We are almost half-way through the holiday treats, so let’s take a moment to address a last minute gift, and a simple, delicious dinner.
As I write, I intermittently gaze out the window at the newly fallen snow. A cluster of bright birds are grazing at the birdfeeder. I’m drinking my favorite tea. My baby is sleeping late. And my toddler is sitting on the pretty white reclaimed church pew in the kitchen–screaming his head off.
The bench is where time outs happen. During the two minute time out, he continually hops off, and I put him back on. Again, and again, and again. When the timer dings, he steadfastly plants his bottom, refuses to get off the bench, and screams, and screams, and screams. So goes life with a two and a half year old.
Way back in October, I had the opportunity to sit down with Chef David Tanis and a few other Wisconsin food bloggers. The topic was Chef Tanis’ latest cookbook, Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys.
My sincerest apologies that it took me so long to tell you about this, but my hope was to accompany this post with photos and details of one of David’s beautiful menus from the book. I haven’t (yet) gotten around to cooking a full menu, but I have spent plenty of time perusing the book and cooking some small dishes.
David was an absolute pleasure to chat with. It was my first big time celebrity chef encounter, and he was nothing like I imagined. Funny, down-to-earth, curious, and conversational–I guess I expected more of a diva. Not in the least! He asked what we fed our kids, what we did when we didn’t feel like cooking, and what were the current food trends in Madison and Milwaukee? I can honestly say, if Chef Tanis was ever in the Madison area and needed a place to eat dinner, I wouldn’t be intimidated to cook for him. He is the type of guy that can find the brightest spots in any meal.
That’s saying a lot for the man who cooks for Chez Panisse six months out of the year, and spends the rest of his time cooking in his tiny kitchen in Paris for friends and family.
He is a lover of the simple, the traditional, the seasonal, and the delicious. He even carries a ‘to go’ kit of little luxuries to help him make the best of any meal put down in front of him.Everyone should travel with fresh chiles, harrisa, garlic, good mustard, limes, sea salt, red pepper flakes, a pepper mill, some cheese, a paring knife, and a corkscrew.
If you’re looking for a last minute gift for a foodie friend with a passion for cookbooks, this is the one. In addition to being on my top ten list of 2010, it made the New York Times list as well.
It begins with ‘Kitchen Rituals”, an ode to cooks everywhere spending time in their kitchen doing what they love best. Making voluptous fruit jam, enjoying the perfect ham sandwich, or creating something more ambitious, like your own chorizo. Continue Reading »
