Merideth 11/23/11 Merideth 11/23/11

Preping for a French Thanksgiving

We are on our own for the first time this year and rather than taking on the religion that is my mother's traditional Thanksgiving, we are doing things our own way. We considered several options and given our love of food, and abundant stash of Chateauneuf du Pape from out trip last year decided on a menu with a heavy French influence. Recipes and preparation images coming soon!

As we cook:

Foie gras stuffed mejool dates

A cheese and charcuterie plate

For Dinner:

Duck Magret with an orange cranberry sauce

Brioche stuffing with sausage, fennel, and spinach

Brussel sprouts with lardon and shallots

Asparagus

A gratin of sweet potatoes and caramelized onions

For dessert:
Pumpkin creme brulee

And now for the results...

Our Thanksgiving table

The Appetizers

Husband Sous Chef preps the oranges for the cranberry sauce

Sweet Potatoes for the gratin

Yummm yes three onions to caramelize for the potatoes

The wine!

Scoring the magret

Searing the magret

Ready for the oven

Finished asparagus

Finished Brussel Sprouts with apples and lardon

Finished Stuffing

Sweet Potato Gratin

And the duck!

The finale, pumpkin creme brulee

Merideth 2/8/11 Merideth 2/8/11

Last Minute Valentines Day Ideas

Valentine's Day is Monday! Love it or hate it the day comes on quickly after the holidays and leaves many of us without plans. Whether you are wooing a special someone, avoiding the commercialism that defines the day, or just wanting to head out with friends there are still plenty of options for making the day special.

Valentines in the Garden takes place at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this Saturday Feb. 12th. They will have special showings, chocolate, and drinks to celebrate and explore.

Valentines Day at the High is also taking place Saturday evening. They are featuring a French theme with art, dancers, and music from 6-10 pm.

If you haven't seen the Dames Aflame here in Atlanta, now is the time. These over the top burlesque performers are fantastic. They are having a special Valentines event Friday and Saturday at Paris on Ponce.

How about a lecture on mating at the Aquarium followed by dinner and the option for an adults only slumber party?

Most Atlanta restaurants are featuring special Valentine's menus. A few of my favorite are getting in the act.

H. Harper Station- $40 pre-fix 3 course meal.

Amuse! is featuring a $55 pre-fix five course meal.

JCT is offering a $55 per person pre-fix "taste" and three courses meal.

4th and Swift is offering a $75 per person menu.

Anis one of my personal favorites has a $60 per person 4 course selection with Jazz.

Ecco is offering a special $50 per person 4 course meal

Pura Vida is offering couples a choice of 6 tapas and a bottle of wine to share for $85.

For a special treat, for you or a loved one see my upcoming post on the amazing chocolates and French pastries at Maison Robert!

Merideth 5/4/10 Merideth 5/4/10

Mi Favorita Margaritas ( My Favorite Margaritas)

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow and that calls for margaritas. There are plenty of places to drink them around Atlanta, but in my humble opinion a good margarita here is hard to find. About 5 years ago a friend of mine made margaritas for a dinner party. She had taken a cooking class at Nava in Buckhead. The chef had shared the Nava margarita recipe. Since that day, I have been perfecting the recipe to my taste and have become sort of a margarita snob.

Here is my version of this classic and pretty easy recipe:

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (blood orange is really good too)

1 1/4 cup tequila (I prefer Don Julio Anjeo, but your favorite will do)

1/2 cup Cointreau

**1 cup of simple syrup (see recipe here)

** instead of simple syrup, you can substitute one cup of Splenda powder. Place this in a measuring cup, then add water. The Splenda powder will dissolve. Add enough water to bring it back up to one cup.

For other places in Atlanta to buy pretty good margaritas check out my favorites list:

Merideth 2/24/10 Merideth 2/24/10

Travel Post- Winding Down 2009 in Los Angeles

I am trying to keep my resolution to post more frequently. Meanwhile I have been stockpiling great dining experiences to share with you. So indulge me as I recap the fabulous food of Southern California.

I took a quick trip to LA for New Years, and was guided through a series of culinary treats. From cheap fast food to high end dining, LA has alot to offer for a Southern girl on her first visit!

Day 1: In-N-Out Burger This West Coast tradition is fantastic, with juicy grilled burgers featuring carmelized onions and the crispiest fries I have eaten at this style of drive thru. My friends make it a family tradition to go there when someone new comes to town. I was pleased they showed me the ropes.

Day 2: Yamashiro I was treated to an amazing meal with an outrageous view of downtown LA. This restaurant has a fantastic history in LA. To quote their web site, "Yamashiro means “Mountain Palace” in Japanese. It was the dream of the Bernheimer brothers in 1911 to build a hilltop mansion 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard." From this hilltop replica of a Japanese palace, you can see all of downtown LA. The seating is terraced to maximize the view through the glass walls. For those who are tired of the view the courtyard features an indoor/ outdoor garden and koi pond. The food was delicious. A perfect blend of high end California cuisine with traditional Japanese flavors. We started with perfect martinis and the Kurobuta Pork Carnitas. This meat melted in your mouth and was served with ascallion-risotto cake, hoisin reduction, and honey-mustard sauce. For my entree, I had the Loch Duart Miso Salmon this was served with asparagus, preserved-lemon smashed potatoes, fried capers, and a miso cream sauce. I cannot rave enough about the lemon massed potatoes. I have been searching the web for this recipe since arriving home.

Day 3: Phillipe The Original is the self tauted creator of the French Dip sandwich. Founded in 1908 it is one of the oldest restaurants in Southern California. As the story goes the sandwich was "invented" when one of the servers dropped a roast beef sandwich into a vat of the broth. The customer said they would take it anyway and the rest is "history". First of all this place is intimidating to newcomers, if you are from Atlanta think Varsity on game day. The crowd was huge, basically you fight your way to the front of one of 20 or so lines and place your order. While you wait the smell of roasted meat permeates the air. They have so many choices, beef, lamb, turkey, and pork. Our table tried it all. We sampled their pickled (not deviled) eggs, and a side of slaw. The sandwiches were heavenly. The meat was perfectly flavorful leaving no need for and condiments except for the au jus. We had our sandwiches double dipped to get the most out of our French Dip experience. The crusty French bread could handle the moisture and stayed perfectly crisp on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. The roast beef is the traditional, but for me the lamb took the cake. If you are willing to find your way, and face the crowd, this is certainly worth a try.

Dessert: Fosselmans Ice Cream Co. was rated by the Guardian among other publicationsas the best in the world for milkshakes. They were founded in 1919 and hold onto the old fashioned ice cream shop mentality. They have all the standard flavors like butter pecan and mint chocolate chip and some new ones like dark chocolate raspberry. After a dinner of pizza we headed over to sample the best. How can you not go there when its the best in the world and right down the street. I will have to agree with the hype. The consistancy, flavor, and selection of the milshakes was fantastic. The store was no frills. We tried so many flavors. I stuck with the simple strawberry which featured real strawberries so often lacking in other milkshakes. This is a little out of the way in LA, but in a city of highways certainly worth the stop.

I am looking forward to my next trip back to LA. I have not even begun to explore all of the food this city has to offer.