Cucina Testa Rossa

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Amen to that! :) This picture always reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer sunbathes in butter :) And here's some cocktail trivia for you on the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's actually very heartwarming and I'll take any good news I can get these days.

Bon Appetit and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May we all have much to be grateful for... I know I do! Meilleurs voeux de San Francisco ~ Best wishes from San Francisco. Laura

What the hell am I going to cook for dinner? Black Bean Soup!

You'd think a professionally trained French cook wouldn't have to agonize over what to cook for dinner?! Au contraire mon frere. I do it every night. I open the fridge. Then I open the freezer. Then I open the cupboards. Then I go back to the fridge and rotate through at least 3 times. My nightly ritual unless something is sitting there on the 2nd shelf greeting me when I open the door. I'd prefer to shop every day or ever 2 days like I did back when I lived you-know-where but I don't have my farmers market across the street 3 days a week, and nor do I have my baker, butcher and fishmonger a block away, but I digress... So what to do on a week night when Heroes is about to come on and no time, patience, nor ingredients to make a full on meal. One of my many tried and true standbys is black bean soup and it's about as easy as it gets.

• 1 can black beans (I love Progresso black beans)
• 1/2 can (1 cup) chicken broth
• plain yogurt
• pine nuts, toasted (or a tad burned as i did tonight - still trying to figure out my electric stove. yes electric! ugh)

1. drain can of beans - no need to save the liquid, it's gross imho.
2. put beans in a pot on medium high heat and add the broth. bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes (or longer if you want a thicker consistency)
3. turn off the heat. blend with an immersion blender or puree in a blender or cuisinart
4. garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and some toasted (not burned!) pine nuts

Bon appetit! Just in time for Heroes :)

What the hell am I going to cook for Thanksgiving?!

My kitchen counter strewn with stacks of magazines and cookbooks that haunt me every time I walk by them. Now I know I could simply look at the post just below this one for a plethora of great Thanksgiving meal ideas but you see I've already MADE all those. I need something NEW or I wouldn't have anything to write about much less lose out on the opportunity for a culinary challenge. I usually regret those around 2am the night before as I start stressing out about burning the turkey beyond recognition or forgetting a major ingredient...like the turkey! I'll let you know what I come up with as soon as I do... which will probably be somewhere around 3pm on Thursday! Stay tuned...

Dog Days of Summer...

Woof!

8th Grade Reunion...

29 years later! When I told people I was going to my 8th grade reunion, they looked at me like I was crazy but there was no way I was going to miss it. Two friends (above) who were boarding students flew from Mexico City for the reunion so I was going to be there come hell or high water. Fortunately it didn't take that :) I'd post a "before" picture of us but I had acne, braces - those big ugly silver ones that went all the way around your teeth - and a Dorothy Hammill haircut.... enough said!

Baby got back....

don't watch this while eating thanksgiving dinner or you'll have cranberry coming out your nose :)

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

Hi Everyone! Grab your apron (or cocktail as the case may be!) and let's get cooking! Putting together a menu is always the hardest part for me - I struggle and agonize and moan and questions my existence - so if you don't want to suffer the same fate, here are some ideas from the Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past...

How *Not* to Cook a Turkey 12/2/06
Thanksgiving in Paris, Trois Fois (Three Times) 11/27/05
Thanksgiving Recipes v4.0 ~ Stuffed! 11/20/06
Thanksgiving Recipes v3.0 ~ Michael Chiarello 11/19/06
Thanksgiving Recipes v2.0 ~ Deja Vu 11/18/06
Thanksgiving Recipes v1.0 ~ Williams-Sonoma 11/17/06

And this year, I'm back in San Francisco cooking with my Paris flatmates, my absolutely favorite thing to do in the whole world. Here's the menu below... Whether it actually ends up being this will be wholely determined by home much champagne we consume while cooking and if certain people went out the night before and decided to clean the over at 4am...but I digress... We decided on a capon since I torqued the turkey last year. Cross your fingers and toes and wings and thighs for me!

thanksgiving 2008
chez john et pierre
----
rose champagne
smoked salmon on brioche with lemon creme fraiche
toasts with arugula, proscuitto, chevre
----
burgundy pinot noir
chapon stuffed with foie gras, sauteed trumpet mushrooms, cognac
cornbread stuffing with dried cranberries, apricots
roasted asparagus sliced fennel, beets, oranges with a raspberry vinaigrette
----
sauterne (or maybe back to champagne?)
pears poached in red wine on creme anglaise drizzled with chocolate

Bon appetit! L

Heureux Mercis Donnant ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

La Vue de Ma Fenêtre ~ Police on Rollerblades

Policemen on Rollerblades in front of l'Opera, Paris ~ February 2007

Can't outmaneuver these guys! And given the traffic jams and transportation strikes in Paris, this is probably faster than the metro. Maybe it's time to dust off my big purple pair that I used for all of a week back in 1994 when I was determined to make those Friday Night Rides across San Francisco that were so hugely popular back then. Determined that is, until I fell directly on my tailbone (less padding than now) right in front of the Chestnut Street morning express bus headed downtown filled with handsome men in double-breasted suits and wingtips. The searing pain was outmatched only by the sheer embarassment made doubly so because I fell trying to do a fancy little jump turn onto the sidewalk in front of above mentioned bus. That'll teach me to try to show off!

Cocktails and Art at enviedart

I flew in last Thursday afternoon - with a few hours of deep REMs thanks to Ambien under my belt to get me through the night - headed home, showered, changed, and was in a cab within an hour careening to a cocktail party at enviedart, a tres chic, hip, hyper (pronounced: ee-per) cool art gallery in the 8th. Featuring all young and upcoming artists, it was a great place to have a reception rather than the staid, and now Michelin-spanked, George V. A local restaurant and favorite of the fashion houses, Lemoni Cafe, catered all natural, organic brightly colored combinations of sweet and savory in cute little plastic cups for an almost Pierre Herme-ish effect. I was waiting for someone to set their cocktail on the small table top canvases or knock over a statue but nary a spill... Here are some pics...