i’m a (blueberry) fool for you

October 12, 2011
sweet thang
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The name of this dessert alone is reason enough to make it. Blueberry fool is foolproof. Ha. Ha. Not funny? Well, I tried.

I’ll split the procedure into steps, just to show you how you’d be foolish not to make it. Ha.

Step 1: Cook blueberries over low heat with sugar. Once they have broken down, remove from heat. (You’re not at all restricted in the fruit selection; you can be foolish with any kind.)

Step 2: Stir in fresh blueberries and fresh lemon juice.

Step 3: While the compote is cooling, whip heavy cream. Once it reaches the soft-peak stage, add a touch of sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until firm peaks form.

Step 4: Fold the whipped cream into the blueberry compote. Refrigerate.

Step 5: Eat.

Fool is so easy to make, you could do it blindfolded. (Don’t.) It’s so refreshing and playful, you’ll want to eat it in your underwear. (Do.)

carbo loading

October 10, 2011
the main event, the underwear diet
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The best thing about exercising is the excuse to eat more. Since starting culinary school, I’ve taken to running to balance out the dramatic rise in butter consumption. Last weekend I participated in a mud run–six miles of trails, studded with military-style obstacles, with mud pits planted at the halfway point and just before the finish line.

Naturally, the night before the big race, I had to carbo load. I mean, how else could I have possibly made it through such a race without a stomach stretched out with carbs?

Pasta carbonara. It’s easy, delicious, and doesn’t take much time to perfect. While the pasta is boiling (I used orzo), saute onions and bacon. In a separate bowl, beat eggs together with parmigiano reggiano and a ton of freshly ground black pepper.

Once the pasta is done, drain well and add to the bacon and onions. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir until warmed through. Season with salt to taste, and top with extra cheese and pepper.

Not only do I want to eat this in my underwear, after burning off all the calories during the mud run, I want to do pretty much anything in my underwear. And if you start moving around some more, you’ll wanna do the same.

you so radicchio

October 9, 2011
somethin' on the side, the underwear diet
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It’s been a while since I’ve eaten something healthy for dinner. I blame you. Instead of sulking around, complaining that you continue to force me to indulge, I helped myself to a healthy dose of radicchio and herbs.

I used fresh tarragon, dill and parsley for greenery, and a vinaigrette of mustard, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and S & P. Though simple to prepare and minimal in ingredients, this salad is bold. For some, it may be “too herby” (you know who you are), for others the radicchio may be too bitter. But if you’re looking for a salad that is easy, healthy, and gutsy, this is it.

Plus, you’ll feel so good about yourself after eating it, you’ll wanna strut around in your underwear.

i did it my way

October 8, 2011
the main event
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Last night in class we were given free reign in the kitchen: prepare a dish using fillets of flounder and any ingredients we could find. It was like a watered down, amateur version of Chopped, but it was scary as hell. I had to work extra-hard to control my bowels.

At the end of the assignment, I had produced a solid dish that I felt met Chef’s standards. On the bottom was a hash of sweet potatoes, chorizo, shallots, scallions, minced garlic and fresh ginger, sauteed in butter and oil and seasoned with lime juice and S & P. On top of the hash went sauteed flounder and a fried egg. Everything was topped off with a lime hollandaise sauce. And so is born, flounder hash, perfect for any time of day.

Chef loved the dish; his only complaint was there was too much hash on the plate and the presentation could have been cleaner. My friend and classmate, Hana Choi, stated she would eat it for dinner, in her underwear. That, to me, screams success.