Craftapalooza

Farty Bourguignon

Wez was up this month. Beef Bourguignon with steamed stringless green beans and potato mash (I think he used Royal Blue, yellow flesh and excellent for mashing). Finished off with Peach and Vanilla Panna Cotta topped with homemade peach sauce. All was delicious. The panna cotta was stunning. Kudos to you Wezdude. Topped off with a viewing of "The Stepford Wives" (the new version not the original).

Overall the film was dull and silly. Not particularly funny. Makes me want to see the original. I recently read the book and it's quite sinister. The new film's website is more interesting than the film itself. Check our Claire's Craftorium and her instructions for a "Plenty O' Pine Cone-Copia Winter Wonderland Sparkle Wreath" ;)

Jet was in fine form. Being a Labrador and compulsively attracted to food, he managed to get a lick of dessert from Wez's plate. In case you didn't figure out from the picture, Alison loves her Jetty (picture has "the Dooce Effect").

Not for the squeamish (or vegetarian....)

Meet Herbert. He's the whole snapper that was baked in salt last Saturday night. He was delicious. Not at all salty, quite buttery and juicy.

As tasty as Herbert was, his teeth were freaking me out during dinner. I had to put foil over his face so I could eat him :)

The dessert was even better. Pear and chocolate pie (with a little Kahlua), with home made pastry of course. Hmmmm. As usual lots of fun.

GG's October

This month it is Chris' turn to cook. We're having...whole fish baked in sea salt (whole fish covered in sea salt), accommpanied with roast potatoes, warm chickpea fennel and parsley salad, a green salad and tartare sauce (home made of course by Christopher). Dessert is pear and chocolate tart with whipped cream (of course Chris is making his own pastry, the base is baking as I write this and he's using his own ceramic pie weights that I bought him). Tho' I won't be having the dessert and other items it shall still be fun. We're also planning on playing Balderdash. If you've never played it you're missing out.

If the house is Moroccan....

We have GG's this Saturday night. Following is Alison's email...made me chuckle!

"Good afternoon to my fellow Gastro Guru Goons

Here is my me 'n' you for Saturday night

Tagine of Chicken with Chickpeas and Apricots Almond Pastry Snake (in preference to a trouser snake!!)

There you go, and remember.....

IF THE HOUSE IS MOROCCAN, DON'T BOTHER KNOCKIN'

See you 7ish Saturday night

Alison"

GG's August

Menu for this Saturday night's GG's (Gastro Guru's) is.....beef carbonnade with carrot stoemp (and some green vegetable) followed by lemon-lime satin creams. All selected from issue 30 of "Delicious" magazine. Hmmmmm. Good cold weather food.

Gastro Guru's

Next Saturday night is my turn to cook for Gastro Guru's (GG's). I need to plan a menu and let everyone know what they're having so they can decide what to drink. GG's is FuzzEman, myself, Al and Wez. We meet once a month and take turns cooking. You have to cook something that you haven't cooked before and you can't test it beforehand. You can decide to do three courses or two.

One consideration is Nigella's ham in Coca Cola . It's a little frightening, but could be fun. I made her Coca Cola cake and I must have done something wrong, it didn't rise a whole lot and had the consistency of rubber and looked like chocolate brown rubber.

I'll have to trawl through my recipe books and magazines this weekend and figure something out. Maybe something from Stephanie ("The Cook's Companion" is a MUST have), Donna, Nigella, Jamie or Delicious...any suggestions?