The Valrhona chocolate sitting on the shelf has been calling me ! At the recent demo put on by the Valrhona executive pastry chef, they not only provided samples from six recipes, but they also distributed 20g bars of several different chocolates, as well as a 200g pack of guanaja chocolate. The recipe for using that chocolate in a souffle will eventually either wake me up in the middle of the night, or get made during daylight hours in the next week, I predict.



Tonight, the wife made a great beef stew in the crock pot. It had standard items - potatoes, onions, English peas, carrots and, of course, beef chunks. Wonderful ! Out-of-the-sleeve French baguette, sliced up, along with a salad rounded out the meal.



I made the salad, and it took about an hour. I practiced on dicing carrots (maybe even down to brunoise level on some of these) and cucumbers, and sliced up grape tomatoes - always yummy ! - and romaine lettuce. A good HowCast video on the julienne cut - http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1654748/how_to_julienne/.

I used the salad spinner on the lettuce so that the dressing would adhere better than if it was still wet from washing. I added some cracked black pepper. I got 6 leaves off of that beautiful big basil bush and threw them into a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds, fishing them out with the spider from my 1972 wok set. They got dumped into ice water, and it did, indeed, freeze their nice color just like the guy on the Food Network said it would. Into the bowl they went, and a damp paper towel was placed over the bowl thinking that would keep it crisp. Bowls were placed in the fridge to chill - COLD FOOD ON COLD PLATES ! I saw the admonition again today as I was cruising the chef certification sites (http://www.chefcertification.com/ , http://www.tapseries.com/4u/acf/, and http://www.personalchef.com/). So, like I said, about an hour to make that salad (most of which was due to the dicing and practicing the "claw grip" on my Henckel 7" Santoku that Sister gave me). At service, I sprinkled with sea salt. It was good.

With a good, cold, 59-cent-per-liter glass of ginger ale, this was a very satisfying meal for me.

START LESSONS LEARNED -My back isn't what it used to be ! Even with sitting down to dice the veggies, it's still aching. Yes, only in my dreams would I be able to stand on the line for hours.

For the six cups or so of salad, six basil leaves was insufficient. I suspect a dozen would have still gone unnoticed,. As it was, the leaves - chiffonaded (sp?) - were but enhancing the interest level of the salad, and fresh and nutritional.

My knife skills are right on the underside, speed-wise, of the fastest tortoise.

END LESSONS LEARNED

PLENTY of left-over stew, bread, and one serving of salad for some lucky forager. :-)