While the weather outside is frightful...

Stay indoors with me while I catch you up on my recent kitchen escapades.



Some people will go great distances for a good home cooked meal. Take my buddy, Tim, for example. A food lover of of the highest caliber, he decided to fly out from the West Coast to celebrate his birthday in Boston. I figured, if he's going the distance, then I will too, culinarily speaking. So with my guest of honor I hosted a brunch for all the neighborhood foodies and gave them the mantra to get drunk before noon.

But First, a Note to Self:





The special attraction of the brunch was a do-it-yourself Bloody Mary Bar consisting of my special mix, and a wide range of fresh herbs, garnishes, and flavorings, including blue cheese stuffed olives, gherkins, fresh pomegranate seeds and pineapple, lemon grass stirrers, sriracha sauce, and searing thai chilies. In fact, when I announced a special contest prize to whomever was daring enough to douse their Bloody Mary with Phu Quoc fish sauce, Jason and Maya did not hesitate. No surprise, since the two of them are escaping to Hanoi this winter. I still owe them a prize, perhaps some homemade snake wine, which naturally I will have to hand deliver it to their new doorstep in Vietnam.



Let's Get Drunk Before Noon Menu

Poached Salmon with Brioche Toast Points & Herb Creme Fraiche

Haricovert with Pernod & Orange Zest

Blue Cheese Souffle

Pancetta

Fruit Salad (made by Vanessa Alssid) sweetened with fresh squeezed orange juice

To prevent food blog fatigue, I had to break these recipes down and make them into a series of separate blog posts. Those who can make it to the end will get to see how the whole brunch turned out. So hold off on your questions such as: "Did the souffle collapse like she feared?" or "Did they manage to get drunk before noon?"