Hot Dish Review

With an evening flight one never knows if dinner will be served. I booked my trip to Rio too late to upgrade so I was resigned to an overnight coach flight. Hense the drinks and stash of pills. Who the hell can sleep sitting bolt upright? After my extravagant meal at One Flew South, I didn’t really care if they served Spam and Twinkies.

So, did I happen to mention that I’m the luckiest bitch in the world? As I boarded the Delta flight I resigned myself to my lot for the next 9.47 hours in seat 24A. But there was someone seated there, he showed me his boarding pass with that assigned seat. Hmmm, baffling. I checked my boarding pass and it said 2F. Score! I had been bumped to first class. I love first class.

I sat next to a guy named J. We were greeted with champagne, about to dine like kings on real food. With real utensils. Along with a noise canceling headset, cozy socks, chapstick, moisturiser and other sundries found in the seat pocket, there is a menu. Passengers are asked to order while still at the gate, sipping champagne. I kicked off my Nikes and relaxed.

I know from experience that you get all of the appetizers, regardless which one you request. No matter, eat a bit of each. J and I ordered and proceeded to love the cream of asparagus soup. However, we were also presented with the cured salmon with seaweed salad and the greek salad of feta cheese, cucumber and olives with balsamic vinaigrette. Ten minutes later, the only thing that remained on my plate were the sliced cucumbers. You all know I hate cucumbers.

There were four entree selections; seared mahi mahi with lemon butter sauce, asparagus and paella rice, three cheese vegetarian spaghetti carbonara, or the grilled fillet of beef bearnaise with mashed redskin potatoes and sauteed green beans for the hot entrees, and roast beef, herbed shrimp with a deviled egg and grilled peppers and artichokes for a chilled choice.

J ordered the fillet which I’ve had before and is truly the best option, however, already laden with pork and still not feelin’ the fish, I opted for the carbonara. It was alright but J’s entree was much more photogenic (see above). He was one of those guys that doesn’t eat veggies so I ate a few of his green beans.

I enjoyed several glasses of the 2008 MontGras Carmenere Reserva from Chile with my meal. Remember….the wine glasses, although made of glass, are tiny, about the size of a tasting glass. J had a Coke.

Dessert offerings are always the same in first class….your choice of cheese and fruit with crackers or a standard ice cream sundae with all the fixin’s. Vanilla with chocolate or strawberry sauce, chopped nuts and whipped cream, garnished with a pirouline cookie. I usually get both but having already had a three course meal I opted for just the cheese and fruit. And more wine.

No sleeping pills required as I fully reclined, covered with my thin comforter and plush pillow. About 6.25 hours later J said “somebody got some sleep!” as I awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon. Breakfast Miss P? Yes, please! Coffee, scrambled eggs (nuked,of course), bacon, and bagel or croissant (I had both), plus French toast. I could have had the oats of honey granola with yogurt or just fruit and bread. I could have had the whole lot had I asked for it. Did I mention that I love first class?

After a riotous week in Rio, a glorious get-away in Gloria, a brief love affair with Leblon, I was (almost) ready to go home. Sure, I’d miss the acai and the frango fritters, the agua de coco and the copious canned cerveja, but it was time to say goodbye to Brazil.

Would I, could I be so lucky on the return flight? 35G. As I made my way to the back of the plane my fate was sealed. Dinner was a choice of chicken or pasta. I chose the chicken served with gnocchi, a tomato-ish sauce, sauteed spinach, a small salad with a packet of Italian dressing and a cracker with cheese spread, and bread and butter. I paired my meal with a can of Miller Lite. A chocolate chip cookie in a wrapper for dessert. Classic.

Breakfast? I slept through it (yes, this time I had to take the sleeping pills and sleep curled up like The Bunny on the seat), however woke just in time to walk to the back of the plane and get the nuked croissant, banana, granola bar, OJ, and a coffee before landing.

I was dreaming of farofa and favelas….monkeys in the rain forest and men wearing yellow feathers in the subway. I was dreaming of Brazil.

After a Valentine’s party at my office, I was a little down. Newly single (again!), I thought a light dinner served by a gorgeous bartender might help take my mind off of ST, so I headed to Abattoir.

Chef Hopkins changes the menu based upon what is available from local farmers, although there are several standards that have stuck, like the chicharrones. I guess pig skins aren’t too hard to come by at a restaurant that breaks down whole pigs on a regular basis!

Upon arrival I took a seat at the bar, happy to see BS was there. Having already started on cab at the party, he poured me a glass of red (was it the malbec?) as I perused the menu. A salad of lacinato kale with duck confit and farm egg vinaigrette caught my eye. BS confirmed it was awesome and recommended the valencay cheese served with a hot mini baguette from Star Provisions. Perfect.

Valencay is a smooth, dense mold-ripened cheese made of raw goat’s milk from the Loire Valley in France. It was paired with Marcona almonds and honeycomb. Sweet accompaniments with cheese are always my favorites.

The baguette reminded me of my bread debate with JR at Dinner Party last week. Although Star Provisions probably makes the best European-style baguettes in Atlanta, they don’t hold a candle to any baguette you can buy in Europe. Even the ones at the airport in Paris have that heavenly texture and flavor that is unmatched in the states.

Kale can be tough but the local lacinato kale Hopkins uses for this salad was tender, its slight bitterness balanced with a hint of sweetness in the dressing. A quartered hard boiled egg, paper-thin slices of radish, shreds of duck confit, and crisped bits of duck skin topped the greens. Just a terrific combination!

Another glass of wine, maybe the Louis Martini cab, and some light conversation was just what I needed! Thanks for lifting my spirits BS.

Valium will be my Valentine as I try to get some sleep on the flight to Brazil, then I’ll be romancing Rio!

While writing about Jonathan St. Hilaire’s newest venture, Bakeshop, I was drooling over the menu. One of the breakfast dishes is Eggs Al Forno. Although there was a description, I was unfamiliar with it so I googled it. Turns out it is an egg (or two) baked in an individual casserole dish on top of bread and cheese….how could it go wrong?

With so much bread leftover from my weekend visit to Bakeshop, the ciabatta was begging to be used for a savory breakfast. I found a recipe online, made a few minor revisions based upon what was in the fridge, and voila! Eggs al Forno. It was scrumptious and simple, here’s how:

EGGS AL FORNO

2 eggs (1 omega 3, 1 regular)
1 thick slice ciabatta (or other bread)
1 oz. gruyere, sliced and diced
1/4 C. grated parmesan
1 scallion, chopped, to taste
olive oil
ground pepper and salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly oil individual casserole dish with spray. Place bread at the bottom and drizzle with a little olive oil. Scatter the gruyere, most of the parmesan, and the scallions on top of the bread. break the eggs in a bowl. I used the whole Omega 3 egg and just the white from the “regular” one, but you can use two whole eggs if you prefer. Pour the eggs onto the bread and cheese and top with the remaining parmesan, freshly ground pepper and a dash of salt. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes.

Be careful, it will come out sizzling! The yolk will be soft but set. Serve with bacon, berries, and coffee. Enjoy!

While Jonathan was packaging up 50 loaves of bread and Brodie was putting multiple pastries and tarts in a box for me to take home my Mom called. She was watching a show on the seven deadly sins, the current segment was on Gluttony. Thanks Mom. Gluttony is my job, hell it’s even on my business card!

After a terrific lunch at Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s brick and mortar venture with the folks at Concentrics, I headed home with a haul of breads, pastries, and a mini quiche to sample. I needed back-up so I called my neighbor/roommate LG.

Once again, I put out some cheeses and unwrapped the breads….country sourdough, date walnut maple, a bacon baguette, a French baguette, and ciabatta. OK, so I exaggerated a little bit, it was only 5 not 50. We tried each one with some butter, cheese, and traditional accompaniments like dried figs, honey, almonds, and olives, and a bottle of Marquis Philips shiraz.

I liked the bacon baguette but the overwhelming favorite was the ciabatta. It was crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside. I melted some gruyere on toasted slices this morning with my fried egg and bacon breakfast.

To be honest, the dominent flavor of the date walnut loaf was orange, which was a little baffling. I was expecting some chunks of dates and walnuts but could not find any. I think it will make a good bread pudding, however, and will post that experimental recipe when I get the urge to make it.

The quiche had a lot of an herb that I still am unsure of…..dried basil? It over-powered the delicate egg and cheese but was not a total failure. We devoured the flaky croissant with a smudge of almond paste inside. The chocolate graham tart had a thick pudding-like consistency topped with crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, but I didn’t detect any graham.

Our favorite sweet? The pistachio apricot tart, with a flavor and texture reminiscent of marzipan, it was a real winner. And it was cute too…..green with the candied apricot on top, it looked like a sunny side-up egg.

My Mom’s call got me thinking about the seven deadly sins. What are the other six? With the New Year upon us I thought it would be wise to see if I was guilty of any so I googled them. The other six deadly sins are Vanity (check), Envy (check), Wrath (check), Greed (check), Sloth, and Lust (double check). I don’t know about you but I’m obviously going to hell.

So I took down my pagan Christmas tree and rewarded my effort with the remaining chocolate croissant. It was flaky and full of melted chocolate. Maybe I’ll make a BLT on the ciabatta for dinner. Honey, I’ve got bread for days, for weeks even….come on over and make yourself a samich!

Bakeshop 903 Peachtree Street 404-892-9322 www.bakeshopatl.com

Cheese (cheez) n. a solid food made from the pressed curds of milk. Sounds delish, no?

I’ve really gotten into cheese in the last few years. So many restaurants offer artisan cheese plates, sometimes as a starter, other times as an option for dessert. Anne and Clifford have always done it the best at Floataway and Baccanalia. Their astounding selection at Star Provisions allows them to introduce us to new artisan cheeses from the US and abroad. But it is the perfect pairings and accompaniments that bring out the flavor and texture of each cheese that are truly remarkable.

And so I’ve learned the basics…..manchego with membrillo (quince paste), gruyere or compte with honey, dried figs, and Marcona almonds, Humboldt Fog with kalamata olives, taleggio with Vidalia marmalade, any blue with pears and candied walnuts.

Clark Wolf has written a witty and informative book about American artisan cheeses, appropriately called American Cheeses. Read my review in Atlanta’s Finest Dining here.

I picked up some cave aged gruyere, cabrales, and taleggio at Whole Foods for a New Year’s Eve snack. The cabrales is a very pungent blue from Spain, and taleggio, from Italy, is one of my new favorites… semi-soft, creamy, and a little stinky. All three are made from unpasteurized cow’s milk.

They were out of baguettes but who cares, their bread is nothing special. I ended up getting a loaf of sourdough that I crisped in the oven and served it with sweet unsalted butter (I buy Lurpak from Denmark).

Why is good bread so hard to find in Atlanta? So frustrating! Tomorrow I am going to Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s new bakery/eatery, hopefully I will leave with a real French-style baguette and croissant too! I’ll keep you posted.

LG and I enjoyed my cheese presentation along with a bottle of red Lambrusco and half a bottle of d’Arenberg Stump Jump (yes, I didn’t drink the whole bottle!). Neighbors C & N stopped by as we tore into a rotisserie chicken, butternut squash, and braised red cabbage that LG salvaged after it scorched (good job!).

Then it was time for the requisite champagne. I like Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut when I’m pinching pennies, Veuve Cliquot when I’m not. It was a Gloria kind of year! A bar of Chocolove’s dark with cherries and almonds was a sweet end to the meal and my first bite in what promises to be an exciting year!

Happy New Year Hot Dish honeys!