Off to France, via Harlem New York
The final cost of the trip
34 plates
24 forks and spoons,
16 butter and steak knives
42 wine, cocktail, Champagne and water glasses
24 white flowers
1 garden bouquet
12 candles
4 sets of white lights
2 Tablecloths and 8 place mats hemmed
1 Backyard weeded
8 Ironed and folded napkins
14 seat cushion
8 place card and menus
5 bottles of Champagne
9 bottles of white and red wine
1 Liter of French Vermouth
Uncountable Black Rose Cocktails
8 servings of:
Burger de Gigot
Quiche aux Fruits de Mer
Soufflé Au Fromage
Soupe á l’Oignon Gratinée
Moules a la Mariniére
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
Salade de Fraise á la Allicette
Reine de Saba
Café á la Mode
6 dishwasher and 2 laundry loads
A few mental breakdowns
10 mosquito bites
4 hours of sleep
2 hangovers, maybe more
1 empty refrigerator
8 fabulous friends
All worth it…
Like this:
August 16, 2009. Tags: allicette torres, child, contest, dogs, food, french, friends, harlem, julia, julia child, Julie & Julia, Knopf Doubleday, manhattan, movie, new york city, photos, slide show. Uncategorized.
Nan replied:
Hi! Congratulations on winning and DESERVING to win the Julie/Julia contest! I’ve been waiting to find out and was so happy to see you won – I loved reading about your trials and your triumphant results!! My hat is off to you! Nan
August 25, 2009 at 12:14 am. Permalink.
allicette replied:
Hi Nan,
Thank you for your kind words, I did not win, the person who one the prize was the first person mentioned in the article. I had been tied with her but she ultimately won.
I loved your entry as well. I will be following your blog I loved it so much.
Cheers!
August 25, 2009 at 3:43 am. Permalink.
Nan replied:
Egg on my face – yet again – but this time I feel okay about it! You SHOULD have won! I clicked on the link for your blog by mistake but after I read through it I just knew you were the winner!! Then I went back to the site to see the other blog that was mentioned…oh well…she was great too!
Now tell me this, was the veal knuckle really worth it?!? xo, Nan
August 25, 2009 at 3:01 pm. Permalink.
allicette replied:
Nan, thank you so very much for your vote of confidence!
In regards to your question about “was the veal knuckle worth it?”
The one word answer is… YES! There are two reasons why, one epicurean and one that is personal. The epicurean answer is that homemade veal stock (made with veal bones & knuckle), believe it or not, is nothing like homemade beef stock. If you have made beef stock before there is a certain “smell”. It isn’t a bad smell, but by comparison the smell of cooking veal stock is more like an aroma or a fragrance. The veal knuckle adds a depth of flavor, body & mouth feel to the stock & veal glacé that is almost unreal. If I had to compare it to the difference between percale cotton sheets (beef stock) and 1000 thread count sheets (veal stock). Your palate can taste multiple layers of flavor in the veal stock that are either muted or absent in beef stock. I used it in both the boeuf bourguignon & the onion soup and in both instances it enhanced the individual flavor of the dish heightening their distinct flavors until they “shined”. What was a huge shock was that I have been on the hunt to capture the flavors of my travels to Italy & France. No matter what the technique and how prime the ingredients were, that “indescribable flavor” that I had abroad eluded me. I chalked it up to all manner of things the water, fresher produce, untainted butter, and on and on. But what kept looping in my mind is how could I sit in a tiny hole in the wall in France eating a $7 dollar plate of food that was far superior to my own (and my hefty bag of tricks) or for that matter, four star restaurants in Manhattan. I now realize that it is a cornerstone that sets the professional apart from the amateurs. And when I say professionals, I don’t mean chefs. I mean people who have a real understanding of food through the experience of making food from the heart and soul. For example I now realize that the secret to my grandmothers “carne guidsada” a Puerto Rican version of boeuf bourguignon is veal stock. She never said it plain to me. She would tell me & write down, “and then you add stock”. It had been my assumption that it was beef & it was her assumption I knew it was veal… Funny how this all works out.
Important things to note, it takes longer to make veal stock than beef & since I was making the stock during the week and was pressed for time and sleep I did not do the “remouillage” step which after you get the first batch of stock from the bones you do a second extraction by taking the bones and aromatics from the 1st stock, adding it to a clean new pot with water and making a lighter stock from this second round. Then you combine both stock batches and simmer for hours further to condense & intensify the flavors & consistency.
-allicette
August 25, 2009 at 4:31 pm. Permalink.