So long since the last post! Sorry, all. Recipes for stuff will go up later. I need access to my The Art of French Cooking.
Saturday was Parents’ Day. Jon and I made eggs benedict. I poached eggs! Poorly! And made hollandaise! Well! Jon made some really excellent home fries and actually bought truffles for the garnish. Swanky. We also made what we termed “eggs silverman,” with smoked salmon instead of the ham. I had mentioned to Rob on Friday that we were making eggs benedict, and he said, “Try it with smoked salmon.” And you know what? It was better than the ham, in my opinion.
I made hollandaise, and it didn’t break. I was so happy. God, was my arm tired at the end. So much whisking. Julia, you said it would take five minutes. I think I was whisking for ten to fifteen. I will try the blender version next time- it works perfectly well for mayonnaise. And the hollandaise was very good for what it was. Which is to say, I don’t think it’s really my thing. I’ve never been big on sauces or gravies, really, although I do love a good jus. I think thick sauces are just too heavy for me. And the hollandaise mixed with the yolk from the poached egg? Oh, TOO MUCH. We were all feeling a little poorly after eating… oh, so much fat.
And mimosas. Can’t be a proper brunch without mimosas (or bloody marys, I guess, but ew on the tomato juice). We got cheap champagne and good orange juice from Trader Joe’s.
On Sunday, Lydia and I went out shopping and fooding in Rockridge. We ate at a place called the Crepevine. It was not good. The food was pretty meh. Lydia ordered eggs benedict and the eggs were severly overcooked and the hollandaise was grainy and didn’t taste like anything. I had an omelet, it was mediocre. The home fries were a bit undercooked. But what pushed this into a bad dining experience was the fact that halfway through our meal, we found three ants scurrying around on the jam containers. So we got grossed out, and Lydia took the initiative to get our money back. I’m too much of a wimp to do that. I think I’d start crying. She was very cool about it. I wouldn’t eat here again.
Later, we went to Zachary’s, home of really good Chicago-style pizza. This was a much better dining experience. I generally like thin Italian/New York/New Jersey style pizzas, but this was pretty decent. The tomatoes in the sauce tasted fresh, the basil was freshly chiffonaded. The crust was kind of forgettable (I’m just not a deep dish kind of gal) and I felt that the chicken really didn’t lend much to the pizza, although Lydia liked it. Personally, I would go for a simpler pizza. Margherita or something. I would eat here again.
Cheddar Munchies are the work of the devil. They are my new Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Nips… oh god, they would taste so good mixed together! Oh, brain, why did you have to think of that?
