• Pots de creme with whipped cream
• Crepes (cherry compote, Nutella, lemon curd)
• Chocolate souffle cupcakes with vanilla whipped cream
• Soft goat cheese with pecan crackers
• Nuts
• Lots of wine

Don’t you wish you were there?

Everything was gluten-free.  Tammy made the pots de creme and they were outrageously rich! I spent the evening working on my ramekin in between glasses sips of wine.  Jenny’s crepes were made with rice flour and I found them to be shockingly pliable. I managed to abscond with a few leftovers.

The chocolate souffle cupcakes were from SmittenKitchen, with a simple whipped cream topping that had the lightest hint of vanilla and sugar.  They were simple to make, with ingredients I already had.  My batch resulted in 14 cupcakes instead of the 9 stated in the recipe.

We were up way past our bedtimes, and my magnetic pull to the coffee pot this morning in an attempt to recover was unstoppable.

Dinner 06.30.2009

We sat on the porch with the plants, watched the neighborhood (including the comings and goings of an old friend of mine from Maryland who also lives in Ithaca and is friends with my current next-door neighbor), and swatted off bugs. A lot of them. Note to self: dig out that citronella!

Joseph cooked dinner from my inspiration. Rice pasta (Tinkyada is the *only* brand to use as far as I’m concerned), hot Italian sausage from Kingbird Farm, broccoli from Early Morning Farm, and a white sauce with plenty of Parmesan cheese. We finished off an open bottle of rose. Then we finished off the strawberry shortcake with a bit of one of my my favorite Malbecs – 2007 Gouguenheim Malbec Mendoza Argentina purchased at Red Feet.

On another note, there are some transitions on my mind tonight.

Today was a bittersweet day at my job as lots of great folks worked their last day before retirement, among them one of my favorite bosses ever. Kate is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, leaderful, supportive people I’ve ever known, much less had the pleasure to work for. We enjoyed some tasty gluten-free chocolate bunt cake at her retirement party last night. I wish her all the best for her new adventures, and also hope to do some baking together in her new “downtime.”

I want to offer a shout out to my friend Nora who is leaving Louisiana tomorrow to move to Ithaca for her residency at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Congratulations and safe travels. I’m looking forward to taking annoying pictures of food on your plate soon!

My friend Sherrilyn also heads out on the road in the morning traveling to Ithaca, arriving for a six month sabbatical in the College of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell. Smooth sailing to you.

Dinner 6.16.2009

First things first, Tammy brought wine.  Her telepathy was excellent.  In fact, we were all out.  I don’t think we’d tried this Malbec/Syrah blend before and I really enjoyed it.  Smooth and drinkable.

Dinner itself was stir-fry, one of Joseph’s favorites to make.  Here’s the ingredient list:

• Pressed, cubed tofu (Ithaca Soy)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• Sesame oil
• Bok choy (Early Morning Farm)
• Broccoli (Early Morning Farm)

Served with brown rice.  Yummm.

For those who might wonder about the mysterious Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, they are one of the two gluten-free soy sauce substitutes that we use.  Bragg’s is thinner  and less complex in taste than soy sauce, and for those of us who cook by color it can be quite deceiving as it is much lighter in color.  See their website for all the details.  The other item we use a lot is San-J Organic Wheat-Free Tamari.   This tastes a bit more like regular soy sauce, but is a little deeper in flavor, and perhaps a little less salty.  Soy sauce is a bit brighter.  I keep small bottles of tamari around to take to Japanese restaurants to use with my sushi.  Both products can be found locally in Ithaca at Greenstar Cooperative Market and Wegmans.

Just A Taste: 6.10.2009

Last night we enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner for our dear friend Tammy at Just a Taste, a local wine and tapas bar and one of my favorite restaurants. For those who aren’t familiar with the setup, one of the great features is the ability to order a “flight” of wine – a taste of five different wines and the reason our table is so crowded. One flight is roughly equivalent to 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 glasses. The Italian flight and the Light Red flight were popular at our table.

Some of the menu items that graced our table:

• Mixed Imported Olives
• Housemade Focaccia with Extra Virgin olive Oil and Roast Garlic
• Warm Brie with Melon and Crostini
• Deep Fried Russet Potato Wedges with Chipotle Aioli
• Tortilla Espanola: a baked egg, potato and onion dish served with garlic aioli and mixed greens
• White and Portabella Mushrooms Sauteed with Garlic and Thyme
• Asparagus Sauteed in Brown Butter with Garlic, Pecans and Romano Cheese

I believe there were some decadent dessert items as well, like ruby port, warm chocolate souffle with chocolate ganache….

If you’re in the area and haven’t been there, I highly recommend Just a Taste. Reservations are not accepted. Go on a weekday to get immediate seating, and be prepared to wait on the weekends. Seating begins at 5:30.

Tonight’s theme was “2007: An Exceptional Year in the South of France.” I found all five of tonight’s tastes delightful, but I think these two were my favorites:

Two favorites from the 6.5.2009 tasting at Red Feet