Scrambled Days

When the national election results seem a bit scrambled, the best thing to do is make scrambled omelette - L'Omelette Brouillée. I have probably not mastered the art, despite two attempts on Sunday morning. It all happens very quickly - melt butter, beat and season three eggs, pour into pan breaking up eggs until light custard forms, release the edges with a fork, add filling, bang hard on the handle of the pan so that the omelette curls up. First time, it sort of curled up, second time? A bit of a dud. Still tasted like omelette with tomato and herbs - nice for Le Gourmand who likes omelettes, a bit meh for me, who finds something about them just a little bit off.


MTAOFC has been a bit tiring this week - not sure if it is the inevitable pregnancy tiredness catching up with me. Le Gourmand is claiming that he is eating too much rich food but this may have something to do with the fact that on his weekly cooking engagement he chooses beautiful but rich foods like red wine marinated beef cheeks with star anise, juniper and orange peel. I look forward to his announced plan to start mastering the art of asian cooking, in the hope that this will be lighter.

Menu
Sauté De Veau Marengo

Chous de Bruxelles a la Mornay, Gratines (substituting broccoli)

Choux De Bruxelles Etuves À La Crème

The meal on Monday suffered a bit from being prepared on Sunday night - the veal was a little tough and the mushrooms (added on Monday) a little undercooked - but the flavours of the Sauté De Veau Marengo were amazing - tomatoes, thyme, tarragon, more orange peel, garlic - and blended together well. The brussels sprouts baked whole in cream were naughty but delicious and I knocked off another brussels sprouts recipe substituting broccoli into the gratin.

Menu
Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence
Epinards Gratines au Fromage
Gratin Jurassien

On Tuesday, Le Gourmand concluded that I had probably lost my mind when he came home to find me cooking in front of Miss Universe, throwing feminist principles to the wind. Of course he appeared to have no problems giving his full attention to the spectacle.

Meanwhile I varied the sauteed chicken recipe from last week, adding fennel, thyme and basil to the chicken and then using egg yolk, lemon juice and white wine to create a hollandaise from the deglazed pan juices. At least it was a hollandaise until it split. If I had mastered the hollandaise sauce section in the book I may have been able to save it, but this was not the night. Luckily it still tasted good - I fear that we are cheating when we eat the Provence inspired recipes, as the flavours are right in our comfort zone.

The naughty (from a cholesterol perspective) vegetables continued - I tried to improve the nutritional value of the Gratin cooked with cream by leaving on the skins of the adorable little Desiree potatoes but I fear this was a vain attempt. Spinach sounds healthy, until it is cooked in stock and butter and then mixed with swiss cheese and sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked in the oven. But it tastes so good!

It probably didn't assist Le Gourmand's digestive process that he had leftover Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli with his left over beef cheeks for lunch....

Tonight we have a "night off" and are going to an all you can eat meat Brazilian restaurant. All in the name of giving Bruce a multicultural palette, of course.