Forty Eight

number of years aged.
like a great cheese.

it has been said i am "older than dirt"
...Michael Bergman, aged 7
i don't know about that, but what i do know is
life is good.
how can it be otherwise when feasting on
great food and great wine with great friends.

this is what we ate to celebrate this old woman.

Warm Goat Cheese Goo with Saffron and Fennel Seed
Makes enough for 6 piggies or 4 hogs
Adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe.

Ingredients:
2T butter
2T flour
2 cups milk or half & half
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
8+ oz goat cheese, crumbled
generous pinch of saffron
generous pinch of fennel seed
S.P

Make the Goo: Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make roux. Cook for a minute or so. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and add cheeses and spices.

Bake the Goo: Pour into an ovenproof dish...I use a 4 by 8 inch ceramic dish, Bobby uses an 8 inch cast iron pan...and bake until bubbly and goldenish, about 5 minutes or so in 375 degree oven. Serve right out of the oven with yummy chips, crispy crackers or crusty bread.

Note: You can drizzle with a parsley, basil, cilantro or chive oil or even dollop with a roasted poblano puree when it comes out of the oven, if you happen to have such things hanging around in your fridge. I would even have been tempted to put chorizo in it if not for the next course...


Steamed Mussels Swimming in Chorizo Cream
Overfed 6 people

Ingredients:
4 lbs of mussels, debearded and scrubbed
2T butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cups white wine
1/2 lb of chorizo, skin free
couple of sprigs worth of fresh thyme leaves
1 quart of heavy cream
S.P
chopped parsley

Make the Sauce: Pulse the chorizo in a cuisinart until crumbly. Transfer to medium saucepan and lightly saute for a minute or two to start to render some of the fat. Add 1 cup of the wine and let reduce for a few minutes. Add the cream and the thyme and reduce by nearly a half. Taste and season. Set aside.

Steam the Mussels: In a heavy pot (think le creuset), gently saute the shallot and garlic in the butter. Add the mussels, give a gentle stir and add the remaining wine. Cover and let steam until the mussels are just open, about 5 minutes or so. Don't overcook them...you want them to be nice and plump. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Spider the mussels into a pretty serving bowl. Strain the mussel broth into the chorizo cream and pour the finished sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Overeat, with lots and lots of crusty bread.

Note: There are a million variations of great mussel recipes. Another that we absolutely love slathers the mussels in a gorgonzola cream sauce which would be made similarly, using some of the mussel steaming mirepoix (garlic and shallot) to start the sauce, adding and reducing wine, adding and reducing cream and finishing with crumbled gorgonzola. Season with S.P and any herb/spice that strikes your fancy...i love fennel seed in just about anything, but who doesn't?