JOURNAL: Burberry Pancakes

TSB was over for breakfast this morning, and while she lounged reading a magazine, I sneaked into the kitchen and got to work on a meal to appeal to her sense of humor, flavor favorites and sartorial sensibilities.

While the pan was heating up, I stopped back into the room to ask, "How about B[mumble]berry pancakes?" knowing that she would never suspect what a pain I was being just by asking. She got excited, and fully aware of her love for blueberries, I worried that she would end up disappointed.

The Burberry Pancake, as I soon revealed to her, was actually a crepe painted plaid with thin lines of brown Nutella ganache, white vanilla yogurt and red raspberry sauce, using the beige of the crepe as the base color to create the classic Burberry Check.

The end result was good, so I'll add the recipes soon, but I used a sweet crepe that was a little too cakey in flavor for my taste with all the sweet toppings, so I need to dig out my own crepe recipe from the archives before I post.

If you are wondering, TSB liked the crepes. Actually, she more than liked them. She finished breakfast, put down her fork and spoke those three little word to me for the very first time.

JOURNAL: Black Absinthe

The Sexy Blonde called me last night to see if I would like her to bring back a bottle of Spanish wine from Barcelona. As I pondered my options, it occurred to me that she is in one of the few countries where Absinthe is not banned, and so I asked if she would be comfortable sneaking a bottle back across the border for me. She said she thought she could indulge me.

Not only did she buy me a bottle, but followed up to say that she had stumbled across black absinthe in some cute little shop, which she had never seen before and wondered if I would like some. I haven’t encountered it either, and after a few minutes of research, I have not been able to dig up a whole lot of info other than it most likely comes from France, where absinthe may be produced for export, but not sold domestically, and it probably doesn’t have a strong anise flavor, if any. As to any significant differences between the green fairy and the black, I have been able to dig up nothing.

MENU: Last Night

My gratitude for The Sexy Blonde and her tasting tour assistance in wine country last week prompted me to prepare a hearty meal of comfort food for two last night, and I was so appreciative that I found the time to make everything from scratch.

Crostini with olive tapenade and goat cheese
Salad of butter lettuce, golden beets, walnuts and goat cheese with a shallot vinaigrette
Baked macaroni and cheese (sharp cheddar and gruyere with crispy topping)
Chicken schnitzel (with carbombbq sauce on the side)
Swedish ginger cookie cups with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce
A bottle of Carignane that we picked up around Healdsburg

She seemed happy, but complained that I was going to make her fat, but she is the last person to need to worry about that. We joked about what a great story it would make for a chef to seduce his women with his cooking, fatten them up and then cast them aside and move on to the next conquest, but then what will the chef get as his just des(s)erts?

JOURNAL: Doritos X-13D and The Sexy Blonde

This is one culinary experiment gone horribly awry.

In an intentionally plain bag, which Tim had picked up at the grocery store, sat the Doritos X-13D experimental flavor tortilla chips. The label claimed that the new flavor was an all-time American classic, and the four of us sat around the coffee table on a Friday afternoon staring at the mystery with which he presented us.

We each popped a chip into our mouths and almost everyone reacted in the same way - instant recognition followed immediately by horror and then confusion. We each knew that we knew the flavor, but couldn't name it. Everyone that is, except for The Sexy Blonde. Known for her fantastically accurate palate, she had determined the intended flavor and broken down its components before I had even gotten one chip past my lips, and it was torturing her to wait for the rest of us to figure it out or give up.

She held her tongue while the rest of us pondered and grimaced, but was chomping at the bit to declare her findings. One by one we gave up and chugged anything within reach that would wash the flavor from our tongues and finally she announced it, "McDonalds Cheeseburger! You can taste the onions, pickles, cheese and beef." She was absolutely correct although we all wished that it had remained a mystery. I immediately asked The Sexy Blonde if she would accompany me to Sonoma next week, because I could surely use a super-taster like her on my wine tasting excursion.