No class today so I tried roasting onions at 400 degrees in a dutch oven instead of carmelizing them in a saute pan. This method supposedly is less labor intensive; however, the onions did not seem as sweet as the ones we did in class for French Onion soup. The soup turned out OK but I think next time I'll just carmelize them on the stove.

The recipe called for 1/4 cup of sherry

I have had a gift certificate (from my friend Ed) to the Corkscrew since last August. I've been in the store a number of times but haven't really found any wines that just jumped out at me (other than a label from Roshambo Winery which sold out shortly after I saw it but that is another story and I digress - see the attached photo). Anyway, it finally dawns on me that I should use this gift to add some additional spirits to my collection for cooking purposes. So today I picked up a bottle of ruby port, a dry sherry, some madeira and a bottle of marsala (chef said he thought this stuff would have a lengthy shelf life even when opened). So today was the day to fill this perceived void in my pantry.

Only "The Best" for birthdays

We had three birthdays last week in my Wednesday Protein Fabrication class so I think I will make a cake for our next class. The name of the recipe is "The Best Chocolate Bundt Cake" although I've made it a couple of times and maybe it is and maybe it isn't. The recipe says all that is needed on the cake is a dusting of confectioners' sugar but a nice chocolate ganache is really a tasty addition . . .

Veloute

Tomorrow is also veloute day as our family recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese uses this mother sauce along with mozzarella, white cheddar, Emmenthaler and Parmesan cheeses. I think this is a pretty good recipe.