Yum

As I sit recovering from the effects of a light dose of anesthesia (no, I will not discuss my medical condition here), I popped the movie Julie & Julia into my dvd player. It was such a good movie on so many levels. It's a feel-good film with one of my favorite stars, Merly Streep. The woman is so versatile, and she pulls off Julia Child so well. At least that's how I see it from my memories of watching the real Julia on PBS.

I love writers, blogging, cookbooks, cooking, history and New York which are all represented in this movie. It has inspired me to get her cookbook. I need to make boeuf bourguignon. I need to cook like Julie and Julia. All I have to say is Yum.

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions: Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Kitchen Supplies:
9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
Slotted spoon

Boeuf Bourguignon:
6 ounces bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
Blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs

Directions: Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmersvery slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Dinner by Design Update

Tonight I made the meal I created at Dinner by Design a few weeks back. It was beef marinated in Oriental spices and seasonings, beef broth and orange juice. All I had to do was drain the beef from the marinade and saute it. Once it was cooked I just added the rest of the marinate that was in the packet and a ziploc bag full of noodles and peas. The mixture had to simmer until cooked thoroughly. The entire process took just under 25 minutes. And it was really good.

Even so I don't think I will go back for the following reasons:
1. I like to cook.
2. I have most ingredients on hand so that is not an issue.
3. Paying $200 for 12 meals doesn't sound like a great deal.
4. Their menu selections aren't all appealing so I would struggle to make 12 entrees.

I do think this would be a good idea for people who don't cook but it's just not for me.

Dinner by Design

I got a coupon in one of those valpak things for this place. I had never heard of it before but apparently it's been around and one was opening in Oak Creek in the strip mall less than 2 miles from my house. I went to the Dinner by Design website to figure out what this place was all about. The coupon I had talked about preparing meals ahead of time so they are convenient for you when you need them. The money off was big dollars for your choice of 6 or 12 meals so I assumed it was expensive and time consuming. According to the website you got 12 meals for around $200.

The concept is pretty cool, make an appointment, pick your menu and start your food prep. Label the entrees, take them home and freeze them until you are ready to cook. They generally take half an hour to prepare making it convenient to have around. The website mentioned that the Oak Creek location had an open house where you don't need an appointment and you don't need to buy the 6 or 12 meals listed in the coupon so I thought I would check it out.

I walked in and found a clean and tidy foyer with lots of pamphlets around. There was a woman with short, white hair at a desk helping two women fill out paperwork and pay for their entrees. I stood there for a few minutes when she said to the two women, "I'll be right back, I have to get someone from the back to come out here." She filed past all three of us without another word. (I thought it would have been nice if she would have addressed me and just said that she would be with me in a minute. A little acknowledgement goes a long way, but she didn't.)

In the meantime, a group of three women came in behind me. So now there were six of us standing in the foyer. While waiting, I took a look at the rest of the building. Beyond the entrance where we were standing were stainless steel preparation carts. There were three in a row, back to back with another three on the other side and one on the end, completing a totally walk-around kitchen with many stations to make the different entrees. The walls had stainless steel racks that held storage containers and plastic bags, measuring utensils and bowls, ingredients and mixers for making desserts. The back corners had sinks on either side for the customers to wash their hands and aprons hanging next to the sinks for your use.

A clerk came over from the back room (I'm assuming there are refrigerators full of cold ingredients back there) and addressed the group of three women who came in behind me. She instructed them to fill out the forms she was handing out attached to clipboards. By the time she gave out the second of the three of them, I voiced my opinion. I said in an irritated tone, "Is there someone here who could help me since I was here first?" Just before she went to hand the third clipboard to the third woman, she swiftly turned and handed it to me, as if she planned that stating, "I'm including all of you." (Yeah right, if that were truly the case she would have had 4 clipboards in her hand instead of three.)

Now I felt bad because the third woman in the group who got the afterthought fourth clipboard says, "That's OK, you can come with us." I said, "I can't get waited on in bars either so I should be used to being ignored." They laughed, the clerk said, "No one will be ignored here." At that point she proceeded to send me to wash my hands, pointed in the direction of the sink, and instructed me to put on an apron and she would be right with me. I dutifully went to the sink while she gave out instructions or apologies for my behavior to the group of ladies while I washed. I then stood there waiting while she catered to the group's needs. (I suppose a group of three will bring more profits than just me so I have no real worth here - at least it feels that way.)

The clerk was truly a nice person and she did help. She showed me where the take-home containers were and where the labels with cooking instructions were, directed me towards the whisks, bowls and measuring tools, and told me to take my time picking out the entree I wanted to make. I had already chosen a beef-noodle dish so I was ready to start. She pointed out the workstation where that particular recipe and ingredients were. There is a list of instructions above the ingredients. The first thing to do was to get the bowl, whisk, measuring tools, and containers listed. Then it was time to get prepping. I started down the list of ingredients and discovered some were missing. The clerk rushed in the back and brought more. (I don't understand why this wouldn't be checked out when cleaning up the dirty dishes after the previous customer's preparation time was completed.) I mixed up the marinade, poured a portion of it in the pre-measured container of beef, closed the container, picked up a bag of the pre-made noodles and peas that complete the entree and got a stick-on label for the entire package.

I decided to walk around the kitchen looking for something else to make. As I moved away from my current station a clerk on the other side knocked over a container of pepper that landed right in front of me. I had to scoot sideways to avoid the barrage of pepper hitting the floor. As she came around to see the damage she seemd annoyed that I was standing in it. (I thought she should have apologized for getting it on me but she didn't.)

Most of the stations were taken as I continued my perusal. I tried to approach a woman to see how many pieces of chicken were in the entree she was making. She was terribly unfriendly and annoyed. (This is getting to be a barrel of fun.) Another station that interested me was occupied by a 12 year old who was clueless and whiney, not to mention impolite and inexperienced in the concepts of food preparation combined with cleanliness. (Between sticking her fingers in everything and her baby fat hanging over the worktable - it was not a pretty scene.) That clinched it, I'm getting out of here. So I took off my apron, washed my hands again, grabbed my entree and purse and headed to the front desk to pay and go. I realized as I was walking by, there was a hamper for dirty aprons. No one explained it, so I missed that. I honestly thought about going back and taking the apron off the hook and throw it in the hamper but I didn't remember which one it was anymore. So it would be futile.

I paid for my entree and headed out. I have mixed emotions about coming back, I won't be sure until I actually cook the concoction I took home. But if I had to decide today, I'm certain I won't be returning anytime soon.

Clerks II

We went to see the movie Clerks II tonight. The first Clerks was a blast. The dialog was superb. The actors new and fresh. When a sequel comes out, I assume it will bomb as the ride-the-coat-tails of its successful predecessor movie it is supposed to be. I understand the movie making business' need to capitalize on what works so they can make more money. But of course, the first Clerks movie was a surprise cult film and it's been more than 10 years since its presentation to the world. So I wondered how will this classic be ruined with a follow-up film? How can Kevin Smith even come close to the genius that is Clerks?

The movies that followed were surprisingly just as great as Clerks. The trilogy is completed with Mall Rats and Chasing Amy. Although the home-grown feeling is gone and the Kevin goes to Hollywood sense is present, he still comes through smashingly. How can things get any better than that? Then along comes Clerks II.

Clerks II is the story of Dante and Randal 10 years later. They show up at the Quickstop to find it burning to the ground. Randal is so into his routine that he walks into the burning store and doesn't even notice it's on fire until a firefighter escorts him out by the arm. So from the very beginning you get the feeling of how instilled their routine had become. So they take jobs at Mooby's, a fictional fast food joint where they meet Elias, a young virgin boy who becomes the brunt of all their frustrations. This kid is great. I am certain we will see him in more movies.

The movie takes place in a single day as Dante is preparing to depart his Jersey life to be leashed around by his gorgeous and overbearing fiancée, soon-to-be wife. She has a new life all prepared and paid for by her parents that includes a new home and a new job for Dante working for her father at a car wash. They leave for Florida in the morning. The dialog between the characters is as good as it gets. Randal's usual misguided judgment makes for fun scenes and conflict between the characters. Jay and Silent Bob complete the film with their usual dope peddling antics and ability to prove how truly uninformed they are. Although Randal's half-truths and ability to mix facts and twist them into strange tales like mixing up Helen Keller and Anne Frank puts him at the top of the idiot pile in the most delightful and entertaining way. Of course he comes through with words of wisdom and his character is solid in his commitment as a loyal friend. In the end all is worked out in the most pleasant turn of events. I was prepared for an ending that says, I don’t care what you think of this movie, instead I got a well-thought out, well written ending that rounds out the these boys characters in the most interesting way. Yes, it is a happy ending for all, but it wasn’t the kind of ending that I would call typical.

I loved the movie and will be happy to add it to my collection when it comes out on DVD. Hopefully that won’t be for a while, Kevin Smith deserves to capitalize on this one.