— TheToothfish

I owe you all an apology. I’ve been selfish these past months and instead of feeding you with seductive photos of lamb and witty prose (*high fives self*), I’ve been keeping the lamb and the wit all to myself. I’m not actually sure what happened. I think it was some combination of college life and college life. I’m back now, though, and thought I’d share a few things I’ve made or eaten since last month.

The 634

I know nothing about cocktails. I know they contain alcohol and that’s about it. So naturally, it makes sense that my roommate and I suddenly had inspiration to make a cocktail out of leftover beet juice. The 634 is a combination of beet juice, gin, rum and lemon syrup. Quite good for a first try, but if you don’t like beets, stay away because The 634 doesn’t like you either.

This spread was part of a dinner my roommate and I put on for some friends. We have orange-glazed beets with microgreens in an orange vinaigrette, goat cheese and almond slivers, my risotto croquettes and omelettes with fresh herbs. And to make sure everything tasted like ambrosia, liberal amounts of wine were consumed beforehand and after-hand

Lemon and Spinach Soup.
Quite simple and made using chicken broth via bouillon cubes. Bouillon has so much more flavor than the chicken broth from the box.

I’ve discovered that when you crave something, it’s best not to overdo the satisfying because at this moment, I’m so sick of snicker doodles. As an important landmark, this was my first time ever to makes cookies from scratch (gasp!). Same goes for the spinach and cheddar souffles in the picture before this one. Thanks, Ina. Knew I could trust you.

BEAUTIFUL scallops from Sotto Sotto in a white bean and tomato stew. Perfectly seared and paired with a Barolo. This is how you do scallops.

spiced poached pears (cinnamon, star anis, brown sugar, clove) with fresh cream

brisket sandwich with gouda cheese, cilantro and red onions (Thanksgiving Lunch)

Egg Halves with Withered Onions & Tomatoes in Tumeric, Cilantro

I’m headed home in the next few days where hopefully I can do some experimenting. If not, just send me nasty emails about how you’re starved for my attention.