My new baby! It's a Lodge 10 inch cast-iron skillet
And this:
Jacques Pepin's cookbook: Essential Pepin
I’ve been dying to buy both a Lodge Cast Iron skillet and Jacques Pepin’s cookbook Essential Pepin for ages–but you know how it’s easy to keep putting things off, thinking, “Oh, I’ll do that this weekend…” and suddenly it’s 5 months later and you still haven’t checked it off your to-do list?
Certainly never happens to me. Nope. No procrastination here!
(Cue me putting this blog post on hold for 45 minutes to read excerpts of Bringing Up Bebe on Amazon and to watch my own YouTube videos. It’s a sickness, really.)
Cast iron skillets require a little bit of care, but they’re not as cumbersome or scary as you might think. I’ve been practicing on Boyfriend Jolie’s over the past few months, and last night was the inaugural run chez moi of my OWN skillet – success!
Now let’s see if this thing lasts for the next 3 generations, as everybody promises.
The Moscow Mule - just substitute whiskey for vodka and enjoy!
Mint Juleps on a sunny spring day while the crowd bleats along to “My Old Kentucky Home”…
A shooter of Jim Beam in a sawdust-strewn bar while Garth Brooks warbles about “Friends in Low Places”…
Macallan by a roaring fire while Ella breaks down what love and loss is all about…
In whatever incarnation strikes your fancy, there’s just something fantastic about whiskey.
I’m not sure when it happened, but I’ve been increasingly trading in my glass of wine for a tumbler of whiskey: sometimes on the rocks, sometimes mixed in a delicious cocktail like the one I had last night at the Golden Gopher in downtown Los Angeles. It’s a variation on a Moscow Mule–which is the drink that, back in the 1940s, launched the cocktail craze in the US–and good for those who might be scared that whiskey’s a little too rough ‘n tumble!
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, if you’re not familiar, is a red wine that’s released once a year on the 3rd Thursday of November at the stroke of midnight. Yes: it’s that coordinated–and that highly-anticipated! It comes from the Beaujolais region of France, and is known for being a vin de primeur, which means that it’s harvested just a few weeks before it’s bottled and released.
Unlike most red wines, it’s recommended that you chill Beaujolais Nouveau. According to Wikipedia (because obviously they are the expert on everything), you’re supposed to chill Beaujolais Nouveau to 55 degrees F.
Kaves' graffiti Cadillac at the Beaujolais Nouveau release in NYC (From the Georges Duboeuf Facebook page)
Please excuse the terrible photo of the bottle (I really need to get a new camera!), but you can see that this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau is graffiti-inspired. Georges Duboeuf partnered with NYC multimedia artist Kaves, who made an appearance in his 1976 graffiti-covered Cadillac at Stage 37 earlier tonight for the wine’s debut. (It’s not yet midnight here in California, but the wine’s already been released in New York. Damn you, Pacific Standard Time!)
I’m actually planning to save my Beaujolais Nouveau for Turkey Day. I made my 2nd practice turkey today with my Trader Joe’s bird, and it turned out pretty good, but I want to get in at least one more practice round before next Thursday. (At which point I will surely be thoroughly and utterly sick of turkey. Sigh.)
I really need to be better about documenting my cooking adventures for you all–I’ve spent a prodigious amount of my free time these past few months (well, what little free time I’ve managed to snatch) playing around in the kitchen. Sometimes the results are great, sometimes they’re disappointing, but luckily I haven’t had anything truly inedible or gross come out of there…yet.
So, no time like Thanksgiving to put my fledgling skills to the test, eh? Several friends and I are getting together for Turkey Day, and I’ve been elected to roast the bird. My new subscriptions to Bon Appetit and Food and Wine will surely come in handy, but the recipes in there are a bit gourmet for their tastes, methinks. (Tandoori-Spiced Turkey! Lager Gravy! Kimchi-Creamed Collard Greens!) I’m planning to keep it simple and will probably follow this basic TLC recipe, with a few tiny additions:
I am, however, also planning to make this stuffing recipe: Sourdough Stuffing with Granny Apples and Bacon. I tested it out last week, and believe you me, it was deeeelicious. I followed this recipe pretty much to a T; it takes about 2 hours from start to finish, but it’s not difficult in the slightest. My modifications and notes, below!
1 loaf sourdough bread, cubed
1/2 cup butter
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced (The leeks aren’t necessary, but are a nice addition)
2 large granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage; or 1 tablespoon dried sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme; or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
1: PREP
Do what the French call “mise en place.” Spend 20-30 minutes beforehand making sure you have all the ingredients, chopping everything up, and putting it in bowls, on boards, etc. This makes the actual cooking process so much faster, especially if you like to zone out and cook leisurely, like I do. Don’t forget to make and chop the bacon! (And, obviously, have a glass of wine on hand while you’re doing everything.)
2: MAKE BREAD CUBES
Slice sourdough into cubes, then toast for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees on a rimmed baking sheet. This’ll dry it up and make it all crusty. (You can also dry out bread for a couple days beforehand.) Either way, take the time to make the fresh bread crumbs. It’s super easy and it tastes so much better than store bought! Plus–and let’s be real–it totally sounds more impressive.
3: COOK THE ONIONS/APPLES/HERBS
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. You want the onions/celery soft but not browned. Next, add the chopped apples and leeks, cooking for about 3 more minutes. Add the sage, thyme and poultry seasoning, as well as about half a cup of chicken stock, stir and cook for another minute, then take off the heat.
4: MIX THE BREAD CUBES AND ONIONS/APPLES/HERBS
In a large mixing bowl, mix together and toss the onions/apples/herbs with the chopped bacon and the bread cubes. Slowly add the rest of the chicken stock, stirring all the while so it doesn’t get too soggy.
5: BAKE
Pour the stuffing mixture into a butter-greased casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 more minutes to get it crusty and golden brown.
