Damn Quesadillas, Napoleon

Easy, simple, delicious quesadillas were on the menu tonight. The filling was cheese, chicken simmered in a spice blend, tomatoes, and the leftover corn and bean salad from last night. A big hit, all the way around.

Alton's Ribs

That actually sounds kind of creepy. No, I'm not eating Alton Brown (or creating woman from his excess rib), but cooking his no-backyard baby back ribs. So far, so good (though I didn't have time to rest the ribs for 6-12 hours), except that the bones punctured the foil packet and spilled juice EVERYWHERE. I guess we'll just have to see if there's still enough liquid in the packet to make a successful braise.

[Several hours later] Yep. There was. My fingers are still sticky from eating the ribs; they were absolutely delicious. Could have used a little more heat (I toned down the spice called for because Anna isn't a fan of spicy food), but the sweetness and juiciness more than made up for it. I might take the ribs out after an hour and 45 minutes next time, instead of the suggested 2 hours, and I could have done one more pass with the glaze, but all in all I'm delighted. Plus the fried plantains were a knockout--again, Alton's recipe. What can I say? The man's a genius.

As a side note, it might be possible to finish the ribs on the grill rather than under the broiler; it's worth trying, anyway.

Cherry Chicken

Made cherry chicken tonight, adapting an Emeril recipe (I used fresh rainier cherries rather than dry, and chicken instead of duck), and it was pretty tasty. The sauce could have used more honey, though.

The wine was "Parallelle 45" Cotes du Rhone rose, and I was very underwhelmed. Just not a lot of flavor to it, though it was a gorgeous color. I'll add a tasting note later, once I have another glass.

First post

This is my first post, and this blog is for me, rather than for readers; I want to use it to help myself remember my impressions about food and wine. I'll post occasional thoughts on recipes I've tried, restaurants I've visited, and wines I've tasted. Once I get my digital camera up and running again, I'll even add photos. For now, a few random thoughts while I wait for my oven to preheat so I can make some parmiggiano-reggiano tuile as a late-night snack.

Tonight's dinner: "Field sandwiches," a simple, light summer meal my girlfriend introduced me to. All it is is bread, turkey, cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, egg, and dressing. I used swiss cheese, and instead of using a hardboiled egg and dressing, I poached an egg so its yolk was still runny and put it on top. Good move. Obviously, everything in this can be substituted based on what you like; tonight I used untoasted light rye, but I definitely want to try it with better bread, toasted in the oven with a little oil, and pulled roasted chicken instead of deli turkey. And maybe camembert for the cheese. But the poached egg thing is here to stay.

Tonight's wine: Hogue Riesling Columbia Valley 2005. $8-$9 or so. A nice pale gold color, a touch sweet and currently totally out of balance because I overchilled it. So as I said, sweet without being cloying, floral rather than fruity, but with just enough acidity to keep it fresh. A very nice, easy-to-drink summer white.

The tuile: Ok, so they're not really tuile, because I'm not going to shape them, but they could be. So they're really just parmiggiano crackers, 'cause I happened to grate some p. regg. the other day and had some left over. And I just burned the bejesus out of them. Damn. Oh, well. I think I probably had enough cheese for one, but tried to make two; they went from not-melted to burnt way too quickly. Also, the cheese had dried out, since it had been grated a few days ago. Next time, grate fresh, use more, and keep an eye on them. Also, was 350 degrees too hot?

Well, that's all for tonight. Back after my next food adventure.