madkittybadkitty's Xanga

steak frites.

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:51:03 GMT

lately, i haven't been able to get moules frites off my mind. the warm, winey, briny sauce, hot crisp frites, mustard-spiked mayonnaise... mmm.

but i was thwarted. as usual.

my latest supermarket trip involved a beeline to the seafood man, who looked at me apologetically when i asked him, in a manner slightly inappropriate just for groceries, where the mussels were. he shrugged his shoulders and told me "they're on sale, and they're kinda sold out. we have these though." (pointed to frozen mussels)

it was at that point that i became somewhat inconsolable. it's like that day when you read about some chef brushing his pork with a mayonnaise-sriracha glaze, and you go "how very base, but how perfectly wonderful that sounds!" and you hurry out to buy sriracha (which you haven't even bothered with as a condiment in months or years), and they're out of stock, or something. that terrible, disappointed, dejected feeling.

back to moules frites, or rather, on to steak frites. since i was clearly not about to use frozen mussels in my moules frites, but still wanted some element of what i'd been obsessing over for the past day, i wandered over to where the potatoes were to pick out some pretty ones. moseying back over to the other side of the supermarket, i saw the butcher with trays and trays of steak. HANGAR steak. as in, le-steak-et-frites steak. they were on sale. i was happy. i bought steak.

you know, the wonderful thing about french staples is just how simple they are. i always find it curious as to why french food is perceived as difficult, complicated and fussy. compare a simple french tapenade to the american seven-layer dip, or even french apple galette with its american equivalent, loaded with cinnamon, raisins, and vanilla ice-cream. there is nothing 'simple' about american food, it may be cheap and cheerful, and occasionally, more is really better. however, there are often times when good is better.

good is a marbled, slightly chewy, smoky-crusty, thin sliced steak, 'saignant' for me (rare, as is traditionally done), and 'a point' (medium rare) for everyone else. a reduction of a little knob of butter, finely minced shallot and tarragon, and a good glass of cabernet sauvignon. finally, a golden tangle of long, very thin, crisp, salty frites. and of course, a deep, nicely-aged big bottle of red wine to mull over during the meal, and to consume after while the conversation ebbs and flows and rises and falls.

so few ingredients, yet it's one of those meals that is perfect for a contemplative meal in the dark with a rough-hewn candle or two with a loved one, a tactile, heady, chewy, crisp, earthy contentment.

here's to you.

(serves 2)

1 lb hangar steak
2 russet potatoes, peeled and julienned
1 bottle good red wine
knob of butter
2 shallots
sprig of tarragon
sunflower oil
fine salt
black pepper

heat a medium saucepan of sunflower oil 2" deep to 375 degrees.
heat a heavy-bottomed pan (not non-stick).
add julienned potatoes to oil in batches, not too big or too small. stir to break up clumps, cook until golden.
season steak liberally on all sides with salt and pepper.
lay steak in very hot pan, cook, depending on thickness, until rare or medium rare. set aside to rest.
let pan cool momentarily, then deglaze with one glass of wine. add butter, shallots and tarragon.
reduce sauce by half while potatoes are frying.
slice steak thinly, add jus to sauce in pan. arrange on two plates.
season frites with fine salt, divide between plates.
spoon red wine reduction generously over steak, and serve with wine.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:18:05 GMT

tired.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:32:14 GMT

sooooooooooooooperbowl night!!! i'm so happy i love excuses to make salsa and watch football :)

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:46:16 GMT

i hate being housebound - over here the buses are well, not something you'd want to take and taxis are wickedly expensive, and yet going out in heavy traffic just freaks me out. people drive like maniacs here and seriously, i get scared that i'll wreck. or rather, that someone would wreck me. i think i have to get my own car, so if i do wreck i'm not guilty about it.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:00:15 GMT

i don't know, i may just start blogging again, though i'll definitely not be as regular as i once was. this isn't really for anyone to read, just for me to randomly get things off my chest and muse about little things that flit by in my slightly weird life. so things have changed a lot since i last blogged - apparently tom from the plain white t's commented on my last post (which i'm sure was a mass spam comment), but still cool, because robert sent me the song 'hey there delilah' while we were apart for a long long time, and it made me cry. still gets me a bit emotional, remembering those times, and we still play that song in the truck cruising down the highway and either hold hands or look at each other or something, like the silly lovestruck fools we are.

what a lot of talking about something irrelevant. anyway, i graduated from law school with an amazing second lower class honors. it sounds terrible, and my degree looks so well, second-class, i don't even want to put it up on the wall, but quite unfair! half the class gets second lowers, half second uppers, and a very few firsts, and it just seems so terribly unglamorous to have that kind of degree after four years of boringness and sloggery. either way, all those romantic notions of Law & Co. being glamorous have slowly but surely flown out the window, been run over by many monster trucks, and buried in cement - just go to law school and you too will find out. it's only cool to people not in the business of it and it sometimes is fun to go on the "I am an attorney, uh huh uh huh" power trip.

and again i digress! well i'm in florida now, with the significant other, for all those who may care to know. will take the california bar soon, since i've already taken the new york bar and passed it, once i do the mpre in a month i will hold a ny state license to practise. the eventual plan is for me and the significant other to move to california (no ny please, one year of toronto weather was awful enough) and head our own law firm, which i'm positive will be a success, given our personalities. i haven't decided on anything else yet, so don't ask me if i'm getting married - i thoroughly enjoy the whole monogamous partnership thing, but am a bit weird when it comes to seeing it all on a piece of paper and thinking about all the revolting aspects of family law that comes with that paper. maybe eventually i will, for the sake of legitimate children, resisting even as i walk down the aisle hugely pregnant, but right now i'm pretty happy with the whole arrangement.

right now i'm writing a cause paper, and a memorandum for a motion to dismiss, listening to gotan project on my big big headphones, in bed on sunday afternoon with the boy (i know i'm old and he's even older, but sometimes he just looks like a little boy, especially when he's sleeping), and i am full of insalata caprese and caesar salad and king crab legs, and life is just good.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:52:48 GMT

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Physical Touch
with a secondary love language being
Words of Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		11
Words of Affirmation:		7
Quality Time:		5
Receiving Gifts:		4
Acts of Service:		3

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Monday, March 26, 2007

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:29:17 GMT

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 03:34:58 GMT

i denied the love of my life for the longest time, rejected and tainted it, but oh my god after so much nonsense we've come out even stronger for it. i am so so lucky and so so blessed, and just so content.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 01:45:18 GMT

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 05:17:14 GMT

the nissan is gone, a truck in its place. good and practical.

on other fronts
- i have sewing lag. i'm not moving as fast as i was, and i am honestly really sick of it all.
- i have no printer paper, or else i cannot find it. and i have not done any reading for tonight's class
- my tuition kid is a flake. tell me when to turn up, and you better be at home next time.
- i need to go buy ribbons and trims, and get my thread from char

take me away! from this humid steamhole! i want to go on holiday in the snow. ):