A Very Eggy Thanksgiving

Despite a couple of kind offers, I chose to stay home and dine solo this Thanksgiving, in the company of my favorite kitty. Freed from the responsibility of cooking for other people’s palates, my menu options were so wide open it took a while to figure out what to fix. One of the multitude of holiday cooking shows I’ve watched recently mentioned that although turkey may not have been served at the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts, lobster and venison likely were. Aha! A starting point. I had a couple of lobster shells left from the recent sale at Lobsta Bakes of Maine, and I could pull a package of venison out of my freezer.

For my Autumn Seafood Stew, I made lobster stock with a chunked onion, the stalks and part of a bulb of fennel, four evacuated corn cobs, a healthy handful of fresh sage, and two lobster shells. I filled the pot with almost enough cold water to cover, then half a bottle of white wine. Trouble was, that was a lot of water and the lobster shells themselves didn’t give off much flavor. Next time I’ll try to remember to add some fish trimmings (or do what I did today to tweak the leftovers – I bought some lobster stock from Kevin at Lobsta Bakes – he has more fish trimmings and lobster shells to work with than I could ever hope to). Last night I took about a third of the stock, added clam juice, fennel seed, celery seed, and dried chipotle pepper and reduced it significantly, then added the other half bottle of wine and reduced some more, until it finally started to taste like something.

I fried a couple slices of Eckerlin’s double-smoked bacon, sautéed fennel, onion, garlic, and corn in the renderings, then quickly cooked some oysters. Part of this mélange went on my dinner plate and the rest, along with shrimp, lobster, and roasted red pepper, went into the reduced stock to which I added a bit of cream and brandy – a definite boost to my rather weak stock.

For my meat course, I went with an old favorite, venison carpaccio, which, I am thankful to say, went in a delicious new direction this time. First I thin-sliced a couple of these butterflied steaks.

I had in mind to do a little taste-testing with my carpaccio, so, using the corn as a colorful divider, on half the venison I used fleur de sel and Banyuls vinegar from Le Bon Vivant, along with some Meyer lemon and blood orange olive oils I’ve been hoarding since my trip to California last year. On the other half I tried three products from Stuarto’s Olive Oil Company I came across on my Wednesday night trip to Lexington: wild mushroom and sage infused olive oil, espresso salt, and espresso balsamic.

I will have much more to say about the magnificent dinner/cooking class I attended at Azur Wednesday night. For now I will mention that Azur chef Jeremy Ashby used Stuarto’s products in several of the evening’s dishes, and Stuarto’s owner Stuart Utgaard was on hand to talk about his products and offer some for sale. The first time I happened onto chef Ashby was at the Incredible Food Show in Lexington in October, and during his demo there he raved about one of Stuarto’s olive oils that he described as being an excellent all-purpose finishing oil. It was not available either at the food show or on Wednesday at Azur, but I had a moment to ask the chef for a recommendation. When I told him I planned to make venison carpaccio for Thanksgiving, he suggested the wild mushroom and sage oil (which I purchased), and then his eyes lit up. They weren’t among the products Stuart brought that evening, but Jeremy went into his kitchen and came back with these samples of Stuarto’s espresso salt and espresso Balsamic. Thank you, Jeremy! I would never have thought to mix espresso flavors with my tried and true carpaccio, but these were amazing, giving the dish a whole new dimension and depth!

I topped the seasoned venison with capers, sliced garlic, and, in place of my usual parmesan, shards of sheep’s milk cheese from another KY Proud company, Good Shepherd Cheese.

This dish made me so happy I didn’t think twice about not having turkey for Thanksgiving :)

It just wouldn't be right to have a holiday dinner without dessert, and I came up with one that entailed hardly any work. Last weekend at Jean-Paul's Paradiso, I picked up some house-made pumpkin sorbet.

I love chocolate with pumpkin, so I made some ganache. If you’ve never made your own ganache before, what are you waiting for? It is dead simple even if you, like me, are no pastry chef. Just chop some chocolate (Joy of Cooking says 8 oz.).

Bring some cream to a boil (Joy of Cooking says 3/4 cup).

Remove the cream from the heat and stir in the chocolate. That’s all there is to it (although I like to add a splash of Grand Marnier to mine). It keeps well in the fridge, and a few seconds in the microwave will return it to a creamy consistency. Don't let the fancy-sounding French name intimidate you – this recipe is almost impossible to mess up.

I drizzled a little ganache on the pumpkin sorbet.

Because it was a holiday, I added some toasted pecans. And then, my best idea of the evening hit me: I added a bit of that espresso salt from Stuarto's! What a magnificent match with the chocolate!

So there you have it, how I holiday cook when left to my own devices. And I enjoyed every moment of solo, stress-free self-indulgence. Of course I missed being with family and friends. But this just wasn’t the year for it. I’m still in overly protective mode since Scout returned from his 2-1/2 week walkabout and didn’t want to go off and leave him for the long weekend. But I am happy to report he has bounced back from his ordeal – so much so that today he went outside for the first time in a week. You can bring the kitty indoors, but Scout is one kitty you just can’t take the outdoors out of.

Thankfully, he came back in too.

Wishing you all the best of holiday weekends, and if you’re out shopping, please shop local and handmade.

xoxo, eggy

A Fine French Weekend Avec Mes Amis et Le Scout

These magnificent pear and apple tarts were actually served at Le Bon Vivant's October Third Friday's wine and cheese tasting, made by owner Catherine Meguire herself. When I arrived at last Friday's event, taking us to Burgundy, I was so swept up in the camaraderie that I forgot to pull out my camera until we'd reduced the magnificent cheeses to, well, this.

I was delighted to meet up with blogger friend Stephie of Small Girl Adventures again, who already has her own post up about the evening. Catherine welcomed us both with open arms, and I was happy to see a number of other delightful folks I had met on my last visit, and meet some new ones, too. It was definitely one of those evenings where being in the moment trumped taking photos for the blog.

I did not, however, come away empty-handed. This time I bought a bottle of one of the evening's five excellent Burgundian wines, a 2008 Domaine Nathalie et Gilles Chablis, which was a revelation as to what Chablis can be. I also purchased the Banyuls vinegar I'd had my eye on (a favorite of Jean-Robert, I hear). And of course, I couldn't walk away without replenishing my supply from Chocolats LaTour, which Le Bon Vivant carries.

After spending most of Saturday keeping a watchful eye over my recently returned kitty (ok, let's just say we both snoozed together a lot – I had no idea how exhausted I was from worrying about him), I had a taste for pizza. Not just any pizza, the Northern Woods pizza from Jean-Paul's Paradiso, made with a mix of wild mushrooms, a hint of rosemary, topped with goat cheese, on one of my favorite crusts, as only Belgian Jean-Paul can make it.

Jean-Paul puts his magnificent dough to use in other forms, like these tomato cheese breads.

The shop offers daily soups and much more. (Since my Thanksgiving plans turned wonky, I wish I'd learned earlier that they were offering T-Day carry-out; orders are now closed.) Do not miss their patisseries!

I bought some of Jean-Paul's pumpkin sorbet to hedge my bets for whatever I end up throwing together for Thanksgiving, and was happy they had my favorite chocolate mousse cups available, too.

As I head into Thanksgiving week, I am filled with gratitude toward all my friends and family, new and old, far and near. And especially thankful for the return of one of my very best friends, my Scout man guy, after his 2 1/2 week disappearance. He's purring again, and has finally meowed. He felt like a feather when he came back, but I am happy to report he is eating and putting weight back on. He has spent most of the weekend sleeping on or near me, something we both needed. He has eyed the front door a couple of times, but so far hasn't seriously wanted to go back out. Prayers work in mysterious ways - and cats work in mysterious-er ways. Thank you all for sending good wishes our way, and in return I wish you the best of Thanksgivings. Scout would too, if he weren't sleeping :)

Coming Soon (?) - Greek to Me on Court Street, Turophilia + Japp's, Fountain Square/Food Truck Update, and Truffles via Le Bon Vivant

Owner George Betas tells me he is hoping to open his third It's Greek to Me - Prassino location on Court Street later this week on Court Street (depending on how inspections go). Once the shop is up and running, he plans to be open Mon.-Fri.10-6 and Sat.11-3, and this link should take you straight to the anticipated menu (the player on website's home page is, er, problematic). I'm looking forward to trying this Middle Eastern restaurant with an emphasis on fresh preparations and organic ingredients. It's in the same block as Tom + Chee.

Turophilia, purveyor of inventive, cheesy quesadillas, usually from its tiny retro Airstream trailer at Eighth and Vine, reports on facebook it will be teaming up with Japp's (of Molly Wellman fame), to bring 'dillas and drinks during happy hour Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at Nada (Sixth and Walnut) starting tomorrow. ETA: Sorry I misunderstood. Fallon Horstmeyer's original message said, "What could be better than Turophilia and Japp's? Nada" - as in nothing could better. The locations is actually Japp's.

Turophilia's Black Keyes quesadilla

WVXU reported on Tuesday's City Council committee meeting about expanding the mobile food vendor program in the wake of 3CDC's decision to oust food tents from Fountain Square. This was a committee meeting, and a recommendation to Council was tabled for the time being. According to WVXU, "City administrators will be preparing a report on the Fountain Square vending spots. . . . It could be discussed next week. But the full City Council won't meet again after Wednesday until November 16th." I keep hoping the City and/or 3CDC finds a way to embrace these entrepreneurs who are putting out some outstanding food and contributing to the vibrancy of the downtown core.

Le Bon Vivant had a limited time opportunity to get in on some fresh truffles from Italy and France today. My wallet may be breathing a sigh of relief, but I am not. Stop in this lovely Walnut Hills shop to sign up for their contact list or friend them on facebook to keep up with the surprises they have in store. I am still dreaming of these apple and pear tarts made by owner Catherine Meguire for last week's wine and cheese soirée.

Le Bon Vivant's Third Friday wine and cheese tastings spotlight a different region of France each month (Burgundy in November). If last week's event is any indication, the crowd will be convivial, wine guy extraordinaire TJ will bring unique wines to sample, and there may be more food in store, like this Choucroute-Garnie at our evening in Alsace.

Le Bon Vivant Does Third Friday Choucroute Garnie Tasting and Man v. Food Does Cincinnati Wed. Night

How many kids volunteer to go to summer school? I confess I did. After attending Walnut Hills in 7th and 8th grades (where Latin is required of all students), I had some fitting in to do when my family moved to a new school district. To switch languages and catch up with the students at my new high school, I spent mornings that summer taking French. While memorizing the genders of common French nouns and learning to conjugate French verbs in le passé compose et le subjonctif (verb tenses weren't even taught in my English classes during that era, and they sound so much more compelling en francais), I learned a bit about French geography and culture, and was smitten. As much as I enjoyed my local branch library, I dreamed of stepping inside a Parisian bibliothèque, a book stall on the Left Bank, and more.

A trip to France is still on my bucket list, and although at one point in my life I actually managed to read Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex in the original, what little I've retained of the language leans (no surprise) toward culinary terms. But my Francophile inclinations remain. And they led me to Le Bon Vivant, a lovely new shop on Woodburn Avenue, just south of De Sales Corner and just north of Josh Campbell's restaurant, The Skinny Pig. The neighborhood has changed a lot, not only since the days I rode the bus home from Walnut Hills High School but more recently.

The streetscape outside is inviting (there's also a free, well-lit public parking lot across the street from Le Bon Vivant), and once I stepped inside, I was charmed by the simple elegance of the high-ceilinged space.

Le Bon Vivant offers a mix of French table linens, dishes, and serving ware, as well as bath and body products.

And then there are the French food items, which of course were my focus.

In addition to imported packaged items, Le Bon Vivant carries baguettes, cheeses, duck fat(!), and wines. Among the specialties Cindie and I purchased were Fleur de Sel, Piment d'Espelette, and truffle butter. You can also find the amazing locally made chocolates from Chocolats Latour here.

Le Bon Vivant has embarked on a series of Third Friday "wine and cheese explorations" spotlighting different regions of France. This month, on Friday, Oct. 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., you can taste Alsatian wines and sample two different recipes for choucroute garnie for $30. Space is limited to 30 people and is not open to the general public, so call or email owner Catherine Meguire at (513) 221-2921 or cmeguire@cinci.rr.com to reserve your spot. I was so bummed when I realized I'd missed the first one, featuring the Loire, that I RSVP'd immediately for this one. To stay up on news of Le Bon Vivant's products, events, and all-around cool France-related links, like their active facebook page or subscribe to their e-newsletter.

Meanwhile, a quick reminder that this Wed. night (10/12) at 9:00 p.m. on the Travel Channel, Man v. Food Nation airs its Cincinnati show. I was lucky to be present for the portion filmed at Tom + Chee, and am crazy curious to see how the show's 4 days of filming in my city get squeezed into this half-hour episode. Local food blogger Kitty of Cincinnati Nomerati has a great new post up about her friend who actually tried to eat the ginormous meal at Izzy's for MvF.

I'll be watching with friends Wed. night and back later with more from my Lexington trip.