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Southern Boiled Peanuts

“Fresh peanuts seem to occupy a space between snack food and a habit, like chewing tobacco.  As any diehard boiled peanut fan can attest, the salty, wet little beans inspire your mind to take a lazy walk while your hand shuttles between bag and mouth and your teeth do the chewing.”

--Matt & Ted Lee, The Lee Bros. Southern Cooking

Boiled peanuts can be a bit disconcerting upon the first encounter -- not unlike wondering who licked them all before you got there.  But once you get over the fact that roasting isn’t the peanut’s only path to the snack bowl, they can become very addicting.  They were definitely the conversation starter at our last dinner party.

Southern Cuisine: A Culinary Obsession

The subject of my latest chef dinner at Chateau Ste. Michelle has quickly become my latest culinary obsession -- Southern food.  My knowledge of Southern food was pretty general, so I did what I always do: purchased a dozen cookbooks; ordered some authentic ingredients; and tested, tasted, tested, tasted.  The result is, besides being unbelievably full, I am head-over-heels in love with everything Suthun’!

The more research I did, the more I became completely enamored & beguiled with the South.  It just buttered my biscuit, so to speak.  From the shellfish of the low country’s coastal regions, to the amazing varieties of field peas & legumes of the inland territories; from the one true grit (the stone-ground variety) to the highly debated barbeque feuds between each state, region, county & city.  

Slow Weekend: Antinori, Fries & Coltrane

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Not much beats a slow weekend in the kitchen.  Pots simmering, chocolate things baking, crispy things frying, corks popping, spices wafting.  By yourself or with someone you love, slow weekend cooking is pleasurable.  Don’t forget to turn on a little Coltrane -- anything is gratifying with Coltrane.  Even sweeping is hot with John Coltrane.

The Fries:

This weekend, might I suggest French fries.  Deep-fried potatoes are delicious and good for your soul -- don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Deep-frying is actually quite easy to master.  Once you do, you’ll be deep-frying everything, trust me.  All you need is a heavy-bottomed pot, peanut or canola oil, a deep fat frying thermometer, a few potatoes and salt.  I defer to Anthony Bourdain for the perfect French fry instructions (recipe below).

I May Move to Bellevue Just to be Near Belle Pastry

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I might just move to Bellevue for the pastries - for Belle Pastry, anyway.  Everyone should have delectable pastries in their neighborhood.  It could be the new American dream.  Proximity to the perfect, shatteringly crisp, buttery croissant is much better than a white picket fence.  I should be careful with the wishing, it could lead to an extra 250 pounds & sparkly fuschia stretch pants.

Jean-Claude Ferré, chef/owner of Belle Pastry, entered culinary school when he was 14.  He was classically trained in chocolates & pastries in Paris and Switzerland.  After many successful ventures in his home town Normandy, Saudi Arabia, Alaska and around the Sound, Chef Jean-Claude opened Belle Pastry.

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Monsoon East, Bellevue

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I was beginning to wonder if really good food would ever hit Old Bellevue.  It hit.  Monsoon East, the little sister of Monsoon on Capital Hill, opened a few months ago to rave reviews.  

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Convivial Dinner Party: Boudoir Picnic (Not Just for Valentine's Day)

Ooooh, Valentine’s Day -- sexy food, sexy wine, sexy talk, and (God willing, wink-wink) sexy sex.  Now, if you want to fight traffic, curse parking, and really shell-out the cash, go for it.  But, the pressure & obligation of unattainable aspirations never end well.

Hows about a Boudoir Picnic?  Easy prep, easy presentation, easy bites & easy cleanup make an easy lover -- one that has the energy, time and mind-space to focus on more important things.

The Boudoir Picnic

A successful picnic in bed requires plenty of good wine and delicious food that is easy to eat (no cutting, not messy, no dishes) and very satisfying (without being heavy).  Don’t forget a corkscrew, napkins and wine goblets.  Definitely some great mood music; maybe a dvd.  (But, with only two hands, whoever is most limber might need to get creative to control the remote.)

Champagne Food

Begin with Champagne or have various bottles throughout the evening.  Sushi goes really well with Champagne, and so does smoked salmon, oysters, French fries, potato chips, Chinese take-out, popcorn and strawberries (all which happen to fit within the boundaries of easy boudoir cuisine).

Red Wine Food

A serious bottle of red deserves to be the star, complement it simply with fabulous cheeses & a hand-torn baguette, crostini with various spreads, pizza, or kabobs, and then dark chocolate truffles.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

I Almost Forgot How Much I Like Girls

It’s easy to get caught up with the day-to-day, and put aside those situations which make the day-to-day actually worth living.  Case in point, I was invited to dinner with women of various careers in the culinary arts; women I knew from a lifetime ago.  It was utterly delightful!  I’d forgotten how satisfying it is to be in the company of women with similar interests. 

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Stripper Affogato di Gelato

An affogato di gelato, or "gelato drowned by espresso", is a simple, entertaining finish to a meal.  Ah, but an affogato presented in a stripper shot glass procured from the Las Vegas airport, is something to behold.  And, served with a biscotti “stripper pole” -- well, that just spins it right over the top.

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Green Olives, Raisins & Capers

Braising is insanely easy and tastes even better the second day, which makes it an ideal dinner party dish.  A good braise depends on a flavorful braising liquid and a long, low simmer in the oven or on the stove top.  

Braising variations are almost endless -- experiment with different aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices, red or white wines, spirits, stock, and meat.  Side dishes are also numerous -- polenta, risotto, noodles, potatoes or other root vegetables, sauteed greens.

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Green Olives, Raisins & Capers

serves 4

Convivial Dinner Party: Winter Supper for Close-knit Friends

Warm up an otherwise cold January evening by gathering a few close friends for supper.  Stoke up the fireplace, turn on Paolo Conte, light a zillion candles, and feast on Italian comfort food.  

A casual, mostly do-ahead menu lets you be with your guests, instead of the stove:

Bagna Cauda Piedmontese

Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Steamed Clams with White Wine & Fresh Herbs

Grilled Bread