A Quiet Anniversary

It's been pretty quiet 'round here huh?  I promise- it wasn't due to lack of thoughts, or food.  My silence was intentional.  This week was the four year anniversary of A Boston Food Diary.  I debated how I wanted to mark it.  I thought about the customary "look back" posts, I considered looking to the future.  Finally, I ruled out both of those.  I ruled out any type of "celebration" post.  I chose to commemorate it differently.


I don't often share personal information here, maybe some funny stories from when I was a kid and I thought watching Julia Child in our family living room made me a gourmand.  I'll recount stories from my time living in London, the dawn of Gourmet Gals, the kitschy name my fellow American roommates and neighbors gave ourselves as we whipped up fajitas and chicken parm dinners once a week.  However lately I've been doing a lot of self reflection.  I've been looking back on the last 5, 10, 15 years of my life and examining the choices and decisions I've made.  What I realized is that A Boston Food Diary, over the past four years, has been a true Godsend.  And so I chose to celebrate our little anniversary with a bouquet of flowers and um...a glass of wine.


As it has become clear, no doubt, over the time here, food has always been a major factor in my life.  When I was little I feared ridicule for my portly frame had I talked about food as much as I thought about it, so I kept quiet around my school mates.  Alone at home with my mother we discussed menu items.  We looked up ingredients in this massive set of food encyclopedias and learned their origins and use.  We watched Julia Child and laughed at her sayings.  My sophomore year of college I started really looking at what I was eating.  The Freshman Fifteen I had gained had to be eliminated, and I was intent on finding the healthiest options in the school cafeteria.  I spent the rest of my college concentrating on finding better food options, all while allowing those weekend indulgences where they applied.  After graduation, and into the working world, I set forth with one of my good friends to find the perfect diet.  We tried them all, and our weekly exercise of debating diet options kept me tied to food.  


As I continued to mature, I stretched my arms further in the kitchen.  I'd show up to Saturday night parties with plates full of artfully crafted appetizers, much to the amusement of my beer carrying friends.  (Yeah- I was that girl at the kegger with balsamic glazed chicken spears.)  I kept pushing myself in the kitchen, obsessed over menus, anticipated the opening of any new restaurant in town, and tried every new food I could.  Finally, it was suggested that I start a blog if for nothing else, as an outlet for this energy I had.  And so A Boston Food Diary was born.  


A Boston Food Diary has allowed me to fully explore food from all angles, it has given voice to a passion which I once felt the need to hide.  It has allowed the girl who chose to study Political Science and the law over flambes, roasts and reductions to fully explore these.  It has given me the courage to try techniques, ingredients and dishes that I may not have otherwise.  It has allowed this girl to be honest and frank about what truly moves me.  ABFD has given me the opportunity to mingle with some of the greatest chefs in the US, it has granted me a pass into some of the most incredible food experiences, and finally, through it, I have met some of the most wonderful like minded people.  It has become a friend in itself- a waiting blank canvas, standing in anticipation of what crazy thing I'll make next, and where this passion will lead me.


Though life has handed me my fair share of ups and downs throughout the past four years, A Boston Food Diary has been a companion through it, a comforting place to find joy in a chocolate cake, consolation in a bowl of pasta, and a celebration in the folds of an incredible dinner.  


Stemming from all of this, and thoughts I'm not brave enough to post here, I celebrated this little anniversary with reflection, a recognition of what has been, and a nod to the future.  


Back to our regularly scheduled programming next week...  Happy Saturday y'all.    

Living Social Gourmet- A Dinner at Bistro du Midi, Boston

Oh LivingSocial...I fell in love with you long ago, what with your charming coupons and swoon inducing deals.  I fell hard when I found your listings of "escapes" wonderful locales luring me to their folds for fractions of what they would normally cost, but this was the week I realized that was true, everlasting love.  You see this was the week that I had the good fortune to test out your brand new feature- LivingSocial Gourmet.  


Similar to learning that your already great boyfriend is a guy who picks you up at 3 am from the airport, or makes you chicken soup when you're sick, LivingSocial Gourmet is going the distance bringing only the most unique dining experiences to the city of Boston.  LivingSocial is partnering up with some of the finest restaurants in Boston to offer exclusive dining experiences that are not offered otherwise.  That's right- LivingSocial Gourmet is your ticket into those new menu launches, tasting menus, and otherwise unobtainable restaurant events.  


As part of the kick off of this program here in Boston, I was invited to attend their inaugural event- a 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings at the esteemed Bistro du Midi, a relaxed French Bistro located with a fabulous view of Boston's Public Gardens.  


Bistro du Midi had elected to keep their offering small, and so a group of six of us culinary lovers were led to a small private section of the upstairs dining room, greeted by both the front of the house manager as well as their extremely accomplished Sommelier,  Todd Lipman.  Todd was our guide for the evening, explaining the course selections, as well as accompanying wine and cocktails.  As soon as we sat, our group together at the rustic feeling French Farmhouse table, we knew we were in for a treat.


Starting off the evening as our Amuse Bouce was a small serving of Bistro du Midi's saffron scented Bouillabaisse, accented with a single piece of seared Petit Loup de Mer and two small potatoes. This was paired with a gin based,  basil muddled, sparkling cocktail which was due to air on their menu the following day.  The Bouillabaisse was rich and creamy, well flavored from their use of lobster shells, Pernod and wine in the base, and showcased the seafood with subtle grace.  The ingredients balanced each other well, keeping the flavors in check lest they overpower the additions.  The cocktail was a hit around the table- strong scents of Pernod settled into the gin and basil as the it hit your tongue, and the gentle fizz created a refreshing finish, perfect for the rich Bouillabaisse.


As we moved on to our "Premier Plat", Todd once again made himself available to educate us on the course, as well as it's pairing with a 2010 l'Olivier de la Reze from Minervois.  It was a simple, clean white, dry but not overly so, a light wine which wonderfully complimented the intricate crudo dish laid before us.  Delicate Spanish Mackerel, mixed with blood orange juice,  and fennel, topped with watermelon radishes and micro greens and finally finished with a spicy pepper emulsion took my nomination for dish of the evening.  The mackerel, delicate and fleshy, scented with orange and sweet fennel was elevated by the peppery radish with the slightest hint of heat provided by the emulsion.  The dish had incredibly clean flavor, and the varying textures, from the silky crudo, to the slight crunch of the greens and finally the dense foam of the emulsion, created a different experience with each bite.  This was a dish made with expertise, a conscious nod to the flavors present, and in tune with the crisp wine pairing.


Our next course, a giant seared prawn laid atop shrimp and arugula stuffed calamari with a Blue Crab tomato ragout was a work of art.  The chef had gone so far as to add a single leaf of Arugula, perched on top of the prawn, as a palate refresher from the acidic ragout.  The prawn, well seared with quick caramelizing on a single side, was meaty and delicious bringing strong notes of  the ocean to my plate. The calamari was also well prepared, well cooked to avoid any chewy textures, however I felt that the filling was a bit lackluster.  I missed the strong presence of arugula, and the delicious flavor of shrimp and was sadly distracted by an overall feeling of dryness in the stuffing.  I was told later that a healthy dunking in the ragout solved the dryness concern.  The ragout, while on the subject, was delicious- strongly flavored with Blue Crab.  This dish was paired with the robust 2008 Domaine Fontsainte from Corbieres.  Acidic but full of berry flavors, this dry red wine stood well with with seafood, proving, once again, that red wines, even bold ones, can be married beautifully to seafood. 


Our next dish had several of us stealing glances almost asking permission to clean our plates with the highly impolite finger sweep rather than miss out on any drop of the heavenly sauce.  Prime Sirloin steak, cooked to a perfectly pink medium rare was sliced and served atop a gentle hill of mashed potatoes (pomme puree), enhanced by a drizzle of Sauce au Poivre, and finally accented with a salad of frisee and green beans.  That sauce, a combination of green peppercorns in brandy and a touch of cream...well- there wasn't a thing that could be said against it.  It was spicy creamy perfection.  It was paired with a 2008 Domaine Houchart Rouge, out of the Cotes de Provence.  This was a highly interesting wine made from remainder of the red grapes also used to make rose.  So where the rose is light, this was very dark, with deep flavors of berries that brought out those wonderful spicy notes from the sauce.  I found this wine, a mix of Grenache, Carignan, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon to be highly drinkable, as I do with most blended wines.


The finale was dessert- a hazelnut milk chocolate cake, topped with ganache, and served with salted caramel ice cream.  The table seriously considered ordering a vat of the ice cream, though I feel our sharing skills would have seriously been put to the test had we done so.  The salt in the ice cream was light, but noticeable enhancing the sweetness of the caramel.  The cake was my favorite part however.  Similar in flavor to a favorite Christmas time hazelnut and chocolate candy, the base layer had crunchy texture lent from cornflakes mixed into the chocolate. The ganache was silky and smooth, dotted with whole hazelnuts and spears of chocolate.  The cake itself was not overly sweet, and so when combined with the ice cream, a perfect level of decadent sweetness was achieved. This was paired with a 2009 Chateau Bel Air, Tradition from Sainte Croix du Mont, a golden wine made from Semillion grapes (one of my favorites).  The beauty of the Semillion is that while they are considered dessert wine grapes, they just aren't as sweet as some others.  Here, they complimented the dessert without bringing friction to the palate which so often results in an almost bitter by product.


I was truly honored to be a part of this evening.  Todd Lipman and Chef Robert Sisca put together a superb meal from amuse to dessert, and in turn hosted a perfect dinner party.  The experience truly felt unique, as I sat with my new found friends and we traded food stories from all over the globe, it was a night like no other.  LivingSocial Gourmet is truly offering a special service, bringing the food lover into a world sometimes seen as off limits.  It is a world I often have my nose pressed against the glass of, and I am so thankful to have been a part for this evening.  LivingSocial Gourmet can be found at http://livingsocial.com/gourmet -they are still in a bit of a launch process here in Boston, but sign up and watch the incredible opportunities filter into your in box.           

Roasted Vegetable Hoagies on Homemade Focaccia

As I was setting out to investigate football foods, I thought: can you really sit down to enjoy a big game without a sandwich?  Sure chips and dip, soups, chili's, and stews are all great- but isn't there some thing about clinging on to a sandwich with both hands as your team defends it's position and tension is high, and then tearing off a bite with your teeth- a feeling just as animalistic as a great tackle on the field- right? 

I might be stretching, just a tad with that one, but the sandwiches I settled on for our football viewing party were worth a lot more! I decided to get them started on my favorite "guilty pleasure" sandwich bread- Focaccia.  I am a ridiculous freak for Focaccia- it's crisp exterior blending into a pillowy soft yet thin interior has just the texture contrast I love.  Baked with olive oil, earthy rosemary, spicy pepper and a sprinkling of salt the flavor profile separates this from just a typical bread to something truly special.

I decided several things about these sandwiches- first, I would make the bread from scratch.  It's time that I become more comfortable with breads, and since my love of Focaccia is so great, I should be able to make a good one.  Second- I wanted to make them vegetarian.  Football food, and perhaps rightly so, is often very meat heavy, and it relegates our vegetarian friends to chips and dip while the rest of the party noshes on meatballs, sliders and Italian hoagies.  Silliness.  These sandwiches were just as warm and comforting as a big meatball sub, jam packed with flavor, and veggie friendly!

I found a recipe on King Arthur (of course) that I knew would be both easy (because I remain a baking wimp), and delicious.  I set to work on the bread, and let me tell you- the recipe was pretty fool proof.  It all got slapped together in no time, while I concentrated on other tasks.  


Focaccia Bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

2 teaspoons each- black pepper, salt

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour. Stir with a whisk and let this sit for 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get going.

Add the salt and the whole wheat flour. Add the rest of the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough has formed a smooth ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a draft-free place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down, and turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Stretch the dough into a 14-inch circle and place on a greased baking sheet. Let it rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F while the focaccia is rising. Dimple it with your fingers and place it in the oven. Evenly spread the dough with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. 

After the bread had cooled, I cut it into squares  (approximately 4" x 4") and then stuffed them with roasted Portobello mushrooms, roasted red and orange bell peppers and a slice of Provolone cheese.  I baked them off for 10 minutes or so, until the cheese had fully melted, and then devoured.  

These sandwiches were simple, but truly delicious.  The simplicity of the roasted vegetables paired with the gooey cheese and then stuffed into the flavorful homemade bread was a combination worth its salt.  They were hearty and satisfying, providing all of the toothsome feel you want when savagely ripping into them...or daintily eating them as a lady would. 

Go Pats!