I went to see Madonna/Esther on Sunday night. Holy Moly. What a fantastic show! Part Cirque du Soleil, part Caberet, all Madonna. For a woman pushing 50, she looks absolutely amazing; radiant, gorgeous and like she was having the most fun. I wish I could describe how overwhelming the show was; let’s just say I got teary-eyed several times. Fantastic.
I went to another concert this weekend as well: DoP and the Bravery. I missed Dennis, sorry! DoP was great at usual. But, my special treat of the night, other than seeing Ms. Yuki, was watching the Bravery. I have only ever heard their demos, since Gxxxx was in that band for a bit, while they were called the Lashes. Anyway, I forgot what they changed their name to and was pleasantly surprised to hear the kick-ass blend of The Strokes and The Faint.
In other news, if anyone is around July 30th & 31st, I will be celebrating my 24th year on earth, so come play with me. More details on that later. Cheers!
The summer season brings a chance to gather outdoors and at the center of that gathering should be a lot of animal parts roasting atop a grill. I’m beginning to understand the the art/sciene of grilling. God bless the food channel for devoting so much time to helping people like me better understand how to do grilling right. Alton Brown is probably my favorite authority on the subject. He goes deeply into the science behind what makes something tender and flavorful. I’m so inspired, I am looking into butchering classes.
Here’s a few tips for you to try at your next barbeque event:
Add a bit of wood to your grill/smoker for a different flavor. Try hickory, maple, or applewood. You could even soak a slab of wood, making sure it is fully saturated so it doesn’t burn, put it on top of your grill and cook your food on the wooden slab.
When cooking ribs, try a dry rub on your meat before you start cooking, then put a wet rub on towards the very end.
Try stuffing your hamburger with cheese or other fillings to make a truly unique burger!
Carrot Cake with marzipan carrots and cream cheese frosting
Creme Cassis Miroir-cassis (black currant) mousse with a genoise base and raspberry jam-striped biscuit jaconde (almond sponge cake)
Challah!!
Chocolate Bavarian Cream Tart
Dobos-dobos sponge cake filled and topped with chocolate buttercream, garnished with a caramel-covered dobos layer
Paris-Brest-choux pastry filled with praline buttercream
Apple Tart Tatin-puff pastry topped with flambed and cooked apples
Charlotte Royale-Chocolate bavarian cream covered with apricot jellyroll
Linzer Torte-raspberry compote-filled tart
Cygnes-(Swans) choux filled with pastry cream, roasted pineapple and creme chantilly.
I just love throwing a good party. Nothing makes me happier to see my friends enjoying the food I made and getting drunk on the drinks I stirred up. Although the task of preparing these treats may seem daunting, I hope I can give just a few tips on how to pull it off successfully. And remember, it’s not a party until someone breaks something.
