Thyme Flies
Contemplating my New Years Resolutions, I look out the window …its still dark outside and the rising steam from my coffee puts me in an early-morning trance as I watch it twirl upward. Suddenly, I feel the dull ache of deja-vu as I remember a similar swirling pattern of a latte I had in Paris with my sister nearly a year ago. A YEAR AGO?? Then it all rushes back in a mili-flash – two additional trips overseas, 42 cooking classes, an entire Jr. Pee Wee (football) season and my daughter’s Senior Portraits. Now that I think about it, its actually been well over a year since the birth of Ana Nicole’s daughter and the death of Steve Irwin. And who is that blonde standing next to my husband in last year’s New Years Eve pictures? Looks like me, but so much younger! Or were those from the year before? Its all such a blur. I scratch my head and wistfully ponder the same thing I’m sure many of you are right now…isn’t there some way to slow it all down?
With our health and well-being in mind, we made vows and promises to join a “small group,” give up drinking (except for wine, of course…good for the heart) and trade the H2 in for electric…admirable proclamations that would make our lives better…that would make us better people. We inked good intentions to lose weight & save money on the back of our cocktail napkins at midnight but the truth is, winter was too cold, summer was too hot and the holidays came too fast. Tragic loss even struck many of us, involuntarily triggering that pesky clock to hit fast forward at Mach speed and ultimately those resolutions, so earnestly pledged, just never got any allegiance!
That said, I would however (generally being of the stemmed glass-half-full nature), like to pay homage to 2008 by focusing on some very good news. First and most importantly, we somehow made it through this year and have another whole one to look forward to starting at this very minute! Next, guilt is a quality that you alone can easily stop in its tracks…I don’t see failing to keep a resolution actual failure, per se, so much as a procrastination of a very good and healthy intent that we simply haven’t gotten around to executing just yet. And finally, having let you off the hook a bit leads me to the last (and best) point here, there is actually one particular resolution that is so easy to achieve, you can scratch it off the list after just one phone call! It’s a resolution that will make not only your life better, but the lives of those around you richer, healthier and far more interesting. You will leave the experience more knowledgeable and with a better sense of what is good for your family, your body AND the planet. I am, of course, recommending that you take a Relish Cooking Class. The audacity! She’s plugging her business, and I won’t keep reading this nonsense! But I believe you are curious to know how it could possibly be true – how learning to cook, taking a class no less, could possibly enrich your life…a life that I know nothing about.
You see, I believe everyone can, and should learn to be a better cook by first understanding the importance of a meal. A meal is a daily affair that happens at a central place with the people you love and care about, and once you understand the enormous potential of that anything-but-mundane event, you are ready to learn how to make that precious slice of time better. By taking time to understand and carefully hand-select the ingredients that go into each meal, you can then feel excited about the methodical effort that ensues, as quick or involved as that may be. Beginning with elements such as fresh, organic produce; meats raised locally without the use of hormones or fillers; even sustainably-grown seafood; then adding a dash of a secret treasure you discovered in that gourmet market in San Francisco or Laguna Beach – even Trader Joe's (like smoky paprika or white truffle oil) sounds so exotic, but with a little instruction and a breath of boldness, Mac-n-Cheese becomes “A Truffled Trio of Fromage with Lobster.” Cook time 30 minutes. Cost 30 dollars. Look on the kids faces as they break through the crunchy topping…priceless.
So, all marketing efforts aside, whether you choose to book a Relish Cooking class, or just take the time one evening to read through a few favorite cookbook recipes, with minimal effort and zero guilt, you have successfully begun the New Year making, and keeping your first official resolution. Bon Apetit!
LOBSTER MAC-N-CHEESE WITH CRUNCHY PANKO CRUST
(serve with ’04 Shramsberg Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine OR apple juice)
MAC-N-CHEESE - INGREDIENTS
1 cup small elbow pasta
1 tablespoon salt in 5 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup milk
½ tsp. truffle oil
5 oz extra sharp cheddar, graded
¾ cup fresh, cooked chunks of lobster
Olive oil
4 8-oz ramekins
WHITE PEPPER & THYME PANKO CRUNCH - INGREDIENTS
1 cup Japanese (panko) breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon of fresh ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
INSTRUCTIONS
Turn oven on to 450˚. Bring water to a boil, add salt and pasta. Cook for about 15 minutes or until a bit softer than al dente. Drain and set aside in colander. Melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium heat, stir in flour and milk (this makes a roux). Stir until silky smooth. Stir in truffle oil, then begin adding grated cheese, a little at a time until melted and smooth. Gently fold in lobster then pasta, coating with cheese sauce well. In small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, add breadcrumbs, thyme and pepper. Mix well. Put ¼ mixture in each ramekin, top with breadcrumbs, bake for 15 min.
