauteed Roman artichokes | curry beef stew with potato | rice with lemon zest | sauteed golden pepper and zucchini | red wine

• a contrast to last year ( two dinners ), all turkeys pardoned from us. D.D.'s curry stew took just as long as the turkey roasting process to get to the perfect state, rich but not greasy.