Mama Said-2/22/10

Some nights just go better than others. A bit like life, there are just days like that. Sometimes these recipes go great and I'm pleased as punch. Sometimes things are okay, and I can live with that. Some days things are just salty or a little bit bland, and yes, this was one of those days. I'm not really a meat and potatoes kind of girl and though I'm skipping the lamb recipe in the article "Meat and Potatoes" in this month's Bon Appetit, I am almost done making the five other recipes and I'm almost done with meat and potatoes. No wonder America has an obesity problem. Eating meat and potatoes just once a week makes me feel like a blob. Tonight's Ham, Artichoke, and Potato Gratin was not only fatty but super salty, probably courtesy of the ham. Neither Richard nor I enjoyed this dish very much. I used Gruyere instead of Comte cheese because of availability and without a real knowledge of Comte cheese, I can't say whether this would have helped. Gruyere was listed as substitute for Comte online so I have to assume they are close in flavor and saltiness.
I've been stalling a bit about making tonight's dessert. I had already decided to skip making the other recipe that used buckwheat crepes, the Buckwheat Galettes with Salmon, Capers, and Dill because of both time and desire (just doesn't sound good!) but I did want to make at least one recipe with the crepes. I made the Buckwheat Crepes with Pears and Creme Fraiche on page 58. To be fair, this dish was not bad. The flavor of the pears was subtle but pleasantly sweet and the buckwheat crepes had an earthy but not unpleasant flavor. It's just that this is not what I look for in a dessert. These crepes might have been better at breakfast. And as the picture shows, they were no raging beauties.
Ham, Artichoke, and Potato Gratin-D
Buckwheat Crepes with Pears and Creme Fraiche-B (as breakfast)

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