Lately, it seems that dinner is more pauper than princess. Bread and water are the chief components of my hasty late-night meals, and, to add a touch of class, I consume them while in my underwear. The bread is taking over, and I’m a slave to its expansion.
One of my favorite veggies, Brussels sprouts are quirky, adorable, stinky and–gulp–healthy. They are surprisingly versatile, but for this preparation, I stuck to simple.
Steam the Brussels sprouts whole until tender. Saute over high heat in brown butter, adding thinly sliced garlic about halfway through. Once the garlic is golden brown and the outer leaves of the sprouts have blistered, season with S & P and be done with it.
I don’t need to go on about the flavors of autumn. We all know about cinnamon and root vegetables and pies and roasts. Every year kitchens are taken hostage by the warm flavors of the season, and mine is no exception.
After a red wine, braised meat-type of a night, I finished everything off with sweet potato custard, and I used this recipe to do it. I swapped the canned pumpkin for canned sweet potato puree, added vanilla extract because it seemed logical, and skipped on the topping out of sheer laziness. It was too rich when it was warm, but served out of the fridge with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, it was the perfect dessert for a chilly fall night. To steal the words of my dinner date, who, by the way, ate this in his underwear with me, “It tastes like autumn, in a bowl.”
Mornings are rough. No matter how much time I spend in the Adult World, I just can’t seem to acclimate to the early hours a day job requires.
Thankfully, there’s coffee.
With a cup of coffee in hand, I am protected from the evils of a nine-to-five job. And though good coffee is preferred, okay, or even mildly crappy, coffee is still acceptable. There’s just something about the way the cup fits in your hand that creates a barrier against reality, if only for a few minutes.
And here it is, the final component to the perfect roasted chicken. Okay, so it has nothing to do with the actual roasting process. But I guarantee* that this is such a magical addition, it will become an essential part of the dish.
We’re talking about gremolata, typically a combination of garlic, herbs and zest. In this version, finely minced garlic is combined with finely chopped fresh parsley, minced lemon and orange zests, S & P.
*This is based on nothing. In fact, I don’t really guarantee anything. You may not even like the thing. It doesn’t really matter, because if you don’t like it, it’s safe to say that I don’t like you.
eating in your underwear 