If I Lived In The Hamptons-8/21/08

Tonight's starter was all glam and then some. Vodka Spiked Cherry Tomatoes! With no disrespect to the drinking habits of socialites but this recipe had closet alcoholic written all over it. I'm not a person who gets super into the drama of famous people's lives, but is it any wonder some of them become heavy drinkers? Sure, all of us everyday shmucks complain about our jobs and all the things we have to do. But imagine how pathetic life begins to look if you can pay someone to do everything for you and don't have anything to do that is truly meaningful. Even if you work at a job you don't find meaningful in and of itself, the money you receive makes that job meaningful to you. Life without purpose and meaning is quite unfulfilling. You may remember why I started this blog. I have a purpose and meaning as a stay-at-home mom who does all her own stunts (cleaning, cooking, etc). But even there, I didn't feel I was doing anything adult, or perhaps the better term is intellectual. Now you may argue that a cooking blog is not intensely intellectual. I won't disagree, but this blog and the project surrounding it, gives me daily challenges outside of the ordinary and allows me to write and reflect in a creative way. May not be rocket science but hey, at least it keeps me from drinking;)!
Back to those Vodka Spiked Tomatoes with Pepper Salt. They were interesting and dipping them in pepper gave them a kick-in-the-pants kind of flavor. Let me describe that. Surprising, not the highlight of my day but kind of a fun twist. I could only eat about 3 though. Dipping them in salt was downright brain-puckering and I don't recommend it. I won't make them again but for about 5 minutes I imagined them at some posh dinner party in the Hamptons, being nibbled on by overly made-up AA flunkies.
For dinner, I made the Cedar-Plank Salmon on page 79 in this month's Gourmet. I picked up the cedar planks at World Market, though I bet the Home Depot would have been cheaper. The sauce over the salmon was very simple to make and was a great addition to the fish without overwhelming the cedar smoke flavor. The fish took a little longer to cook than the recipe said but it was excellent. The cedar flavor was distinct and I will be using the other 3 planks soon. Yum!
I made the Lemon Bread Pudding with Maple-Infused Whipped Cream on page 106 for dessert. This was a mild flavored bread pudding compared to the more traditional cinnamon heavy version but I really enjoyed it. The consistency of the bread-custard mixture was excellent and the lemon was subtle and smooth. The whipped cream could have used a bit more maple syrup. I didn't really taste it at all. Too much would have overwhelmed the lemon but maybe a tablespoon more to give the cream a bit more complexity.


Vodka Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt-C

Cedar-Planked Salmon-A

Lemon Bread Pudding with Maple-Infused Whipped Cream-B+