use real butter

Recipe: french yule log

It’s that time again… time for another Daring Bakers Challenge! This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

daring bakers: we knead to bake!

I very much have a love-hate relationship with the Daring Bakers these days. I love learning new techniques and skills that I would otherwise never think to try on my own and there are some really fantastic bakers in the community who inspire me to keep coming back each month for more punishment. I’m almost always glad to have completed a challenge no matter how many disastrous steps along the way, I just don’t know how long I will continue to keep it up.

At first blush, I rolled my eyes when I read that our challenge was a yule log. We did that last December. However, after reading up on the difference between this month’s French yule log and its jellyroll cousin, I was game. It’s a more complex assembly and required some fast thinking when various components didn’t work out. I felt the instructions were overly simplified in many places and just plain vague in others. In the end, it came together nicely, but I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t do a fair bit of cussing along the way.

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: bouillabaisse

By now, just about everyone is nearly done with Christmas. I hope it was a good day for all. Just an update on Menu for Hope: Pim has extended the deadline to purchase raffle tickets to December 31, 2008. If you haven’t bid yet, I implore you to head over and have a looksee at the awesome prize offerings and perhaps purchase a few tickets. All of the pertinent links are listed on the header of my blog until the 31st. So get on it, kids! And thank you!

kaweah enjoys a christmas apple

While we don’t make a big deal of Christmas, I do like to prepare a nice meal on Christmas Day. I try to avoid spending all day in the kitchen, but unfortunately another project had me spending a couple of days in the kitchen, including Christmas (getting pretty cheesed off to boot – but more on that at a later date). I personally cannot stand the feeling of being stuffed, so I relish the thought of preparing a delicious treat of a meal that leaves me feeling satisfied, but able to run in an hour.

our simple christmas spread

**Jump for more butter**

We went into Boulder this morning as Jeremy had some work to do and I needed to ship a few packages out (New Year’s and birthday packages) and then swing by Whole Foods to visit my boys. Everywhere I went, people asked if my holiday shopping was done. I don’t want to get into the whole “we don’t celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Gravity and Water in its solid state” discussion with every person I meet… [I’ve had someone ask me if I’m Jewish before! ha ha ha!] I just told folks that I made my gifts and so got several verbal pats on the head for being frugal in these dire economic times. It’s not about being frugal so much as saying, “I like you” with something specially handmade. Feeding is an act of love in my family and so my baking and cooking are my small gifts of love.

When I say my boys I mean the fellas at the Whole Foods seafood counter, of course. Christmas Eve is their busiest day of the year – their highest volume day. Boulderites love their seafood. I perused the entire display of gorgeous sea critters on ice while dodging shoppers, random children, and the ever oblivious friends who just ran into each other and are blocking foot traffic with their poorly oriented shopping carts and yammering selves. It was a zoo, but a seriously festive zoo. A young woman from another department passed by and shouted, “Hey Seafood!” and all eight of the gentlemen behind the counter raised their hands and roared hello. James knows by now that when I ask for scallops or clams or fish or sashimi, to select not only the best quality, but also the best looking since I photograph the food. Such a sweetheart. Shaun, another favorite of mine, leaned over to say hi and asked what my dinner plans were. I answered and he said, “Ah, seafood… because you’re unique!” He smiled and jerked his head in the direction of a dozen customers to his right, “…just like everyone else.” These guys always go out of their way to give me the very best seafood. To me, that’s a gift of love right there.

I decided we would have an indulgent, yet simple dinner this evening: Alaskan King Crab (they had a special). Oh My God. I love crab – all kinds. My hands down favorite: Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. I love crab more than lobster. Crab crab crab crab crab. I grew up catching crabs in the summer days and eating steamed crabs in the summer evenings. We enjoyed 2 pounds of steamed crab with a nice Spanish wine that my dad recommended and a refreshingly light salad of greens, jicama, cara cara oranges, and pomegranate. I think I’ll repeat that salad with tomorrow’s dinner too – it was terrific.

don olegario albariño rias baixas 2006

**Jump for more butter**