A Week Late But Not a Drink Short-5/18/09

When posting my reviews of each month's Gourmet recipes on this blog, I've tried very hard to be timely about writing my reflections so I don't forget how a dish really tasted or what my initial impressions were. However, I made the final recipes of May's Gourmet over a week ago and I am just now writing my review. There is a reason though, besides just general laziness. I made the last three recipes on Saturday, May 9th and flew out for a 3 1/2 week business trip with Richard at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 10th. Basically, as soon as I finished cooking that night, I started cleaning and packing and never had time to sit down and write about the recipes I had just made. Today, I am sitting in a hotel in Las Vegas after an action packed week where we have stayed in 5 different hotels, visited a large portion of California and several National Parks, and gone to 2 different Major League Baseball stadiums. Today is the first rest day of the trip and other than some quality time at the pool, Eyrleigh and I have nothing planned. But about a week ago...

I saved 3 quick recipes for last so I'd be sure to have time to finish them before we left on our trip. The Flank Steak with Bitter Greens and Charred Red Onion was indeed quick and easy and very good. The dressing that went on both the steak and the greens was excellent and very flavorful. Unlike the porcini mushroom mustard that went with the lamb of the "Cucina Paradiso" menu, this tangy mustard based dressing paired well with the shallots and onion and brought out the sweetness of the flank steak. The steak was quite rare after the recommended cook time but either because of the short cook time or just the better quality of the flank steak, it was very tender.

The Pea and Parmesan Wonton Ravioli used the same wrappers as the 4 dumpling recipes at the back of the magazine and was also very simple. I mentioned in my review of the Fresh Semolina Pasta in the "Cucina Paradiso" menu that I find homemade pasta incredibly sticky and the same thing happened with this ravioli. The pea and Parmesan filling was excellent however so even stuck together, we all enjoyed this pasta very much. You will notice I added cut tomatoes in the pictures. There were two reasons for this. One, we were leaving for over 3 weeks and I wanted to use up the tomatoes and two, the tomatoes hide the fact that the ravioli was so stuck together that a number of them broke apart when I was removing them from the colander.

I had one final drink, the Whisky Sour, that I was going to make at home. I found the drink a bit heavy on the alcohol and added more of the bar syrup to cut the whisky bite. I'm not a huge fan of bourbon whisky. I find the aftertaste a bit plastic, if that makes sense. Maybe it would be better to say artificial, though it may just be the woodsy taste of the barrel. I don't find this taste as prominent with Irish or Scotch whiskey.
There was one more recipe from the May issue of Gourmet that I did not make at home and that was the last of the cocktail recipes. Since I knew I'd be spending lots of time in hotels, I knew I could find a friendly bartender to mix up the final drink, the Alexander II. The reason I had not made this one at home was that I didn't have any creme de cacao and didn't want to spend the money right before leaving to get 3/4 of an ounce of the stuff. The local bar could do just as well for a lot less money. Here in Las Vegas, I ventured down to the rather empty hotel bar and ordered this drink. Sure enough, the bartender knew the drink and mixed it up just like the directions in Gourmet (Ok, he didn't appear to measure anything but he's a bartender, I'm sure he pours these measurements in his sleep.) The drink tasted much like other cream based drinks. I prefer an Irish coffee myself but it was a good nightcap for a fun day in Sin City. We went to the Children's Museum!!!

Flank Steak with Bitter Greens and Charred Red Onions-B+

Pea and Parmesan Wonton Ravioli-B

Whisky Sour-C

Alexander II-B