FOOD: Oh the Pate!

Yesterday, a Beautiful Day mind you---We got together with Stella and Ed, My best friend and her Husband, and we made our First Monthly Dinner of Unknown Origins. That isn't very catchey---but--you get the picture. We both like to cook and we realized that we were kind of sick of the same flavors all the time. And we thought that once a month we would get together and try new dishes and new flavors, and make a dinner all together.

So we decided--because really---who is untouched by the Recent Julia Child Resurgence--- to do "Pate en Croute". It was the most arduous, convoluted process I have ever engaged in---and I like complicated process. Last night, after dinner, nestled all snug in our bed---I was pretty sure I heard my heart struggling to beat. That unassuming Loaf of bread pictured above contains a duck skin, with no bones, stuffed with ground veal, ground pork, cubed duck, a cup of pork fat (which we could not find anywhere to buy, so we fried off a lb of bacon to generate), and an ungodly amount of butter. The crust alone contained 12 tablespoons of crisco, and like 4 sticks of butter. I mean---how is there a book called "French Women don't Get Fat"? How is that possible?

We had read that it was a lengthy process, so we started at 2:00 and ate at 9:30. Lengthy does not even begin to cover it!! The Guys went for pizza around 5:00. When it finally came out--I hate to say it--but it was heavy. And kind of painful to eat. It was like an incredibly fancy, dry, port-flavored meatloaf wrapped in a fairly tasty crust. Someone actually mentioned that it needed ketchup. It needed sauce, or something. For sure. I read somewhere that someone sliced it and fried it up (you are supposed to serve it cold---we were too hungry and tired to do that-) and said that made it better. I can't imagine adding frying to the process. All in all it was

fun to make, but I don't believe I would ever make it again. However---

We also made a Lemon and Fresh Raspberry Dacquoise---and let me tell you---it was AMAZING!!! You make round flats of delicious meringue, and layer it with Lemon whip creme, and raspberry whip creme. The lemon sauce that you make for it is like a Tangy sticky Bit o Heaven!!! I had little faith that it would cut when we got to the cutting---but it cut pretty well, and woah---it was great.

I would say our first foray into Unknown Culinary Terrain was successful for what we bit off. It was a very fun day, and now we have started something that I have always wanted to do. I think next month will be Pho Soup, which will be fantastic.

For today? Drinking lots of Tea, doing a bit of sewing, and eating lots of healthy things that may or may not stop the Heart Attack I got myself involved in yesterday!!

Til Later

Perpetua