What's Cooking

I made a new dish for dinner on Tuesday night. I feel like it wouldn't be quite fair to say it was something I created because I have a vague notion that I've seen something similar on a cooking show or in a magazine or somewhere. Still, the idea just kind of evolved for me once I got to the grocery store. I had told Amy I would cook us dinner without having planned it out at all. I went to the store with a vague notion that I might make a quiche. That sounded too breakfast-y so I started doing a little free association in my head. The broccoli for the quiche became asparagus, and from there it morphed to the final recipe.

I bought asparagus, shaved, brown sugar ham, gruyere, sharp cheddar, scallions, and crescent rolls. The asparagus were steamed. I fried up the thin ham just enough to add a bit of char to each side. I wrapped the ham around the asparagus and threw in a few finely sliced scallions, some thinly sliced gruyere, and a little bit of shredded sharp cheddar. Then I wrapped all of that in two crescent rolls. The rolls come in triangles, and I kept pairs together so that I could wrap in rectangles. I threw just a touch more cheese in between the ham and the dough. Then I baked the whole bit until the roll portion was golden brown. I topped the wraps with hollandaise sauce (not from scratch, just a packet that needed butter and milk) and served it along side a salad with a simple Beaujolais. It turned out fabulously.

When I make it again, I will make a few minor modifications. I will steam the asparagus more briefly. It's always a challenge to get asparagus just right. It varies so greatly in thickness, and the timing changes based on boiling, steaming, or broiling. When you steam and then bake, it only complicates matters. I'll also use a few more scallions next time. I was a bit too conservative (as is wise with any onion) and the flavor didn't come all the way through. I will also use a rolling pin on the crescent dough. Using the preformed triangles was fine, but with a touch more effort, the plated food would have had a slightly nicer look. I almost went with cream of mushroom soup as a topping instead of the hollandaise, but I wouldn't change that part. I might add a side of couscous if I were cooking for a larger audience as well.

Everything else about it was really spot on. I'm not exactly an emotional fellow, but when I cook it's not difficult to discern whether or not I am happy about my food. We are always our own most stringent critics. I was quite proud of this effort, however. As I recently commented elsewhere, I think some of the most basic keys to good cooking are good ingredients (like tasty, perfectly sliced brown sugar ham), classic combinations (ham+cheese, asparagus+hollandaise), and simple combinations (asparagus, ham, cheese, onion, bread, sauce = only 6 simple parts)

Jonathan 10/11/2007 06:39:00 PM

 
Welcome

to ski season 07-08. The lifts are open; I've got my pass; I've got new boots; I've got a titanium reinforced lower leg; I'll be skiing before Halloween.

Jonathan 10/10/2007 11:17:00 AM

 
Weekend

Went to an art display by a friend, a potter. Drank some bad wine (spoiled, in no way a reflection on the host) there and some great beer after.

Slept late, read from the desert anarchist's book, surfed the net, watched the doggies, cheered on the Buckeyes.

Coffee, eggs, and toast in front of the computer. More book and internet than NFL. Baked some chocolate chip cookies. Yes, from scratch. Watch the Broncos humiliate themselves, their host city, and their fans. Dinner and cribbage with my brother.

Too much inside, not enought outside, but it's my own damned fault. Too much leisure, not enough productivity, again, no one else's fault. I'm not much more happy about my weekends than my weekdays as of late. Sometimes I feel like I need a change. Sometimes I feel I'm on the verge of a massive change. Mostly I just feel bogged down.

Jonathan 10/08/2007 11:35:00 AM

 
Weekend

This was sort of how my weekend went. This is a picture taken.

Jonathan 10/08/2007 07:41:00 AM

 
Lolcatz

Caturday thread at Fark has me L'in out loud.



Now, you'd say the cat either lives or it don't
But quantum mechanics is stubborn and won't.
Statistically speaking, the cat (goes the joke),
Is half a cat breathing and half a cat croaked.


Stupid cat, there's no such thing as miracles.
Prediction: Rockies 8 Phillies 4

Jonathan 10/06/2007 08:57:00 AM

 
Coming Soon

Sonny & Don
GABF
Interpol
Dvotchka
Warren Miller
Opening Day
Thanksgiving

Jonathan 10/03/2007 09:08:00 PM

 
Mind Bender

Think of all your friends and acquaintances.

Which of these is most likely to ask you to join in a threesome?

Do you know what you'll say? Not your answer, but, do you know what you will say? When the time comes; when you are challenged; do you know what you will say when you are asked to join a threesome? What words will cross your lips?

Puh puh paa paaaa... ?
Ye', ye' ye' ye' yesssssss, ye' ye' NO!
Gracias, pero no
Uh, no thanks
Let's Roll!
I thought you'd never ask.
Get her declawed and I'm game.

A lot goes into that answer. It's the kind of question that pops its head in hints and whispers - that is asked and answered without ever being spoken. I'm not going to tell you how I answered or how I suggest you answer, but, as we enter the second Clinton Age of Debauchery, I beg that you start making sure you are ready to answer the question. It's party time, again.

Jonathan 10/03/2007 08:45:00 PM