audreyandeverybody

[audreyandeverybody]

Fall Brisket

Last night’s dinner began the night before. I mixed salt into flour and yeast into water and dosed it with honey and the good olive oil. The Olsen Farms brisket I had received as a birthday gift was salted on all four sides and set into the fridge to begin its long and glorious cooking process.

The bread dough bubbled happily away overnight and in the morning it was delicately transferred to a well seasoned cast iron pan, sprinkled with the chiffonade squiggles of fresh sage and baked until fluffy and golden. The music of Henry Mancini played loudly as the fat of the brisket was being rendered until it was caramelized and crisp, shallots and a whole head of garlic were browned and it was all drowned in a hypnotic mix of worcestershire, white wine vinegar  and better than bouillon broth. The roast was sent to the oven where it bubbled and braised jolly and quiet for the rest of the day until it was ready to land on the table and eventually to our satisfied bellies.  Parsley and basil were plucked off their tender stems and blended with spicy olive oil and tangy vinegar, (the exact thing you want to embellish any and every  bite.) Ricotta was whipped until creamy with bright yellow lemon zest and microplaned garlic dotted throughout. This became the bed for roasted parsnips and carrots of all colors, some pale yellow, others deep purple with a bright orange center, but sweet and earthy all the same. The vegetables were cut long and thin and roasted with salt and pepper and a tangy red orange chili powder. Wine was pulled from the cellar, an array of reds to keep us warm on a crisp fall night, (the Radikon we were all excited about was unfortunately mousey upon opening.) Friends arrived as the sun went down and the wine was opened promptly. They brought with them an apple crisp fresh from the oven with pieces of candied ginger hidden inside certain bites like precious jewels. We ate and drank until our stomachs and hearts were as full as the night sky was with stars, and then we ate and drank a little more.

[audreyandeverybody]

Summer, 2023

I went to Pike Place Market, bought fresh bread, nice cheese, olives, pickles, smoked duck breast and ate it in my pajamas listening to ambient music and drinking chenin blanc. I bought cauliflower the color of the sun, which does not taste any different but is defiantly more beautiful. I can say I’ve eaten well this summer. Whole fish on the grill, salads adorned with gemlike strawberries from the farmers market, lots and lots of corn. In July we went camping up North on Birch Bay and ate like kings in the forest. Have you ever had the joy of eating an onion caramelized over a campfire? When we went camping again in August, this time closer to the peninsula at an old military fort, we cooked a steak in butter and rosemary and cloves of garlic on an old camp stove. We drank wine the color of rubies while watching the sunset and seagulls flocking and drank milky coffee with our skillet toast and eggs. I cooked for old friends and new. For the new friends I made new things like lentils cooked with shallots, fresh shaved courgettes, sungolds and parsley tossed in good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. For the old friends I leaned more to the classics, grilled steak and a gorgeous salad, focaccia from a bakery and a bright herb salsa for dipping and adorning it all. Sam bought finger length smelt, gutted and cleaned them, tossed them in flour and fried them in oil. We ate them like fries dipped in aioli, the small tails delicately crunching between our teeth. I ate pizza on the beach more than ever before, and always in good company with a tin mug of good wine. My Opa turned 90 and my mother and her sister made the world's largest potato salad, the numbers 9 & 0 drawn using quarters of boiled eggs and parsley. I turned 26, ate steak frites and drank french wine. I cooked big beans in a pot all day even though it was warm out. I ate tomatoes fresh off the vine which tasted like gold and drank straw colored wine that tasted distinctly of summer’s end. I read about food, I thought about food, I listened to other people talk about food. I bought a film camera to start taking more meaningful photos of food to pair with the words I write about food. Next week summer ends, I can’t say I’m not excited. Excited for soups bubbling on the stove and red wine that warms from the belly out. Excited for slowing down to roast a brisket all day and having friends show up for dinner after the sun has already gone down. This summer was a good one, an abundance of good food and wine and company. I know it will roll into each new season in a different and new but just as beautiful way.