Food! Glorious Food!

So, Friday night my friend and I made dinner together.  Let me back up and say that this friend is a former chef, which I imagine contributed greatly to the success of this meal.

Here is the menu:
Steak tartare (first time I'd ever made it); I hand-chopped the cutest tenderloin I've encountered in recent memory.  The dressing was rather simple - finely chopped caper berries, a little Dijon mustard, a chopped anchovy, a little olive oil, a dash of Worcestershire, a dash of Frank's Hot Sauce, salt & pepper to taste (I may be forgetting something...).  Yes, we topped it with a raw egg.  (Just another reason to eat local & organic!)  It was a revelation - rich, creamy, and delicately balanced; chef said it was the best she's tasted.  Yay!  Now I want to make it at least once a week.  Not sure if the ladyfriend will go for that.

Photo by chef; food better than photo

Sweetbreads (a new favourite meat); sweetbreads are rich and creamy, with a light hint of liver (okay, here you might be, "Gross!"  But liver gets a bad rap, and remember, I said "a light hint").  We poached them in a court bouillon and then sauteed them in a little bacon fat (of course!) to get a nice crust going, finishing them in the oven.

Finally, there was the Cornish game hen breast on risotto encircled by sauteed leeks with bacon (match made in heaven) and turnips.  Chef made a sauce by reducing chicken stock until it was almost unbearably rich.  I'm having food flashbacks now!

Napa - Day 3

After we saw my parents off, the four of us checked out a couple of shops in downtown Napa and had a little lunch.  (Please note, these photos are from the fabulously talented Liss.  Another note - it's kind of hard to share the blog with Liss for the trip because she's all over me to update it.  Yo!  It's my vacation, too.)

Ian and Heather in Napa.

A great and prolific growth mushrooms growing around a tree in Napa.

Heather headed home and Ian, Liss, and I went to the Hess Collection for another wine tasting.  The Hess Collection has one of the five top private collections of contemporary and modern art.  I was really psyched to see a couple of Francis Bacon paintings.  He's one of my favourites.  The wine was also very good, and yes, I bought a few bottles (one for me, one for Ian, and one for our hosts in Alameda).
    Here I am looking like I know what I'm doing.

 

 While Ian and I are interested in wine, Liss is interested in the scenery.

 

 

After we finished up at the Hess Collection we headed to ad hoc in Yountville for dinner.  Oh...my...god!  It was by far the best fried chicken I've ever had.  Everything was served family style at the table (prixe fixe - one set menu).

 

    Dinner consisted of a local salad featuring enoki mushrooms; buttermilk fried chicken, wild rice with bacon (bacon!), and sweet corn on the cob; a cheese course (Dante cheese from Wisconsin); and then dessert - sourdough waffle sundaes.

    Documentation of our enjoyment courtesy of Liss.

There's no shame in licking your fingers!

Napa - Day 2

Okay, before I begin about our second day (and first full day) in Napa, let me just let you know that I have been knitting like crazy, but the photos I took of my progress blew so I'll just give you a quick synopsis.  The hot pink sock with the cables is done up to the toes.  Of course I ran out of yarn but have enough back at home to finish it.  I also finished another sock, which I had previously knit up to the toes (must be karma), and started its mate, which, yes, I've run out of yarn for.  Thankfully, I brought another project as well.  Don't hate me, but some of these things are intended to be holiday gifts.

After breakfast with the extended dance-remix version of the Manleys, my parents and I met up with my son and his girlfriend, Heather, at Artesa Vineyards and Winery.
   Here are my parents, ready for action.

   Artesa is beautifully situated overlooking part of the Carneros Region of Napa Valley.  It's also quite an interesting structure set into the hillside, which allows it to keep the temperatures cool.

These two fountains (above) flanked the walkway up to the winery entrance, which looks like this (and shows Ian and his girlfriend coming to meet us).

And here's one of the views of the region.

In addition to beautiful views, they had some really nice wines.  I picked up a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.  It's really tempting to overbuy at vineyards.  I try to practice something like moderation.

After Liss, Ian, Heather, and I had somewhat overpriced but overdue massages, which were actually amazing, we met up with my parents for dinner.  My aunt Anne, uncle Terry and his wife, Diane, stopped by for one last visit before they headed back home.  It was definitely too little time to spend with these people I haven't seen in years.  I'm hoping to maintain contact and actually develop relationships with my relatives.
   Here's my mom with my aunt Anne, who's been there for me at various pivotal moments in my life despite a lack of consistent proximity.

That evening, Ian, Liss, Heather, & I just hung out, drank beer in our hotel room, and watched a show about hoarders.  Ah, family time!