Thursday, September 9, 2010

Date Night


"Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." `Gilbert K. Chesterton
 
Sunday dawned clear and crisp. By the time I arose, the Lone Ranger had swept away the previous night's detritus and there was very little for me to do except drink my coffee and listen to the birds call. We did have this one meaningful exchange, however:
 
Lone Ranger: What do you want for breakfast?
Tonto: Scrambled eggs on toast.
Lone Ranger: Okay.
 

Breakfast made to order.
 
The guy is a treasure, I'm tellin' ya.
 
It was a day for doing very little and doing it expertly. The garden plants did managed to get watered and the beer & wine bottles cleared to the recycling bin. The silver was safely locked away and the china dutifully stacked in the beautiful inherited hutch. There was even a Home Depot run for paint samples and a DVD from the Incredible Shrinking Blockbuster.
 
Late in day, with growling tummies and leftovers aplenty, we gorged a second time on pot roast and vegetables sopped in rich thick gravy. But we weren't done there. With some serious down time, we spoiled ourselves with the alchemy of cheese and the genius that is Steve Carell and Tina Fey.
 
 
Cheese Fondue - updated from Peyton's Godmother Joan Brown
  • ½ lb Swiss cheese, grated
  • ½ lb Gruyère cheese, grate
  • 3 tsp flour
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
Toss grated cheese with flour. Rub chafing dish and mixing spoon with garlic. Add wine to dish and heat up. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in seasonings. Serve with cubed Italian bread.
 
Here's the thing about rubbing garlic on stuff: it's bunk. Caesar salad dressing recipes call for the same technique. Unless it's toasty French baguettes however, don't bother. The Lone Ranger (a trained professional, mind you) scoffs at the practice. Subtlety is not a forte he cultivates; nor do I. Instead, finely chop the garlic and add it to the other ingredients, it'll bring out a nice garlicky flavor, and nobody who matters will ever notice the switch you pulled.
 
 

© 20th Century Fox  
For our own Date Night, we dispensed with all the customary dining protocols and sat in the living room hunched over the coffee table, dipping day-old Italian bread into our bubbling cauldron of cheesy goodness. The Lone Ranger even managed to snooze through part of the movie. I put him to bed as the credits rolled. He's coming to NYC this weekend for a change. What in the world am I gonna serve him?
 
 
Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food
 
 

8 comments:

Peyton said...

Mike all I can say is " I LOVE YOU AND US "

Charlene said...

Sounds like my Sunday but without all the yummy food and trips to Home Depot. I had a lovely nap and Lenny dropped by to cuddle. Lovely!

Jeff (UK) said...

Hmm, methinks the photo of the cheese rounds was taken far afield from date night, I recognise that white brick wall (or it looks so much like Neal's Yard Dairy it hurts). Had scrambled eggs, made with cream or course, and gravlax on sourdough toast myself tonight a late night supper after a long work day. You sound more happy than I've ever thought you could be - delighted for you.

Blog O. Food said...

Hehehe... it is Neal's Yard, Jeff. Thanks to your amazing hospitality last year, I finally had a photo of my own, and didn't have to resort to swiping Google images for my header! You are missed State-side -- BOF

BigAssBelle said...

"Here's the thing about rubbing garlic on stuff: it's bunk." Oh thank you thank you!!! I always thought that was nonsense, even when I was a bitty girl reading about rubbing the wooden salad bowl with a clove of garlic. Even then, a whiff of garlic wasn't enough. I wanted garlic.

So thank you for that, but reading this, I'm reminded that I am a deprived child of 53: I have never had cheese fondue. Amazing, yes?

And I am also reminded that I must get with my sisters to try to recreate the recipe for the single best beef fondue sauce ever made. THE best.

I am so glad you and the Ranger are having fun :-)

Blog O. Food said...

Thank you, Belle! I'm thinkin' that the Ranger is a keeper. When you recreate that sauce, let me know and I'll post it. And if you invite me to Mexico I'll make cheese fondue for you! Ahem... hint, hint.

Nicole said...

Looks great.... perfect weekend. You deserve it!!! Enjoy! We all miss you, and Calvin told me he wants to move to NYC with you to eat cheese:)

BigAssBelle said...

now there's a plan... we have a wonderful guest room now and we must fill it up. :-)

so about that knife-shopping trip?