The April Attempt- 4/3/09

For two months now, I have made every recipe in Gourmet for each month. April, however, may be a bit trickier. On April 19th, Eyrleigh and I will tag along on Richard's business trip out west for 3 weeks. That doesn't leave much time for cooking unless I feel like cooking at a hotel, which I don't. As of right now, all I can promise is that I'll make as many recipes as time allows.
Today I used my ever growing cooking confidence and I blanched almonds. It was really cool. I knew that blanch meant to boil for just a few minutes. So I boiled my almonds for just a few minutes and sure enough, the skins came right off. This is a great example of why I'm having so much fun doing this project. I'm gaining cooking know-how and the confidence to try different things.
Tonight, I made dinner to go. I took the Pasta in Garlic-Almond Sauce on page 58 and the Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze on page 60 to our friend's house for dinner. The tart was essentially finished. I just packed the port glaze in a little container and added it right before we ate. The pasta I made at their house, though I had made the almond garlic puree at home before I left. The pasta was surprisingly good. Looking at the ingredients, I didn't think this dish would have enough depth but true to the description, it was quite filling. The garlic in the puree mellowed with cooking and the mint and basil added a very nice freshness. The best part was that everyone loved it, even the 3 kids under 5!
For dessert, I made the cover recipe, the Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze. For obvious reason, several of the diners got tart minus the glaze. I'm not sure how much alcohol it takes to inebriate small children but I didn't think I'd try to find out. The tart was excellent with or without the port glaze. The crust was light and not too sweet. The mascarpone filling had a well balanced richness. Strawberries are just starting to appear in the grocery store and these were delightfully fresh and firm. The port glaze added another level for the adults but was also well balanced. The kids didn't miss it and in fact, I think all of them had at least a few bites from the adults plates. Those pleading eyes are tough to turn down. Please, Mommy! Please, Daddy! Can I have more? What a compliment!
Pasta in Garlic-Almond Sauce- B
Cost-$14.35
Calorie per serving-518
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze- B+
Cost- $19.25
Calories per serving-495

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