Country Mouse in the Big City

What a week of culinary adventures. I believe I have tasted more new things in the last week than I have all year. We recently went out for a fun weekend with friends. Dancing, drinking... and oh, all the eating. I'm still stuffed. We sampled all sorts of tids and bits here and there.

   The journey began with Texas De Brazil. I had heard tales of the fabled salad bar, but did not believe until my taste buds were brought to life with all sorts of cheeses and tasty treats. There were green olives, which, quite frankly, looked like they had ridden in on a bed of marijuana... simply covered in flakes of green mulch, which I soon discovered to be all sorts of delicious herbs.
   Heavenly.
   Jamie is always in the kitchen cooking away and mostly with game or meats that are difficult to find here in my local market, so I finally got to try my first leg of lamb, as well as lamb chops- tender, flavorful... a bit gamey, but I rather enjoyed the change.
   A carousel of meats made their way from table to table. The most flavorful prime rib... mmmm... and now I'm hungry. I also had my very first bite of lobster, which is quite surprising, as I love seafood. One of our friends even had a go at calf fries. It took a few minutes of bargaining, but she ended up getting her husband to take her dancing later that evening in exchange for her bravery. I, on the other hand, have tried calf fries previously and declined.
   Yesterday was spent at home. We went out for breakfast at the little station up the road, spent a few hours looking for our calves in the back pasture (managed to find them where we started), and did the week's shopping in the afternoon. A new experience, although we did this as children, we had never shopped at the deli counter. I needed sliced roast beef for our french dip sandwhiches and decided to grab some from the deli rather than making a whole roast.

   What an odd place the deli counter is. The men behind the counter were all business. No small talk, just let me know what you need so I can get to the next customer... "no ma'am, pick a number and I'll slice it that thick." (He gave me a crash course in making selections from the deli.) They were not like the market people Jamie shops with. "Ask your butcher for special cuts, he won't mind a bit. Deli employees are cheery blokes that like to have a laugh as you select your cheeses." Okay... not exactly a direct quote, but he does paint a nice picture. (I'm beginning to think the people overseas are a bit more pleasant to be around than our local Walmart employees.)
   We secured a half pound of roast beef at a 2, thank you very much, and decided to grab 8 slices of pepperjack. Upon inspection of our receipt, we found that deli meats and cheeses are surprisingly cheaper than the prepackaged, flavorless sandwhich fixings we had been buying for years. We had a go at that pepperjack as we took the backroad home. Yum! It was fresh and smoky and we could really taste the flakes of peppers in it. I'll bet Brandon has it all gone by the time I'm back from work Monday.
   The French Dip Sandwhiches were amazing! I combined a few ideas from different recipes online. Threw some onions in a skillet with some butter and a bit of flour. Then added in some beef stock and worchestershire, a little bit of steak seasoning and some S&P. (That's salt and pepper, by the way.) Dipped my roast beef in the juices and stacked it along with the onions and pepperjack cheese on toasted torpedo rolls. We dipped them in the leftover juices and they were devine. I believe Brandon was satisfied with dinner, seeing as he finished the rest of my second sandwhich!



   Our dessert, or late night snack, was a favorite of Jamie's.
Rosemary Raisin Bread.
   Yeah... it's savory and sounds a bit odd, but just imagine it... the robust flavor of the rosemary and the sweet and sour of the raisins... all mixed in with fresh bread. Mmmmm. I bought my first batch of Bread Flour for this project and searched my cupboards for the last packets of yeast. I figured out what "tepid" water is and added honey and yeast to it.
   This is the fun part- Jamie is always just throwing things together on a board or cooking things outdoors on a  makeshift grill. It's this low-maintenance way of cooking that is so appealing. Jamie doesn't pop bread or pasta into a mixer or a bread machine. He mixes it with his hands, feeling it and adding amounts of flour or water until it's just right.... and (can I tell you a secret?) I think I'm mastering that special "feel" for pasta and bread and crusts.... my grandmas would be proud.
   We start with a big pile of flour on the counter (yeah it's messy, so what?) and then we make a well in the center for our water/yeast mixture. Then, taking four fingers we work the flour into the center. I feel like an Italian or a French person... I feel like I'm part of history when I cook using my hands. My body language is different and I almost kiss the fingers on my other hand as if to say "La Dolce Vita!"- The sweet life of making my own bread! I incorporate all the ingredients and mash the raisins and rosemary into the mix. Then comes the kneading, which I remember from being a little girl. It was hard at first, but gradually became easier. Jamie said "It is important to knead the bread to develope the gluten." Ah-ha! So I'm pounding through this dough for a reason!
   I let the dough rise a few times and dusted it with flour. I scored it down the middle and popped it in the oven to bake. I was so pleased with my bread! I had never made it using this process before. It was beautiful. The score had opened up a bit and it was a golden brown with flecks of rosemary popping up along the surface. I tapped on the bottom to see if it was finished, as instructed, and yup! - Hollow. It was savory and sweet and earthy and I can't wait for another piece... what a pleasant experience!
   I am simply loving trying new things in the kitchen!