As there are only two of us, we didn’t make an entire barbecue buffet of smoked brisket and pork rib along with the chicken, so we narrowed it down to reasonable portion sizes. The original Top Chef recipe for the dish as made by chefs Paul Qui, Lindsay Autry and Grayson Schmitz is here. We’re home cooks though, and here’s how that recipe actually goes down in our kitchen.

Early in the day I brined the big ol’ skin-on, bone-in chicken breast. I put it in a big zipper lock bag and added:

Chicken brine
* 2 TB fish sauce
* 2 TB brown sugar
* 1 TB sea salt
* Zest of an entire orange, juice of half the orange
* 1 TB grainy brown mustard

Then I added enough room temperature water to cover the chicken, sealed the bag and put it into the refrigerator for the afternoon.

Later in the evening, we gathered in the kitchen and let the barbecuing begin! I started the fish caramel while K rubbed down the chicken.

Fish Caramel
1 TB garlic
1 TB ginger
1 piece lemongrass (bruised with the back of a knife)
sprinkle of dried chili flakes (because I’m a spice wuss, you can add more if you like a lot of spice)
2 TB green onions
1/2 shallot (diced finely)
4 TB fish sauce
3 TB sugar
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1 TB red curry paste
1 TB sweet chili sauce

I sautéed the shallots, lemongrass and green onions in a little extra virgin olive oil then added everything else in and let it bubble until it caramelized. This one’s to taste — if it tastes too sour, add a bit more sugar. If it’s too sweet, a bit more vinegar. If it needs a little bit more funk, add more fish sauce. Too much funk, add a bit more of everything else.

While the fish caramel was simmering,  K was massaging the chicken with this:

Chicken Rub
1 TB yellow curry powder
1 TB onion powder
1 TB garlic powder
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

The chicken went into the oven at 375 degrees until the internal thermometer read 165 degrees (about 40 minutes). K was on chicken duty and every 15 minutes took it out of the oven to baste it with the fish caramel. While the chicken was cooking I cut up the okra and brussels sprouts while K made the “Kimchi paste”:

1 TB garlic
1 TB ginger
1 TB green onion
Sprinkling of chili flakes
1 TB fish sauce
1/2 shallot (finely diced)
1 TB apple cider vinegar

He sautéed the garlic and shallot in olive oil and stepped away for one second to check the chicken. That’s when this happened:

D’oh. The garlic burned and set off the “How Salvageable Is It” scale. Burned garlic makes a dish very bitter and this garlic was very burned. A quick pantry assessment told us we had *just* enough of everything to make another round of “Kimchi paste,” so with a little chopping, some dicing and carefully watched sautéing the burned mess was no more and we had this:

BIG difference — you’ll notice neither of these things actually qualify as Kimchi or a paste, but that seems to happen with Top Chef recipes a lot. Meanwhile, the brussels sprouts and okra were ready to go into the grill pan.

We were nervous about the okra. Neither of us had ever eaten it before and it has a reputation for being nasty and slimy unless it’s deep fried. But we cranked the heat, threw the vegetables into the grill pan and watched as they got brown and toasty. Then we tossed the hot veggies with the “Kimchi paste.” About 25 minutes into chicken cooking, the fish caramel baste started to get very dark so we covered the entire chicken breast with a foil “tent” to prevent burning. When the chicken was ready, we were glad we had. K chopped the giant chicken breast in half and we were ready for dinner.

The chicken was tender and the barbecue sauce/fish caramel was nice and bright and flavorful — sweet and tart with the perfect amount of salt and char. The veggies were crunchy and tasty, with just the right amount of acid. And the okra was not slimy at all. It was mild and fresh.

Would we make this again? Yes. There were a lot of components, but the fish caramel makes a delicious BBQ sauce and brining the chicken makes it very tender and juicy. And since I’m a little bit obsessed with brussels sprouts lately, I’d definitely char and enjoy them again.
Soundtrack: The Cars. Because Minneapolis makes Ric Ocasek smile.

Question of the day: What’s your favorite way to make barbecue sauce? Asian style? Sweet sauce? Mustard sauce? Hot sauce? Dry rub? Booze? Do tell!

Happy 2012! I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, but with the new year comes a wonderful opportunity to turn over a new leaf (or leaves, as the case may be). One of those changes involved me getting a new camera as a Christmas gift from K. This means new and improved food porn on the blog (see above Korean braised “short ribs” with edamame scallion puree and mushrooms from a recent Top Chef Night). Those “short ribs” are only in quotes because the co-op didn’t have actual short ribs so we made grass-fed beef chuck roast instead — nothing nefarious to see here, people.

But with the addition of enhanced food photography, I just couldn’t leave the old, stale blog format. So, as you can see, Eat.Drink.Life.Love. got a blogover (a blog makeover). Simple, clean and sizzlin’ hot. And with upgraded photos and a revamped site, we also decided to add new food adventures. So this year K and I will be playing with a little molecular gastronomy, some new techniques (using, for example, K’s new sous vide machine — yes, I caved on that because he so wanted it and I’m an awesome wife and gift giver) and even developing and testing our own recipes!

Top Chef Night will continue, of course, so we’ll keep making a dish featured on the show each week and we’ll fill you in on how to make it home cook friendly.

This will also be the first full year in awhile that I’m completely back to working for my own company from my home office. And I love it. No more corporate contracts for this girl — learning the inner workings of a processed food empire was an eye-opening and disturbing experience. So (shameless plug alert) if you or anyone you know needs social media or PR assistance, SEO copywriting, marketing and sales copy, communications, research or grant writing help, I’m here to assist. I’m at Social Visibility Consulting.

In honor of the blogover, blog-o-lutions and making happy career strides, we’re hosting our first ever giveaway.
The prize: A $25 gift certificate to Smashburger redeemable at any of their many locations across the U.S.
Note: Smashburger is not a sponsor of this giveaway. In fact, I’ve never even been to a Smashburger so you’ll have to let me know what you think!

Here’s how to enter: We’re looking for inspiration as we start creating recipes — for one entry, leave a comment next to this post with an ingredient idea (apples, pig’s feet, tripe, quinoa … the sky’s the limit).
For an additional entry, follow Eat.Drink.Life.Love on Twitter (@EatDrinkLifeLuv) and leave a second comment next to this post letting us know you’re one of our “Tweeps.” If you already follow, leave a comment and let us know.
For yet another entry, become a fan of Eat.Drink.Life.Love on Facebook . Leave another comment next to this post telling us you like us, you really, really like us (on Facebook).

The contest begins Wednesday, January 11 and ends at 11:00 pm CST on Thursday, January 19. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted through the information provided in the entry.

Thank you to everyone who visited in 2011 — the sheer number of people reading my musings on food is overwhelming. K and I look forward to sharing many more food adventures with you during this bright, shiny new year. Good luck and we look forward to your ingredient inspiration!!!

The sparkly scene featuring snacks, smoked salt and Kelli Abrahamian

Stephanie was gracious enough to host a ladies-only MN Food Bloggers evening of cooking with Chef Vickerman. The atmosphere was festive and the menu was fantastic, to say the least:

* Roasted mushroom soup with sautéed mushrooms, Honeycrisp apple and cider gastrique
* Charred kale salad with roasted and pickled root vegetables, bacon lardons and buttermilk vinaigrette
* Slow roasted pork shoulder with braised white beans
* Brussels sprouts with dried fruit chutney
* Panna cotta with candied pecans and citrus reduction

Each course was more luscious, savory and mouth-watering than the last. The roasted mushroom soup was so smooth and the wonderful mushroom funk was cut by the sweet apple and the tart gastrique. The kale salad was *perfect* — the veggies were firm and well cooked, the lardons were a fantastic chewy bacon explosion and everything was bathed in the tangy buttermilk vinaigrette.

World's best pork and beans, now with bonus brussels sprouts deliciousness!

The pork was fall apart tender and the beans were delicate and scrumptious. The brussels sprouts were roasty, toasty brown with pops of sweet from apricots and dried cranberries. The creamy, dreamy panna cotta was lush with citrus freshness and crunchy candied pecans.

Panna cotta perfection.

It was such a privilege to spend time in the kitchen with Chef Vickerman and I prepped with pleasure quartering brussels sprouts, chopping dried apricots, squeezing citrus and grating cheese. Then there was eating and a room full of chatty ladies went silent except for the occasional exclamation about how delicious each bite was.

So, what *does* happen when you gather 45 women in a kitchen, where women the world over have gathered together for centuries? Amazing happens. Joy, bonding, celebrations of success, comforting of sorrows, warmth and beauty, secrets, shoes, confidence, laughter, gorgeous, classy and strong happens. Plans are hatched, ideas born, problems solved, power is built, vision is clarified and friendships are formed. Maybe a woman’s place really is in the kitchen … it’s the staging area for taking over the world!

The ladies (and gents too) I’ve met this year through the MN Food Bloggers group have elevated my life in ways I couldn’t have previously imagined and I’m so blessed to have vastly expanded my circle of friends. And it all started in the kitchen.

Happy New Year to all the cooks and eaters. May 2012 bring wonderful tastes and adventures to you all.

The combination of flavors in this recipe are so over the top that it seemed destined to fail. An apple cider vinegar gastrique lit up the kitchen with its pungent scent as we sautéed garlic, ginger, chives, dried chili flakes with the vinegar and a little sugar. A curry and Greek yogurt mixture just plain seemed out of place.

As we heated the oil to fry the brussels sprouts, I grilled slices of La Quercia prosciutto on the trusty George Foreman grill (aka “The George”) and, very gradually, the savory smell of crisping ham overtook the vinegar smell in the kitchen.

Delicious pile of La Quercia prosciutto

The brussels sprouts procured from the co-op were small, so we cut them in half (instead of quartering them) and popped them into the hot oil. Petals peeled off the sprouts and everything green became toasty and crisp. I had to fry them in two batches and I think the first batch cooled the oil a bit. The first batch crisped up better than the second batch.

Fresh brussels sprouts

But darned if all those flavors didn’t work together! The mild, cabbage-y redolance of the brussels sprouts was crisped and sweetened by frying. The prosciutto was crunchy, briny and rich. The sweet and sour apple cider vinegar cut through the richness and the curry yogurt added a gilded creaminess. We made beef roast to go with our brussels sprouts, but these were clearly the star of the show. Highly recommended as a side dish to whatever you’re serving for whatever occasion. These will make even the most ardent brussels sprout hater into a lover.

Medallions of grass-fed beef and brussels sprouts goodness (they're in there, amidst the prosciutto)

Alterations: The recipe called for peaches, but they’re out of season and we couldn’t find them fresh so we skipped them. We used Greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche. We tossed in toasted pine nuts instead of candied pine nuts.
Soundtrack: The Wombats.
Would we make this again: Yes. We’d even make them for the hatiest of brussels sprouts haters then double dog dare them not to like it.

We used jalapeno in both recipes, but each called for a stronger chili. I, however, am a serious heat wussie so we had to tone it down. K tackled the salmon filet — roasting a jalapeno, sautéing garlic, making a balsamic and herb relish and searing and basting the salmon filets.

I took on the salad — making a jalapeno vinaigrette, cleaning, marinating and sautéing the shrimp and caramelizing the fennel.

The result? SO tasty! First, why didn’t anyone ever tell me that caramelized fennel was so delicious?! Because it is. When you add some creamy, salty queso fresco, a little jalapeno spice and deeply fragrant cumin shrimp, it’s even more fabulous. The salmon was tender and perfectly cooked. Add the tart spice of the vinaigrette and you’ve got success. It was light, it was healthy, it was quick and it was refreshingly tasty.

Salmon with Chili Relish and Fennel and Shrimp Salad

Alterations: We used jalapeno instead of Fresno and Habanero. There is no orange in the recipe for the “orange chili vinaigrette.” False advertising. Orange would have been good, but I didn’t notice the omission until just now. We left out the kalamata olives in the salad because K doesn’t like olives. Don’t worry, olives, I love you enough for both of us.
Soundtrack: The Smiths. I think Morrissey and seafood just go together.
Would we make this again: Yes, especially that delicious warm shrimp and caramelized fennel salad. It’s the perfect holiday gourmet detox meal.

The recipe is written to feed a huge number of people so we cut it down accordingly. Determined not to face the same tough dough as last time, I even purchased a tub of Crisco, just as the recipe calls for. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased Crisco in my life and I have no idea what I’m going to do with a tub of the stuff. In any case, I used 1.5 cups of masa, equal parts water, a few tablespoons of Crisco, baking powder and salt. And far from dry and brittle, the dough was soft, sticky and overly pliable. It stuck to everything. Bad sign.

While I was puzzling over the dough, K charred a poblano pepper under the broiler, cut up assorted mushrooms, chopped an onion and crumbled a bunch of cotija cheese (because the store was out of Oaxaca). He sautéed the onions and mushrooms and, when cool, mixed everything together. Then he watched me with increasing horror as I fell apart … just as the dough was doing.

Roasted poblano, skin steaming off while chilling out (which is what I should have done).

It stuck to the rolling pin, so I added more masa. K suggested using the roller on the pasta maker. The dough shredded after sticking to that as well, little bits clinging to the machine for dear life. I added some flour. It stuck to my hands as I desperately used them to flatten small dough circles. Once I’d pounded out the requisite number of circles, I filled them then attempted to fold them into half moons. SONOFAB@(*$^&*(%  They cracked and fell apart. I stuck everything back together and sealed the edges as best I could. They were the ugliest empanadas ever made. Check it…

The ugliest empanadas known to humankind.

The recipe does not say how to actually *cook* the empanadas, so we decided to bake them. We were both starving, I was wicked cranky and our best hope at this point was that the empanadas would taste better than they looked.

The empanadas tasted marginally better than they looked. The crust was not tender and flaky, but what can best be described as weird and certainly too thick around the edges. The mushroom filling was tasty, but fairly blah. Unspectacular and not enough to make up for the crust. This was not helped by the fact that my final bite included the one, deviant, searingly hot piece of poblano that scorched my taste buds and nearly shut down my lungs. Dear empanadas: We are breaking up. It’s definitely you, not us. We’re happy to enjoy your company as long as someone else makes you. But you’re not invited to our kitchen anymore.

Green chile, mushroom and cheese empanadas

Alterations: We cut the recipe down for two people (from 200), we used an assortment of mushrooms and cotija cheese instead of Oaxaca.
Soundtrack: A sampling of the best of DJ Jake Rudh’s “Transmission” nights.
Will we make this again: Nice try, empanadas. I told you we broke up. See above.

We couldn’t find head-on shrimp, but we found big ol’ tail-on shrimp that seemed to fit the bill. While K took on the unenviable task of cleaning them, I cooked up a few strips of bacon. We ate the bacon (bonus bacon amuse bouche!) and I used the bacon fat to caramelize some shallots. Then I used the bacon fat *again* and added milk, a little cream and some polenta. Genius polenta tip garnered from Momofuku’s David Chang: Do not use instant polenta. Use corn grits/coarse ground polenta (Bob’s Red Mill is affordable, tasty and goes a long way). Soak the polenta for a few hours in just enough water to cover them. Drain as much water as you can and cook the polenta as you usually would (or according to the recipe). Quick cooking, amazingly creamy polenta every time.

The polenta simmering on the stove, K began wrapping the ginormous shrimp in the thick-cut bacon we received from our farm co-op and I got to work on the port wine fig sauce. Shallot, red onion and dried figs were sautéed in butter. Sugar was added and caramelized. Port and red wine were added: Less than what was called for in the recipe as  four and a half cups of liquid seemed like it would result in an awful lot of sauce. I threw in the autumn spices — cinnamon, allspice, star anise, cloves and peppercorns — and the sauce simmered wildly so it would reduce and thicken.

The stove was a carnival of simmer when K began sautéing the thyme-sprinkled, bacon-wrapped shrimp.

Bacon-wrapped shrimp, ready for the saute pan.

That’s when things suddenly turned into a festival of frustration. The pan had to be hot, but not so hot that the bacon would burn and the shrimp would overcook before the bacon was finished. As the bacon began to cook, it also began to curl off the shrimp. When the shrimp were flipped, things really started to unravel. K watched his work unfurl before his eyes. Very discouraging. Still, the kitchen was filled with such wonderful smells and we were hungry so, despite the aesthetic setback, we had a dinner to get to!

And what a savory celebration of flavors and textures it was. Big, sweet shrimp that popped when you bit into them, a hint of thyme freshness and thick, smoky, salty bacon. Hot, smooth, creamy polenta with bacon undertones and rich, voluptuous, ruby sauce flecked with chewy bits of fig. Perhaps not the work of art K had hoped for, but sooooo fantastically delicious. I think luscious flavors are beautiful, so a lovely dinner was achieved.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Polenta and Port Wine Fig Sauce

Alterations: Used two slices of bacon to render instead of the recommended six, used two percent milk instead of whole milk, used one cup of port and one cup of red wine (not 4.5 cups).
Soundtrack: The Replacements.
Would we make this again: Yes. Hopefully we can find thinner slices of bacon to make things a bit easier.

Bonus: We had leftover polenta that I thoroughly enjoyed for lunch the next day. We also had leftover fig sauce that we used on some grilled lamb. Fabulous.

As soon as we entered the store, we were given a wine glass and invited to sample wines, cheeses, toasts and chocolate dessert. As tempting as the food was, it was really the glass (and what was soon to be in it) that we focused on.

Cameron Hughes, you see, is a master negotiator. He goes to the top wineries across the planet and takes their extra wine off their hands. Because those wines are often in very limited release, the wineries do not allow any additional wines to be sold under their name, so Hughes releases them under his own name. You won’t know which high buck winery your beverage came from, but it won’t matter whose name is on the label because the wine is some seriously fine wine.

The wine is released in limited lots, identified only by their lot number, origin and type of wine. Sampled at this event were:
* 2009 North Coast Petite Sirah
* 2009 Atlas Peak Chardonnay
* 2002 Gran Reserva Ribera Del Deuro Tempranillo
* 2009 Santa Barbara County Pinot Grigio
* 2009 Russian River Pinot Noir
* 2009 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay
* 2009 Spring Mountain Meritage
* 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
* 2009 Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

K’s favorite? Lot 303 — the Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon. It started faintly sweet and full then slowly gained deeper, dark fruit flavors. My favorite was Lot 242– the Atlas Peak Chardonnay. Normally, I don’t care for Chardonnay. The flavors are far too warm, too heavy and the wrong kind of sweet. This, however, was *un-oaked* Chardonnay which tastes more citrus and mineral, almost like a Sauvignon Blanc.

Under their original labels, these wines are very expensive. But as part of the Cameron Hughes “Lot Series,” they go for between $11-28 per bottle. The wines can be ordered online or can be found at Sam’s Club or Costco liquor stores. They definitely have a cult following and people stalk the release of the spirits, so you have to act fast to find them. The Cameron Hughes website also has a locator that can help you track down the wine near you.

Trust me, you will be a hero if you bring a bottle or two to a holiday gathering or put a bow on one as a gift. And no one has to know you were frugal and only paid pennies on the dollar for what some other suckers are paying big money for. Everyone’s a winner!

My confession, I’ve always dreamed of making homemade ravioli and filling it with wonderful, magical things. So, when the Top Chef challenge arose to make meals from pig parts and chef Sarah Gruenberg made pig skin ravioli (click here for recipe), I knew my dream could come true. We were making homemade ravioli.

We couldn’t find pig skin (unsurprisingly), but the good people at Clancey’s meat market  recommended pancetta (unsmoked pork belly) and guanciale (pork jowls). So, meat in hand, we were ready for ravioli.

Because we weren’t working with pig skin and didn’t have to tenderize it in a pressure cooker as called for in the recipe, we skipped the braising in beef broth. While I started the simple flour and egg yolk pasta dough, K chopped the pancetta and guanciale in the food processor. He sautéed some shallot in olive oil and tossed the pork in the pan to crisp up.

I kneaded the dough before running it through the flattening “sheet” area of our hand-cranked pasta maker. However, instead of the lovely, nearly transparent rectangles of dough you see in cooking shows on TV, the dough was thicker and much more raggedy and uneven.  The recipe was very specific about the thickness settings to use on the pasta maker. We figured it was to keep the dough thick enough so it could contain the filling and not fall apart in the water. With that in mind, we didn’t roll the dough any thinner. I used the rim of a glass as a template to cut the ravioli, but each “sheet” only made about three circles. With one for the top and one for the bottom of each piece, we needed many circles. Once the sheets were spent, I’d mash them together and roll them out again so we’d end up with about six ravioli each. This probably overworked the dough, but it also cut down on dough waste. It also took forever and, as I was cranking out pasta dough, I was getting hungry and grumpy.

K mixed in some ricotta and parmesan into the pork mixture and we spooned it into each ravioli circle. We wet the edges and crimped them together with a spoon. I crimped like I’d never crimped before because I didn’t want any water to sneak in or any filling to sneak out. While the ravioli were boiling away, K put together a quick sauce of a little beef broth, butter and thyme.

When the ravioli came out the dough was done, but it was very thick around the edges where the two circles had been pressed together and the edges were a bit chewy. The filling was rich. Too rich. The combination of pork was almost feral it was so rich. The maximum number anyone should eat of these ravioli are two. They were good, not great. They’d actually make pretty good appetizers, if you’re into your appetizers taking a really long time to make.

Pancetta and Guanciale Ravioli

Alterations: Used a mixture of guanciale and pancetta instead of pig skin, sautéed the meat instead of braising in a pressure cooker, made our own beef broth/butter/thyme version of the braising liquid sauce.
Soundtrack: Airborne Toxic Event since we were going to see them at First Ave. the next day.
Would we make this again: Unlikely. Lots of work for just an okay payoff.

But here’s where the ode to leftovers comes in. Because we could only use a small spoonful of the pork filling in each ravioli, quite a bit remained. Two nights after Top Chef Night, K had a genius idea — use the pork filling to make a version of spaghetti a la carbonara (a la as we did here). He sautéed the guanciale/pancetta mixture until everything was hot and crispy then we tossed in our cooked spaghetti (from a box). It was amazing. A case in which the leftovers were a much better use of the pork than what it was originally intended for. Simple, salty, crisp, lip-lickingly delightful. Thank you, leftovers, for taking a disappointing homemade ravioli experience and turning it into a tasty, comforting, warm and relaxed dinner.

Leftover Love -- Spaghetti "a la Carbonara"

It was the premiere of Top Chef season nine. We were excited. We’ve missed the show and the challenge of recreating the dishes the contestants come up with. I am signed up with Klout and they have a perk program. If you don’t know what this is, don’t worry. It’s a pretty pointless “influence” algorithm for social networks. This week Klout told me I’m “influential about cats.” We neither have nor discuss cats. Klout is wrong. But, I digress. As pointless as it is, Klout sent us a lovely free Top Chef package to promote the new season (thanks Klout!). It included the “How to Cook Like a Top Chef” cookbook with some fun recipes. So, for the debut of the new Top Chef season, we decided to cook like chef Ashley Merriman from season six and make truffled gnocchi.

Gnocchi is a dish I’ve made countless times. I know what it’s supposed to look like, I know it’s ready to throw in boiling water by the way it feels in my hands. Gnocchi is simply mashed (or riced) potatoes, eggs and flour made into little dumplings of wonderful. They’re great simply boiled in water for about three minutes and they’re even better when you saute them in butter. This recipe for gnocchi called for potatoes, egg yolks and a teensy bit of flour for dusting. I mentioned to K that the recipe seemed wrong, there wasn’t enough flour. But I soldiered ahead because, hey…it’s written in a book and the good recipe testers at Bravo Media wouldn’t put out a recipe that was wrong, right?

WRONG. When you bake potatoes, put them through a ricer, add egg yolks and try to form them into a dough with just a dusting of flour you get this:

NOT Gnocchi

Yes, that is a disgusting pot of hot, mushy potato water. It tastes like water, but with a smack of mushy potato. This is what happened with about 1/3 of the gnocchi dumplings before I freaked the hell out. Immediately, I got out the flour container, smashed all the remaining “gnocchi” back into wet potato form and started adding flour until they actually formed appropriately firm little potato dumplings. I realized I should have trusted my cooking instincts. There was not, in fact, nearly enough flour in the recipe.

While all this was happening (and I was cursing the recipe under my breath), K was blanching arugula and combining it with melted butter and a little heavy cream. He was also sautéing shallots, garlic, thyme and mushrooms with a little truffle oil. We boiled a new pot of water, popped the revamped gnocchi into the bubbling pot and soon they rose to the surface. They were tossed with the truffled mushrooms and the arugula cream sauce was poured on top. Chunks of ricotta cheese were sprinkled and dinner was served.

It was so much better than hot, mushy potato water. The gnocchi was springy and firm with fresh potato taste. The mushrooms and truffle oil were meaty and substantial and funky and the arugula cream sauce was smooth and green with just the slightest, peppery bite. The ricotta was cool and milky. We both could have enjoyed more, if only I’d trusted my cooking instincts and hadn’t lost so many. But we were satisfied that we saved the gnocchi in time to enjoy a killer new season of Top Chef.

So, the next time your instincts tell you that there’s not enough flour or there’s too much lemon or that a recipe is missing chicken stock — listen to your inner chef. S/he wants you to have a delicious dinner. Don’t fight that feeling.

Truffled Gnocchi

Alterations: Let’s just put it this way, if you’ve got “How to Cook Like a Top Chef,” don’t bother with the gnocchi recipe on page 37. Use a recipe from your favorite Italian chef and just go with the truffled mushrooms and arugula cream sauce in the book.
Soundtrack: A techno mix put together by K. Most of our interesting music choices come from him. He highlights some favorites on his music blog: http://whatisplayinginmyitunes.wordpress.com/  Check it out.
Would we make this again: We will make MY version of gnocchi and add truffled mushrooms and arugula cream.