please come and visit. there’s food there.

seriously, 1:31am i am awoken by the sound of keys, footsteps, a strange cell phone beep, and metal hitting the ground.

i grab my bat (yes, i keep a bat in my bedroom for just this occasion) and run downstairs shoeless and glasses-free. just in enough time to see a grown-ass man using a crowbar to pull off my 100-year-old gutter.

cops said it is about $3 worth of metal. i wonder how much it will cost me to replace. probably more than $3.

and i was in such a good mood because the weather was nice.

not only smart, connected, savvy, and witty – but with a whole arsenal that no male detective could dream of…eyelashes and lip gloss.

chicken and waffles – with grits and two eggs.

it was a delicious serving of americana. if you ever get the chance – i highly recommend it.

it made me all nostalgic for the blue skies and temperate weather. the food and the people. the language and the learning.

for something i want so badly, it sure is taking me a long time to get there.

it was an interesting job, fairly easy in one way and extremely challenging in others. it was awesome to take a thing i do all day (and generally take for granted) and introduce it to the public. all of a sudden i would remember that i know a lot of things about food that other people don’t – and that people were seeking that knowledge.

a few months ago Viking closed and i stopped teaching classes, but recently Kitchen Conservatory asked me to teach a class of my liking. for once i got to make the menu for a class (i thing i could never do at Viking).

the menu looked like this:

asparagus milanese
tender spring greens with creamy garlic vinaigrette
herb roasted lamb loin with early turnips and chard
strawberry panna cotta

i had tons of fun. and all the students seem to enjoy themselves, too.
having eager and excited students gets me buzzed about cooking all over again.

here are the recipes:

Asparagus Milanese
serves 4

20 spears asparagus
4 farm fresh eggs
2 T oil
parmesan for grating

Put one tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan, heat to medium heat and add the asparagus. Cook until bright green and soft – about one minute. Distribute spears between four plates.

Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat again to medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the white is firm. Place one egg on each plate, directly over the asparagus.

Grate parmesan on top of egg. Serve immediately.

Creamy Garlic Dressing

2 T lemon juice
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
¼ c olive oil
salt

In a blender, blend everything but the oil. Once everything is smooth, add olive oil slowly.

Herb Roasted Lamb Loin
serves 6

one boneless lamb loin, whole
4 T grapeseed oil or bacon fat
salt and pepper
2 T fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, lovage, parsley, mint), chopped fine
2 cloves fresh garlic

Preheat oven to 350.

Put garlic, herbs, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper in to a blender or food processor – process till a smooth paste.

Rub paste all over the outside of the lamb loin.

Heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil in a over-proof saute pan to medium heat. Place loin in pan and sear all sides till brown and caramelized. About two minutes on each side. Place saute pan in oven according to the doneness you desire – about 3 minutes for medium rare, 6 minutes for medium, and 12 minutes for well done. (I would recommend medium rare).

Pull loin out of oven and let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes, to rest the meat. Cut and serve.

Strawberry Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote

1 c whole milk
1 T unflavored gelatin powder
3 c whipping cream
½ vanilla bean pod
1/3 c honey
3 T sugar
1 quart of fresh straberries
pinch of salt
4 stalks of rhubarb

to make strawberry puree: cut greens off strawberries and process fruit in a food processor

to make rhubarb compote: chop rhubarb into small pieces and put in saucepan with 2 tablespoons of sugar, cook on medium heat until rhubarb begins to fall apart

to make panna cotta:
Place milk in bowl and sprinkle with gelatin, let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour milk mixture into saucepan and heat over medium flame until gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil.

Add cream, honey, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, and salt. Heat until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and stir in strawberry puree. Pour mixture in cups or molds. Refrigerate for about 3 to 6 hours. Unmold and serve with chilled rhubarb compote.

my dad is an official technophile, or would it be a mediaphile…um, well he really really likes music and movies.

growing up was pretty relaxed in my house – there wasn’t much to mess up, it was a very kid friendly environment – but don’t you dare touch dad’s vinyl or tapes or movies.

the tapes were dated, sorted, numbered, and cataloged on an old ibm. the vinyl was in alphabetical order and only touched with the most gentle of hands or cloth. the movies were never out of place or lying around and certainly rewound before returned to their case. but go ahead and put together a puzzle that takes up half the living room or start an art project on the dining room table.

my pops has embraced technology – he has given away all this music cassettes and most of his cds. music is now organized on his computer.

most of the videotapes went the way of dvds or, amazingly, laser discs. (you can buy some great movies cheap because it is an outdated technology)

the other day i asked if i could come to “the library” and take out some movies.

the dvd selection was amazing, but the movies he had on laser discs could not be beat. i lamented for a moment about the great movies i wanted to watch on this ancient media and pops said – “wait, i might have an extra player.”

so he returns moments later with a laser disc player under his arm and a trash bag in his hand – “now this might be the type you have to flip over manually” he tells me as he slips the component into the trash bag.

i stare blankly at him wondering if he as well thinks what he just did was strange…an extra laser disc player, i didn’t even know anyone who had a laser disc player when they were slightly popular – but to have two, in 2009.

he really is a special kinda guy.

both eating and drinking at the youngest brain child of gerard craft, brasserie in the west end, has been nothing short of amazing. i am beginning to believe that the marriage of craft and his apprentice, perry hendrix, has created a restaurant full of the engagement and excitement of youth – but backed up by the wisdom of experience. this is a partnership that can’t be taken for granted.

i recommend the roasted chicken and the short ribs….

and it is worth a mention, brasserie is beginning to give my once favorite place to have a fancy cocktail (monarch with nate selsor) a run for it $10 cocktail. michelle, the head lady of mixology, has not only an amazing palate for liquor, but an understated and unassuming knack for mixing them perfectly. ask her anything, and with a shy smile she will spew tons of facts and opinions your way.