Creamy Pasta and Shrimp Adventure

December 17, 2018 by Alyssa D in main course

Fresh seafood has long been a weakness of mine. For a real treat while I was growing up, my parents would take me to a local seafood restaurant, where the scallops were my favorite dish. So buttery. So perfect. So fortunate that they weren’t from the nearest body of water.

I just can’t resist good seafood, particularly high quality crab cakes. Same with smoked salmon appetizers, toothsome Korean fish cakes, New England lobster rolls, briny raw oysters, spider rolls at sushi restaurants — you get the idea.

So when Martha Stewart Living had a close-up of mafaldine pasta with shrimp and lemon in the magazine, there was no question about making it. What looked incredibly easy, as is often the case with glossy magazine recipes, turned out to be slightly more difficult. Especially a few glasses of wine into the process.

Modern Turkey Potpie Adventure

November 30, 2018 by Alyssa D in main course

Our wacky Thanksgiving tradition emerged out of necessity. We’d attended a fantastic Friendsgiving that quickly morphed from a half dozen people into an enormous crowd.

The original plan was that we’d make turkey thighs simmered in red chile, but the guest list grew too long for that to be realistic. Other folks eagerly volunteered to roast a big turkey. While there was plenty for dinner, the few leftovers were divided between the friends who brought it and our gracious host. We all insisted.

After so many weeks with turkey on the brain, though, Guillaume and I were hankering for some more.

Fall Blush Floral Cocktail Adventure

November 15, 2018 by Alyssa D in drinks

The borage flowers were practically hitting us in the face when we opened the front door over the summer. The edible blue and pink flowers grew in my mom’s plant-your-own-cocktail Christmas present. They clearly liked the weather.

Instructions with the kit suggested freezing the flowers in ice cubes for a gin and elderflower liqueur cocktail. Guillaume became adept at making the sweet-celery-like drink, which called for muddling sizable borage leaves and throwing fresh flowers in at the end.

Before we could blink, summer was over and our planter got covered in snow. But we still had the flowery ice cubes and a bottle of Lillet Rosé in the fridge. I decided to experiment.

Vegetables Wellington Adventure Part Two: Double the Madness

November 04, 2018 by Alyssa D in main course

At just about the halfway point in my preparations for the first vegetables Wellington, after I’d cracked my head against the freezer door handle but before the four-hour-long music mix had started repeating, I had to stop.

Nearly every surface in our cramped kitchen was covered with ingredients, bowls, measuring implements, wooden spoons, baking sheets, the overworked mini food processor, pots and pans. In that moment, I couldn’t take any more.

Holding up the glass bottle of caramel-colored liquid in one hand and a narrow shot glass in the other so Guillaume could see, I declared, “It’s come to this.”

Vegetables Wellington Adventure Part One: “Fake Bacon”

October 22, 2018 by Alyssa D in sides

Me: “This might be the most insane thing I’ve ever attempted in the kitchen.” Pause. “I foresee crying.” Guillaume: “I do, too.”

Let’s rewind slightly. For the better part of four years I’ve wanted to make J. Kenji López-Alt’s highly involved vegetables Wellington recipe every time autumn rolls around. With an ingredient list longer than my arm, an optimistic total active time of four hours, and a caution about the high difficulty level, this recipe is not messing around.

But when I initially polled friends about their interest in the plant-based holiday roast, responses ranged from “no thanks” to “meh.” So I put it on the backburner. Until now.

Kimchi Carbonara Noodles Adventure

October 12, 2018 by Alyssa D in main course

I hugged the giant plastic tub of kimchi to my chest and tried to twist off the top. Nothing happened. Some bubbles from the fermentation rose lazily through the cabbage.

This was “young kimchi” and, like many a youngster, it was giving adults a hard time. Guillaume had brought the wonderful find back from H-Mart and, despite his stronger grip, he couldn’t liberate the tub, either. The bottom bulged. We wondered if it might be over-packed. Come on, kimchi.

Eggs Benedict Brunch Adventure

September 08, 2018 by Alyssa D in breakfast

Going out to brunch is one of the nicest treats I know. If eggs Benedict are on the menu — or in the buffet line — chances are that I’m going to make a beeline for a serving. It’s so decadent. So delicious. With so much fat, it’s kind of naughty, too.

And, like many brunch-goers before me probably buzzed from one too many mimosas, I thought, “Hey I should be able to make this at home.” Fast forward to me madly stirring a bowl of scrambled Hollandaise. The sauce was broken and, in all honestly, I cracked a little, too.

Since that maddening day, I was determined to figure out how to avoid those mistakes.

Grilled Summer Veggie Lasagna Adventure

August 26, 2018 by Alyssa D in baking, main course

We couldn’t find the Japanese eggplant. I don’t know if Pacific Ocean Market was out or if they weren’t in season, but we’d driven too far to this store to come away empty-handed.

Reading Kenji’s summer vegetable lasagna recipe made me want to prepare it straight away, and he specifically called for Japanese eggplant. Guillaume, who’s not the biggest eggplant fan to start, pointed to a package of round dark purple softball-sized vegetables labeled Indian eggplant. “How about these?” he suggested.

It was the discovery that changed everything.

Stuffed Grape Leaves Redemption Adventure

August 21, 2018 by Alyssa D in appetizers

“Ooo! Did you make these?” And there were the Trader Joe’s Greek stuffed grape leaves, right out of the can, taunting me. “No, these came from the store. They’re pretty good, though.” Enough was enough.

The previous dolmathes I’d made from scratch using Rena Salaman’s recipe hadn’t worked. The first ones were perfectly cooked inside, but the grape leaves were still tough. A second attempt resulted in over-rinsing the leaves, making the final dolmathes super bland.

The third time had to be the charm.

White Wine Sangria Adventure

July 10, 2018 by Alyssa D in drinks

At every turn of the car on my way to a Fourth of July party a few years back, I held my breath. Please, please, please don’t let the top of the huge drink dispenser come off and spill white wine sangria everywhere. The wooden cap just rested on the blown-glass-effect plastic base. It didn’t screw in.

This is what I get for getting the stylish looking container on sale for $10: a high stakes booze delivery.