What are you cooking?

[Wintereis]

Recently sweetlad86 started a really interesting thread requesting easy recipes. But, I like to cook, to experiment with different flavor combinations, and to challenge myself with more difficult recipes. This summer I focused mainly on Indian cuisine and acquired a new favorite recipe, Jardaloo Boti. And this past Christmas I tried my hand at Beef Wellington for the first time, which was no easy task. For one thing, I substituted a wine reduction for the usual pâté folded between the beef and pastry shell. I used the same basic components as a Coque au Vin sauce but doubled the number of mushrooms, chopping them finely, and reducing the sauce to a paste consistent with pâté. The Wellington turned out great, and it was much cheaper than if I had stuck to the original recipe.

Also, my father was watching a cooking show recently and took it in his head that he was going to make Cassoulet this summer in his dutch oven on our family camping trip in the Rockies. It will be quite interesting to watch him make it out-of-doors. But everything tastes better when eaten under the sun and in the wild. So, I say go for it.





By the way, until recently I thought Julia Child was British. Who would have guessed she was an American with that accent.