Licking The Spoon: Another 7 Hour Meal Chez Moi

My old eating buddy and long-time friend, Grant, left last May for his residency at Boston University. More or less once a month for the past two years (since that first seven hour meal) we had been getting together at my apartment for an over-the-top culinary experience orchestrated by yours truly. Since his departure, I have been having a hard time getting motivated to bake. I love having meaning in my meals and without someone/something to inspire me, my rolling pin and puff pastry skills have been collecting dust.

The beginning of October marked several momentous occasions: my best buddy, Emily, left for a six week adventure to Nepal and Thailand, it was Greg's birthday, and it was my birthday. These two friends have become like family to me and have brought so much positive energy to my life. I can't think of a better way to show my appreciation for them than by creating a sensational meal.

Like many other things in my life, I make my meals with tons of consideration for the participants. What are Emily's and Greg's favorite foods? What tastes will send them over the edge? Will I be able to combine the two preferences in each course?

Emily's favorite tastes were easy to discern as I've eaten with her on many occasions and I had already made her a scrumptious Truffle Themed Meal last year for her birthday. Emily loves anything truffle (truffle honey, truffle oil, truffled cheese, truffles). Other than that, her tastes are very rustic and pure: gamey meats, vegetables: asparagus, artichokes, simple fruits--blueberries, blackberries, cheeses. Also, she only likes white chocolate, not dark chocolate. She prefers simple flavors to complex.

Greg was more difficult. Sure, he and I are very close, but we don't eat together. Ok, we eat sandwiches post-spin or burgers post-climbing, but I've never witnessed his favorites. For two-three weeks I discreetly observed his tastes. He's a med student, so he doesn't have a lot of cash to spend. And when he does spend his cash, he opts to spend it on activities (climbing, going out) instead of tasty meals like Emily and I do. Post climbing session, we usually go out for dinner at some low-key joint like Grace Tavern. You would think that this would give me some insight into what he likes, but no. He ALWAYS orders exactly what I'm having (except he orders his burger well done). When we are hungry and listing off what foods we'd really like to have right now, he just goes on and on about "delicious soups and sandwiches." Only once did I get a hint of one taste he likes: at Caprogiro all he wanted was a caramel gelatto. Ok, that gave me one workable clue: CARAMEL.

So, what did I have to work with after combing the two:

Gamey meats, delicious soups, hearty vegetables, cheese, truffle, fruits, white chocolate, caramel.

Sounds like a good start.

I also wanted to share something that was special to me, so I decided to make my original venison meal that my French mom taught me (original post) but with new twists and turns to combine Emily's and Greg's preferences.

1. Kir

Aperatif. Great way to cleanse the pallet and start off the socializing.

1 part Creme de Cassis (black current liqueur) + 5 parts dry white wine (used a 2007 Chablis)

2. Pecorino shaved on puff pastry rounds brushed with truffle honey

3. Pumpkin Soup (don't forget the baguette!)

Made from real pumpkins! NB: it was so hard to cut off the pumpkin skin...make sure you plan for this. Used an immersion blender for extra fluffiness.

I got this recipe from Patricia Wells' book, Simply French. She takes her favorite recipes from the famous french cookbook, Robuchon, and explains the how's and why's behind the seemingly complex baking techniques. This and Robuchon's book also focus on the purity of taste--bringing out the simple and wonderful flavor of the main ingredient.

Served with the left over Chablis from the kir

4. Roasted Venison (Chateauneuf du Pape marinade) with Raspberry Gastrique on top of butternut squash rounds and served with scalloped potatoes

1st bottle: 2003 Hermitage (Chave) from my collection

*At this point, Emily took over the role of DJ and got the party hopping while I was finishing the main course preparations. Of course, the preparations then took a little longer than planned, as we all stopped to bust a move for a bit. Good times, good times.

2nd bottle: 2003 Chateuneuf du Pape, Chante Cigale

*I snazzed up my venison presentation by placing the meat medallions on top of a butternut squash round. Got the idea from The French Laundry At Home site. I arranged the scalloped potatoes in a semi-circle around the squash. I placed fresh raspberries on the other side of the circle. Served in a light green, 1-inch deep bowl. Excellent color presentation.

5. Amuse Bouche: Marbleized chocolate wafers with caramel mousse filling
Think three layers of swirling white/dark chocolate with a tan-looking caramel mousse layered in between. Approximately one inch across. Bite-size so everyone got one to pop in their mouth.
**While we were digesting and preparing for the final course, Emily turned on my "Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner" spin profile. Good times singing and dancing to "I've Had The Time Of My Life!"

6. Shortcake with vanilla-almond custard sauce accompanied by blueberries and blackberries

7. Calvados
Apple brandy digestif from Normandy. The only way to be sent off to bed after a labor-intensive, gut-busting meal.

The meal was of course fabulous and went off without a hitch. Putting together a huge meal like this takes a lot of time, patience, and thought. Fortunately for me, I had two great friends with the right spirit to experience the joy of eating.

October Spin Profiles (36-40)

Last batch of profiles to catch up on!

Spin Profile #36: Who Says It's The End? (49 min)
1. Let's Talk About Sex by Salt-N-Pepa (3:30)/WU
2. Teenage Wasteland by Puhdys (3:21)/WU Climb: FR ==>2, Cadence
3. When You Were Young by The Killers (3:40)/Standing HP3 Verse Cadence @ 2.5; Chorus Pickup @ 1
4. Pot Kettle Black by Tilly and The Wall (2:50); Standing HP 3 Cadence @ 2. When get to the "Pot Kettle Black" part, seated FR sprint for ~1min
5. 'Til The Dawn by Drew Sidora (3:09)/Jump mix with pickups on chorus
6. 1901 by Phoenix (3:13)/Fast Jumps @1; Run on chorus
7. Hella Good by No Doubt (4:03)/sprints w resistance
8. I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin (3:37)/Climb n Cadence FR ==>3.5
9. Watch Me Move by Fefe Dobson (1:56)/Stamina Sprint
10. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse (3:29)/Rolling hills
11. Sexy Bitch ft Akon by David Guetta (3:16)/Rolling hills
12. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover by Sophie B. Hawkins (5:25)/Climb w/pickups
13. It's The End Of The World As We Know It by REM (4:07)/Start @1.5-2, standing HP3 verse cadence; sit down chorus sprint. After each chorus turn down. End at FR all out sprint.
14. Who Says by John Mayer (3:00)/CD

Spin Profile #37: Golden Oldies (53 min)
1. La Bamba by Ritchie Valens (2:06)
2. Gimme Some Lovin' by Spencer Davis Group (3:01)
3. You Keep Me Hanging On by The Supremes (3:08)
4. Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye (2:26)
5. It Takes Two by Marvin Gaye (3:11)
6. Uptight (Everything's Alright) by Stevie Wonder (2:53)
7. Stop! In The Name Of Love by The Supremes (2:55)
8. It's The Same Old Song by The Four Tops (2:47)
9. Dancing In The Street by Martha Reeves (2:40)
10. I Can't Get Next To You by The Temptations (2:52)
11. I Heard It Through The Grapevine by CCR (3:52)
12. It Ain't Me Babe by Johnny Cash (3:05)
13. Tutti Frutti by Little Richard (2:25)
14. Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel (2:55)
15. Baby I Need Your Loving by The Four Tops (2:45)
16. I Can't Help Myself by The Four Tops (2:46)
17. Good Lovin' by The Rascals (2:32)
18. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye (4:51)

Spin Profile #38: Rockers Only (47 min)
1. Buddy Holly by Weezer (2:41)/WU
2. Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar (5:23)/Run w/pickups @1
3. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows (4:33)/Climb Mix
4. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC (3:29)/Cadence @2 + chorus pickup run
5. Janie's Got A Gun by Aerosmith (5:31)/Climb FR ==> 2.5
6. Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast by Airbourne (3:49)/Mod jumps @3
7. Go To Sleep (little Man Being Erased) by Radiohead (3:22)/FR cadence, inc slightly @1:20
8. Rock You Like A Hurricane by Scorpions (4:16)/Climb N Jump N Pickup
9. You Outta Know by Alanis Morissette (4:08)/Sprints w.res
10. Any Way You Want It by Journey (3:22)/Chorus Run @1; Verse standing cadence @ 1
11. It's My Life/Confessions Mashup by Glee Cast (1:51)/110 sec FR sprint to the finish

Spin Profile #39: Hate On Jude (48 min)
1. I Get Around Rmx by Power Music (4:28)/WU
2. My Heart Goes Boom by Jenifer (3:44)/Seated Verse Cadence @1; Standing Pickups during chorus @1.
3. Thong Song by Glee Cast (3:24)/Jumps @1 Fast!
4. Champagne Supernova by Oasis (7:27)/Climb N Pickups; FR ==>3.5
5. La La La La La (3:38)/Jump Mix @1
6. He's A Pirate by Captain Hook (3:15)/Stamina Sprint. 2 min
7. All About Soul by Billy Joel (6:01)/Climb 1==>2; Cadence (easy hill)
8. Hung Up by Madonna (5:38)/Keeping it light, do short speedy surges out to pos 3 then returning to seated cadence. Keeping it lighter means more core work.
9. Hey Jude by The Beatles (7:04)/Start heavy @ 3.5 with isolation intervals. At 3:50, turn down to 2, 30 sec spint/pickup intervals (keep it heavy); longer one at end.
10. Hate On Me by Glee Cast (3:31)/CD

Spin Profile #40: Barbie's So Bloody High (49min)
1. Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-Lite (3:52)/WU mix
2. Every Bleeding Breath (mashup) by Divide & Kreate (3:52)/jumps @1
3. A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins (4:00)/Jump mix @2
4. She's So High by Tal Bachman (3:45)/Verse seated cadence @1; chorus standing run-pickup @1
5. I Got A Man by Positive K (3:48)/jump mix @2
6. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 (4:39)/seated climb n cadence FR ==>2 keep on beat!
7. Take On Me by A-Ha (3:49)/Run @1
8. Inside Out by Eve 6 (3:39)/Chorus Sprints w/resistance @2, verse easy cadence
9. Vogue by Madonna (5:19)/Jump mix @2 w/run during chorus
10. Down with all the sober freaks mashup by Mashup Germany (4:10)/Mod jumps @3
11. Barbie Girl by Aqua (3:18)/FR sprint intervals. Go with music. Cadence on rests. Finish strong!
12. What's Up by 4 Non Blondes (4:55)/CD

The next spin-related post will be about the awesome RACE DAY we had last Saturday! Oh the excitement!

September Spin Profiles (31-35)

We left off last time at the "Back to School" spin profile. It's November now, so we still have quite a bit of catching up! I'm doing my best to post in the order of creation, but I'm really excited about this past weekend's spin class. I hosted my first ever "RACE DAY" spin class and it was a blast. First things first.

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner: Spin Profile #31/Patrick Swayze Tribute class.
1. Love Is Strange by Mickey & Sylvia (2:54)/WU
2. Hey! Baby by Bruce Channel (2:22)/Warmup Jump Mix
3. Dirty Dancing by Black Eyed Peas (3:48)/Chorus pickups @1
4. She's A Lady by Tom Jones (2:55)/Run @1
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps by the Jeff Healey Band (5:16)/climb & cadence FR ==>3
6. Dance Like This by Wyclef Jean (4:09)/verse seated cadence, chorus standing surge @1
7. Stay by Maurice Williams (1:39)/Jump Mix @2
8. Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen (4:08)/Climb N Cadence 2==>3.5
9. Satellite by Santana (4:19)/30 sec FR cadence; seated FR sprint intervals; 20sec on, 20 off
10. Do You Love Me by Contours (2:52)/Run @1
11. Seven and Seven Is by Rush (2:52)/Sprint/stamina test. 2 min as fast as you can
12. Love Man by Otis Reading (2:17)/Run @1
13. Gloria by Van Morrison w/Them (2:39)/Cadence N Climb, 1==>3
14. Cry To Me by Solomon Burke (2:34)/Isolation Intervals; HP3 @3
15. (I've Had) The Time Of My Life (6:46)/Start heavy, come down 1 turn everytime music changes temps. Speed up as descend. Finish FR all out.
18. Unchained Melody by Righteous Brothers/CD
19. She's Like The Wind by Patrick Swayze (3:51)/CD, stretch

Spin Profile #32: La Vida Loca (47 minutes)
1. Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin (4:03)/WU
2. Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me) by Blessid Union of Souls (3:28)/Easy Pickups during chorus; seated
3. Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead (3:56)/Run w/pickups
4. 4Ever by The Veronicas (3:31)/verse seated, chorus surge into standing HP3, light resistance, keep it fast.
5. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me by U2 (4:45)/Climb, FR ==> 3; inc every 45sec
6. Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect (3:58)/Fast jumps @1
7. Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon (4:17)/Seated cadence, pickup during chorus @2
8. Rumors by Lindsay Lohan (3:16)/Isolation Intervals; standing HP3 @ 3; 20 sec slow, upper body still "isolate"; 20 sec "pace" = allowed to use body weight
9. Maneater by Nelly Furtado (4:19)/30 sec FR cadence, back to jumps on beat @~2
10. Because The Night by Cascada (3:26); FR sprint intervals, go with the music
11. Desparately Wanting by Better Than Ezra (4:37)/Sprints on chorus; standing then seated; @2
12. 1234 by Feist (3:04)/CD

Spin Profile #33: I Get Up Again (52 minutes)
1. Dancing Queen by Meryl Streep, etc. (4:04)/WU mix
2. I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown (2:49)/Run
3. Rock 'n Roll All Nite by KISS (3:49)/Jump Mix @ 1-2
4. Time To Pretend by MGMT (4:21)/Modified Jumps HP3 @2
5. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba (4:39)/Climb n Cadence; 1 ==>3
6. Sing Sing Sing by The Spitfire Band (3:09)/Seated spint/stamina test
7. Man In The Mirror by MJ (5:19)/Cadence climb @2-3; Mix HP
8. I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (4:49)/Seated sprint intervals @FR-1
9. Jump by Kriss Kross (3:15)/Jumps @1; FAST
10. Yeah! by Usher (4:10)/Modified Jumps @ 2-2.5
11. Deadpan by East Hundred (4:50)/Pickups during chorus; HP3 @ 2.5-3
12. In The Air Tonight by Nonpoint (4:31)/Sprints w/resistance
13. Caring Is Creepy by The Shins (3:20)/CD

Spin Profile #34: Mashups! (47min)
Available for free download at Best of Bootie (http://www.bootieusa.com/bestofbootie2008/) or DJ Lobsterdust (http://djlobsterdust.com/)
1. Celeshake; Celebrate by Kool & the Gang v. Celebrate by Ying Yang Twins ft Pitbull (5:19)/WU
2. I Want You To D.A.N.C.E.; Justice v. Jackson 5 (2:34)/Run @1
3. Work It Out; Beyonce v. Dave Matthews Band (4:41)/Climb FR==>2.5, cadence
4. Hot Rich Girls Dropped In A Grange; Gwen Stefani v. Snoop Dogg v. ZZ Top (4:28)/20sec sprint intervals @FR-1
5. Real Back Poppin; Cheryl Lynn v. Fat Joe & Nelly/Jumps @1 or 2 (fast or slow)
6. Pour Some Hot Sugar; Mims v. Def Leppard/Modified Jumps @3
7. Hung Up On Soul; Madonna v. Death Cab (4:31)/Cadence @2 w chorus surges
8. Timba Funk Land; Timbaland v. Daft Punk (3:44)/Jumps @1 with Chorus Pickups
9. Don't Stop Believing In Planet Rock; Journey v. Africa Bambaataa/Climb Mix 1==>3
10. Nirgaga; Smells like Teen Spirit v. Just Dance (4:23)/Sprints w/rest @2
11. Walking Out Yo' Girlfriend/Run Mix, 2==>FR; end on all out sprint
12. If I Were A Free Fallin' Boy/CD

Spin Profile #35: Shooting Agony (50min)
1. Run-Around by Blues Travelor (4:40)/WU
2. #1 by Nelly (3:19)/Jump Mix @1
3. Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls (3:47)/Seated Verse Cadence @1; Standing Chorus Surge HP3 @1
4. Electric Feel by MGMT (3:50)/originally planned jumps @1; however, can't seem to jeep on the beat. so switch to climb. Standing HP3, 2==>3.5; cadence
5. Bleed It Out by Linkin Park (2:45)/Run with 15sec pickups @1.5 Great song!!!
6. Clumsy by Fergie (4:00)/Standing HP3 Cadence @2-2.5; 15sec Run/pickup during "Girl Can't Help It. Increased resistance by 1/4 after each pickup
7. Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin (4:18)/Climb mix FR ==>4
8. 3 by Britney Spears (3:33)/Seated Verse Cadence; Standing Chorus Surge alt HP2&3 @1-2
9. Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers (3:22)/Standing Verse Cadence HP3 @3; Seated Chorus Pickup @1
10. Bounce ft Missy Elliot by Timbaland (4:04)/Isolation Intervals; Standing HP3 @3; 20sec isolate, slow, weight back, circular pedal strokes; 20 sec rest "pace"
11. Shooting Star ft LMFAO, Pitbull by David Rush (3:43)/ FR 30 sec sprint intervals
12. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake (4:36)/Start at top of hill, HEAVY Standing HP3 @3.5; before each chorus, turn down 1/2 turn; chorus seated sprint; fininsh FR sprint
13. All I Wanted by Paramore (3:46)/ CD; new album released september 29th!