Friday, December 27, 2013

FFWD December 2013 (Gravlax + Onion "Carbonara" + Tuiles)


I'm not going to try to write about balance today.  People much more eloquent than I am who have given it much more thought have written plenty.  I'll just say that the last couple of months have not been balanced.  I've been working way too much.  I've tried to spend every second I wasn't working with Charlotte, and that hasn't left much time for anything else.  To say I'm overwhelmed and behind on everything in my life (including sleep) would be a serious understatement.  For the most part, we've been eating very simply around here and Paul's been cooking more than usual.  I have made all** of the blog recipes, but haven't had a chance to post.  Now that my work deadline is finally up, I'm trying to slowly catch up on things.

My Almond Orange Tuiles failed completely.  I followed the instructions exactly, but substituted almond meal for the blanched and chopped almonds.  I assumed that was my mistake, but from reading your posts it seems like other people made that substitution with no trouble.  I don't get it.  My cookies did not spread at all.  They tasted alright, but weren't the least bit pretty.


The Recipe Swap Onion "Carbonara",  on the other hand, was an absolutely winner.  It was very quick to put together, and served over pasta made an excellent dinner and pretty good lunch leftovers too.  I don't really like onions until they're thoroughly browned (caramelized are my favorite) so I was worried about this one.  I don't think I would have enjoyed the onions by themselves, but they definitely worked as a pasta sauce.


Because I'm Jewish and my family is local, we normally spend Christmas with Paul's family in Portland, Oregon.  We just traveled to Oregon in October, though, and traveling with Charlotte was not exactly easy, so this year we stayed put for Christmas and Paul's mom came to us.  So this Jewish girl ended up hosting Christmas Eve dinner.  I was nervous, but I think everything came out well.  I wanted to have substantial appetizers so people could come over early and hang out for a while before Charlotte went to bed.  (This part of my plan failed completely.  Charlotte stayed awake through dessert!)  I made the gravlax with homemade rye bread and mascarpone stuffed dates.  The gravlax was a definite hit.  Everybody loved it, and I loved that it could be made ahead of time.  For dinner our friends made a delicious salad, and we had roasted duck with potatoes, beets, and braised endive.  For dessert our friends made a Buche de Noel and a chocolate sausage and my mom made fruit cake.  It was an excellent night, and it's nice to finally have some time to relax and enjoy things.  I'm hoping the New Year will bring less work and more time with family!

**I'm hoping that maybe by posting about three recipes at once nobody will notice that I skipped the fourth?  I just wasn't brave enough to try making the chopped liver.

13 comments:

  1. Well, two out of three sure put you in a good place! Happy New Year!

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  2. I hope you aren't being too hard on your self - you don't have to do it all, seriously :-) Balancing work and home life is tough - especially when the little people are so little. Take your breaks and shortcuts where ever you can find them.

    Now, those tuiles were fairly disastrous for many of us. I just don't think they were meant to be. Glad you enjoyed the gravlax and "carbonara". (And survived your Christmas hosting responsibilities - your dinner sounds wonderful, by the way).

    Happy New Year.

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  3. Cher's right - I don't think many of us would declare the tuiles a "make again" (although I am curious to see how I would go again) so don't even worry! And look at you go - three recipes this week - who said anything about a fourth? :) Happy New Year!

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  4. Thanks for sharing your experiences for December's recipes. Glad that you are cooking with us, even if posting has to take a back seat. Those tuiles were definitely a nightmare, so disappointing as they sounded so nice. Happy New Year, Jora! I hope 2014 is all you want it to be!

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  5. Happy New Year Jora.. hope 2014 is a calmer one. Impressive that you got so many Dorie recipes done. The tuiles were weird. I think you might have the same issue with your oven as I do. For all of her recipes I raise the heat 25 degrees. Your cookies look like they didn't get enought heat. Glad the glavlax was a hit,,, great dish for a nice Jewish Girl to make on Christmas Eve.

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  6. Very nice make up post Jora, I also get the dishes done but don't find the time to get them posted. I still have to get the tuilles up but since they weren't much of a winner I don't think anyone notices.

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  7. OK, you do have me chuckling as out of all the recipe, the Jewish gal skipped the chopped liver ? LOL. But completely understand. I just barely survived the prep on that one. And I simply can not believe how much you managed to knock out during this holiday season. That Xmas Eve dinner sounds positively divine so I hope you gave yourself a MAJOR pat on the back. Speaking of which, I have to tell you that I am very impressed with all that you do accomplish with your little Charlotte. I am at the other end of the tunnel with a high school senior and a college sophomore, and can firmly say that it has been a complete blur. I worked full time (no regrets) during their childhoods and it was a wonderful chaotic blur. I find that the "more I do, the more gets done" so having a lot on my plate keeps me moving...but I also feel free to keep it real, ask for help (beg for help ??), appreciate my helpers and take a nap whenever possible. I also include M&M's as needed but would not suggest you do the same :) Enjoy the ride. I look forward to cooking with you virtually in 2014 !

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  8. Cher is so right! Don’t be so hard on yourself... as Charlotte grows so will your time to get things done. Right now just enjoy your beautiful baby! Time flies by so fast! I am very impressed that you were able to knock out 3 FF recipes at once! Sounds like you are doing a great job! Happy New Year, Jora! May it be filled with Joy, Health and Happiness!

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  9. Nah. I skipped the chopped liver, too!

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  10. Great catch up post Jora. You certainly have a very good reason to get behind:) I didn't have success with tuiles either. Its funny to me that you would tackle the salmon over the liver. I went the other way. Hosting holidays can be stressful but it looks like you did a great job! Happy New Year!

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  11. Jora great catch up post! I hear you on time - I also have made everything the past two months and could only bring myself to write about the gravlax. Kudos to you for keeping up with everything - don't miss these precious moments with Charlotte - pretty soon she will be grown up and you will be reminiscing about these days. Happy New Year!

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  12. Oh, Jora, I am sure that like many other Doristas, we smiled a bit, giggled, and thought only about having been there and done that. A child is put on this earth to wreck the best-laid plans so don't ever expect anything to be completely perfect again. I have to give you credit for trying the Almond Orange Tuiles. That is a pastry delight that no new mother should even attempt. Many of us didn't do real well with those. As for the carbonara.......loved, loved, loved it. And, gravlax, your guests had to be totally impressed. I had never made gravlax until last week and now you've already accomplished that task. Just have a ball with this new healthy baby grl. Time marches on much too quickly. But please keep us apprised of all the successes and disasters and plans gone awry with Miss Charlotte.

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  13. It sounds like you have your priorities perfectly in place! I never seem to get any make-up posts done when I've had to skip a few. Well done. And it sounds like your dinner party was a huge success! Happy New Year

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