Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I just got this book.

Kate has led me into sin.

The nibbles and hors d'oeuvres. soups, salads, starters and small plates alone are worth the price of the book.

Today, asparagus soup., I have everything here to make it. I'll report back. This is one I think I could "cook through."

I just got it too and am having some friends over for dinner on Feb 5th. I want to make the tuna confit. I know I have a recipe somewhere for preserved lemons as there is no way in hell I could find them around here. I think I will make it with the celery root puree and also make the pumpkin and pear soup as a starter. I think I may do the olive sables and olives for apps. Dessert? Creme brulee cause I have a blowtorch. Anyone make any of these recipes yet??? Other suggestions???

Mary

Oh how I love my blowtorch! I bruleed a cheesecake and it was fabulous!
Fitzie

It is definitely time to make the hachis parmentier again! I really want the mustard tart using tomatoes again, but I feel bad about doing it in the winter.

I have quite a few French cookbooks and only found hachis parmentier in one of them. It's so good, I wonder why?
Fitzie

I am making a full meal from this book on Saturday and have finally set my menu. What do you think?
Drinks: Kir Royal and French wine
Nibbles:
Mustard Batons (mainly because they are so easy and I somehow found myself working this week which I try to avoid at all costs, I had wanted to make the olive sables but next time)
Olives
Mixed fruit and nuts

Starter

Spiced roasted squash, pear, fennel soup with creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seed garnish

Main
Tuna Confit (found a recipe for quick preserved lemons) with tapanade and tomato relish
Celery root puree

Dessert
Creme brulee. It calls for a spoon of jam or marmalade on the bottom of the form and I was going to use the grapefruit/orange marmalade my friend Susan made and gave me for X-mas... I think it will be a nice foil for the creaminess.

Do I need a salad or another vegetable? I was going to do a cheese course but I think it is too much.

Mary

What time should we be there?

You are working? At what?

Sounds great, I love that book.
Kathy

It is just for 3 days at a fancy schmanzy private preschool/kindergarten to see if we all love each other. I am not loving the strange hours so I think that I will do the 3 days and call it a wash. I wouldn't bother with the 3 days but would love to do some parenting workshops for them so I am sticking going through with it.

What have you made from there Kathy?

Mary

I'm interested in this one - only cooked one recipe from it, pumpkin stuffed with everything good, and didn't enjoy it much at all. It tasted like gruyere and scallions and nothing else (not in a good way) I'd probably do it again if there wasn't bread in it, but i'd used cooked onions or shallots and cut the gruyere WAY back and add a milder cheese, like mozz or jack.

Mary, I'd add either a green vegetable or a salad. Either or.