I had two meals today. I know that’s not ideal but each was quite filling. Not as filling as yesterday’s but filling just the same. I woke up this morning without much of an appetite and then I remembered Bron was going to make Crème Brûlée French toast this morning and my appetite came back with a vengeance.
Beef Wellington is one of my favourite meals. It is so rich and unctuous especially when made with Pâté and mushroom Duxelles.
New york strip steak, butter, onion, prunes, mushrooms, and parsley
Laid out I have almost everything ready. New york strip steak, butter, onion, prunes, mushrooms, and parsley.
Browned steak resting and cooling
Browned steak resting and cooling until room temperature.
Duxelles being prepared. Onions sautéed with prunes, and mushrooms (The secret ingredient is anchovies)
Duxelles being prepared. Onions sautéed with prunes, and mushrooms (The secret ingredient is anchovies) You can’t taste them in the finished product but they add a richness to the dish.
Duxelles being prepared. Onions sautéed with prunes, mushrooms and parsley
Lots of parsley is required
Nearly ready to prepare. Puff pastry laid out.
A sheet of Pampas puff pastry.
Steak coated with Pâté
The steak needs to be coated with Pâté.
Duxelles on the puff pastry
Cooled Duxelles in the puff pastry.
Beef on the pastry
Everything ready to be wrapped.
Wrapped and egg washed
The beef is wrapped and the pastry egg washed.
Plated up sans sauce
Plated up with carrots, asparagus and beans. Sauce to come.
With a pepper sauce
I love making pepper sauce with green pepper corns in brine.
On my dining table with a bottle of ginger beer
Plated up on my dining table with a bottle of ginger beer and my MacBook Air ready to eat.
After yesterday’s meal and with the steak and Pâté today I hope I don’t have a gout attack this week.
Today was pretty good. I woke up without a headache although I didn’t sleep that well. My day at work was full but not out of control. Oddly enough my e-mail inbox and paperwork intray were in control.
I got out of work with a full task list of things to do so I needed something quick and easy for dinner. I had a little left over roast lamb, some vegetables and rice. With a few spices I had a curry of sorts.
I got back into Canberra this morning at about 0930 AEDT. I’m very grateful to Bron for coming and picking me up and dropping me off at my place. I had an invitation to share calamari with her this evening but this afternoon I started coming down with rhinorrhoea and pharyngitis. The plan tonight is early to bed and hopefully I’ll have a reasonable sleep.
On Wednesday night in Washington I did not sleep at all. Not a wink. I ended up watching American television in all its glory. I think I watched alligator catchers, barehanded catfish catchers (noodling), a guy in Colorado who has more guns and flame throwers than anyone else in the world, a show comparing the AK-47 against other assault rifles and loads of cooking programs.
On Thursday morning, I had a free session so I walked >12 km around all the museums and monuments in Washington DC. So on the flight home my thighs were really aching. It all meant though I slept on the flight between LAX and SYD. A little over six hours straight. That is remarkable for me. There was also a screaming baby next to me as well. That said, when I woke up, there were no smiles. I figure my snoring kept everyone else awake. No one was brave enough to nudge me, or if they did I was so out of it I didn’t stir at all.
Today all I’ve done is wash clothes and towels and put stuff away. I wasn’t sure what to prepare for dinner. Before I go away I usually clean out my refrigerator and throw old stuff away. When I was a kid we come home to a failed freezer and I’ve never forgotten the rancid putrefying odours. I had a small piece of pork in the freezer and a sweet potato in the pantry. I went and did a little grocery shopping and bought a small tub of sour cream, some chives and some extra vegetables.
I really could not be bothered slow roasting the pork. I was too tired and not in the mood. I pulled out my pressure cooker and put the pork in that. I added some celery, carrot and potato along with onion and baby leeks. I had the pressure cooker go for about 45 minutes. As I was releasing the pressure I cooked some sweet potato in boiling water and then pureed it with my Bamix™ after adding a little butter and sour cream. I also cooked some baby broccoli too.
Mashed sweet potato made with sour cream, butter and chives
This was nice and rustic with good texture.
Boiled pork with mash and broccoli
I plated this in a large white bowl.
Okay, it’s time to wash the dishes and get ready for bed or maybe a soak in the bath tub.
