Back in the Saddle-2/1/10

A year ago this month, I began a fun little project that soon became much bigger and more meaningful than I really intended. I decided to make every recipe in Gourmet magazine for the month of February. Well, for 8 months, I made virtually every recipe in Gourmet magazine and learned a lot about cooking, and even a little about myself. This February, there is no Gourmet. The magazine ceased publication two months ago. I also took four months off from regular blogging for various reasons, and though I did still cook, most of it was not very exciting.
I've decided to do this project again because I love trying new things and making cooking an adventure, not a chore. I'll change the magazine, admit I want to be a little less intense, and write out a menu for a month of recipes. This time, I'll use Bon Appetit, the sister magazine to Gourmet, and now the last one standing. As for intensity, I've already cut one recipe from the February menu, the Tofu Dengaki on page 103, because of the cost of its unique ingredients. If cost or time becomes an issue, I will (call me on this one, Richard) cut out a recipe and not slavishly try to do every single one. (See the crazy previous posts where I hunted down cocktail recipes in Las Vegas!). I'm excited to write a menu, plan meals, and fuss about the presentation again, even if just for Eyrleigh and Richard's entertainment most nights.
I got started right off the bat with a menu article in February's Bon Appetit, "Brighten Up", on page 74. Georgia's been pretty cold and rainy for the last several months so I liked the idea of a menu that didn't scream winter comfort food. The menu began with a starter of Piquillo Pepper and Sardine Tartines. I've never been the biggest fan of canned sardines and Richard's downright skeptical but we both reached for an extra one after we ate the two on our plate. It had the familiar sardine taste at the back but the sweet pepper and the salty capers as well as the onion and garlic rub mellowed out the strong "fishy" taste.
The main dish was Chicken Schnitzel with Frisee-Apple Salad. Let me start by saying if you think a store bought container of bread crumbs could sub in for making fresh, you will want to rethink that. I had enough fresh breadcrumbs (from the rest of the baguette used for the tartines) to coat 4 of the cutlets but ran out and used store bought for the last two. What a world of difference! I guess I've never seen the difference so markedly before because I've never compared the results of fresh breadcrumbs versus store bought in the same meal. The schnitzels with fresh breadcrumbs were crunchy on the outside, fried to a golden brown, and the chicken was moist. Those I used store bought on overcooked quickly and the chicken inside also overcooked in half the time.
The chicken was accompanied with a Frisee-Apple Salad. I don't know what store sells frisee by itself but it's not Whole Foods or another local grocery store. I settled for a baby greens blend that included minute amounts of frisee. The salad was good with some great crunchy elements. The dressing was light and citrusy.
The dessert was a Cream Tart with Oranges, Honey, and Toasted Almond Crust. The crust and cream custard were made separately and simply put together to chill. The flavor was light and the oranges and honey were a delicious topping. Gotta say though, taking the orange segments out of their skins is a huge pain and leftover tart will be eaten sans orange segments. The crust was really good, almost like an almond cookie. This is a simple menu, appropriate for a few friends, and doesn't take much time.

Piquillo Pepper and Sardine Tartines-C+
Chicken Schnitzel-B+
Frisee Apple Salad-B
Cream Tart with Oranges, Honey, and Toasted Almond Crust-B+