(saved but never posted) From: 12/8/2005

A few weeks ago, Jason's friend Sam mentioned over mojitos that his signature recipe came from the same book that my signature recipe comes from. Mine is Alsacian saurkraut (although my friends would say its the braised red cabbage (p 396)) Sam's is Carbonnades a la Flammande which translates to beef braised in beer. The bible of which I speak is none other than Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Jerome attests that the recipes are overly complicated and needlessly so and swears by the food network database. I say, "Yes, they may be overly complicated but you can't argue with butter." Seriously, you can't. I've tried and I'm generally left with grease covered hands and nothing to put in my dutch oven.

As the temperature drops, my craving for stew raises so when we discussed this I had to try it out. Tonight, that's what I'm doing (for tomorrow night.) Here are a few realizations from the experience:

1) beef stew is just a beer and a broth away from a steak sub.
2) I need to orchestrate my birthdays better.
3) Overly complicated or not, Julia Child's recipes can turn your apartment from a stool smelling pit to a delicious feast in about an hour. One hour after cooking is another story, so make sure people eat quickly.

bon appetit mes amis. I'm really excited to watch the project runway premiere tomorrow night (and I'm resisting temptation right now) and to try this masterpiece stew that has my home smelling less like a homeless shelter and more like a Great Steak Escape at the mall.