I can make a superb claufouti.
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I make a Mexican plate lunch that rivals most resto versions. Beans and rice I’ve been making since I started cooking. My enchiladas always work out. Most things Mexican, save for mole, I can swing pretty well. Sopas, gorditas, I just have a good feel for Mexican cooking, which is no coincidence. I’ve hung out with many Mexican grandmas. My peeps!
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The answer moves around from day to day, what’s good at the store, and the weather. A friend dropped off some of the tomatoes and eggplants from the community garden. The tomato tart was both easy and spectacular, but the tomato trimmings, sprinkled with a little salt, were even better. The eggplant was wasted in pasta alla Norma, even though it was a really good dish.
When I cook for a dinner party, it is all over the map. I generally prefer cooking a la minute, things like piccata, saltimbocca, scampi, shrimp and grits and so on, but in the winter a slow braise is the preferred route, just for the sheer comfort. I have been known to invent for guests. Cacio e pepe amped up with Hatch chiles and salty chunks of Virginia ham was impromptu and a hit.
I love having a really spectacular ingredient to share, be it halibut, scallops, veal, lamb, of whatever. I have a kitchen where the guests can sit around the counter and offer thoughts and observations, often inspiring. I also remember the night I made shrimp with sweated onions, lemon, and white wine. On a lark I added a healthy shake of generic curry powder. Wow, is that good.
If you like to cook, like to eat, and can make your own palate happy, you ought to feel as if you can tackle anything, even a complex dish from a great chef.
Things I cook and in which I take great satisfaction are those dishes with a gazillion ingredients held together with patience and love like mole, shahi korma, or a complex tagine.
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Half a century, maybe closer to two-thirds, of a century ago, the family went to Louie’s in Port Washington. They had a plate of what was close to fifty very small deep fried bay scallops that were such a treat. I think Louie’s is still there, but I seriously doubt that offering is.
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Still there, no bay scallops on the menu, though.
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Thanksgiving dinner. It’s my favorite meal, and I can prep and cook it for 8-10 people with minimal effort. Roast turkey, stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, sauteed green beans, homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Just stay out of my way.
Pot roast. I use a chuck roast, onion, carrot, packet of gravy mix and some seasonings. Mashed potatoes on the side.
Chocolate chip cookies. I have a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that uses melted butter and they are a crowd pleaser.
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I think Thanksgiving Dinner, done right, has to be in my top ten. I don’t see how you can do absolutely EVERYTHING!
I can do about 3 things now, my knees hurt too much if I stand too long.
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I start prepping a day or two before. Once I start to cook, I open a bottle of wine and dive right in.
The day after, I sleep in and enjoy the leftovers.
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Leftovers the next day are EVERYTHING!
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Thanksgiving for me, too. Before the pandemic, I had a deal with a friend (who has a large kitchen and dining room): she hosts and I cook. Someone else brings the sweet potatoes and pies, but I do everything else. Once things were running a little late, and I remembered spatchcocking. The 12 pound bird took less than an hour. Sadly, we haven’t done it in four years.
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Sounds terrific.
Duck breast, either on the bone-in in a crown or more often the fileted ones. Marinated overnight in a combo of fresh thyme, bay leaves, shallots, garlic, salt, black pepper and parsley that I first got from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of Southwestern France, I think it was for making confit. Roasted in the case of the crown, pan fried for the filets. Super reliable, always delicious, with or without a sauce. Last week made a fresh blackberry sauce because a friend gifted me with some from her garden. OMG.
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Hot water
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Agreed. I love the get together and sit down to break bread; but the day after is the best meal, and I’m relieved and done sweating, so I can sit back and enjoy good company.
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That’s my favorite pairing with duck breast, too: a nice, dark berry sauce.
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Lasagna bolognese
Mashed potatoes (preferably with meatloaf)
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This is a dish I always ordered at a particular restaurant that was a family favourite for a long time and when, very late in my practical cooking journey, coincidentally had the requisite ingredients found the inclination to make for myself…
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I’ll be right over.
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come on over!
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I would say pizza and grilled chicken. Its summer.
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