Dear reader, it was glorious. It was a birthday party worthy of the SUPERMOON which occurred at its fullest on Sunday night (even the MOON was celebrating you guys, don't think she didn't read into that) and which luckily didn't transform us into werewolves in the midst of cake and candles (an interesting possibility, however, didn't happen).
In attendance were Mummy's best friend, and two of my best girlfriends from New York, both of whom were angelic enough to make the trek AND help me out in the kitchen, bless them. It was an incredibly girly day/evening, and much fun and high pitched shrieking was had by all. Presents included books (natch, is there any other kind of gift?), cellulite firming cream (which she doesn't need, damn her, why couldn't I inherit her lack of cellulite???), and snazzy new workout clothes including something I'd never heard of but HAD to order just to see . . . a SKAPRI which is of course a skort that is capri-legged. What will the world think of next?
ANYWAY. Party = my new favorite word = JOLLIFICATION.
BIRTHDAY PARTY SUPPER
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Fennel, Artichoke, Pea, and Farro Salad
Herbed Three Bean and Spinach Salad
Oven Baked Halibut with Dill
(served with) Sauteed Leeks and Green Olives
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Crackers, Cheese (Camembert, Blue, Cheddar, Goat), Almonds, Dates
Black Bread
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Pavlova with Whipped Cream, Raspberries, and Blackberries
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Coffee, Tea, etc.
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| I KNOW RIGHT???? I took a lot more but I think I was shaking from sugar high because they all came out blurry. |
RECIPES AND BEETLE NOTES
FENNEL, ARTICHOKE, PEA, AND FARRO SALAD
It was very straightforward (like you always are, Martha Rose Shulman), and all I did was substitute Farro for Farfalle to give it a bit more depth (and a bit more health) and that was that. I cooked the Artichoke/Fennel/Pea mixture separately from the Farro, put them both in the fridge over night, then mixed them together, still cold, before serving.
God bless cold summer salads, you guys, they are THE BEST.
[Beetle Note: I love the smell of Fennel. I mean, seriously love it.]
This is one of those recipes that you get from Epicurious one random day five years ago because it's Julia Child and you add it to your recipe box because . . . because. And then all of a sudden you make it and you realise that it's THE BEST THING EVER and not only that, it is insanely versatile and you can pretty much add anything you want and play around with it and it becomes your summer standby dish because it's healthy, light, best served cold, and . . . crazy easy.
For this one, I went with Pinto, Great Northern, and Black Eyed Peas. (I'm on a Pinto kick at the moment, incidentally.) We got A TON of fresh herbs at the market so I went nuts with the Basil and Thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper, and boom. Instant awesome. I will remark, however, that if you ARE going to use sage (which I recommend, it's delightful) that I prefer ground sage over the leaves. Because the taste of it is so so so strong, one mouthful of a leaf can kind of throw off everything. If you use powdered sage (sorry, Julia!) then the distribution is even throughout, and you get to enjoy it's taste as a more subtle thing rather than holy hell my tongue is burning.
To keep the spinach as fresh as possible (because spinach bruises if you look at it) I chilled the salad over night, then mixed in the fresh baby spinach and a touch more olive oil just before I brought it out. It keeps its texture, its colour, and its taste so much better that way.
OVEN BAKED HALIBUT WITH DILL served with SAUTEED LEEKS AND GREEN OLIVES
I've said it before but it bears repeating. The best way to cook with fish is to plan on the fly depending on what your market has the day you buy it. Chose whatever is the freshest, whatever is the most local, whatever your fishmonger recommends (seriously, ASK THEM where the fish came from, ASK THEM when it came in. It's an almost guaranteed thing that you'll get the best there is to offer.)
That being said, Halibut was up at the market, yummy yummy yummy local Halibut that screamed I just came out of the ocean please cook me and eat me until you can't move. And so, dear reader, I did. My friend Kristin (also in attendance) emailed me next day to say, "how did you know I loved halibut?" and I had to disabuse her of the notion that my fish choice was anything but inherently selfish. (I suspect she knew that was going to be the answer . . . I mean, we ARE besties, she knows how I operate by now.)
But what to make for it? I mean, it would have been TOTALLY AMAZING just cooked with olive oil, salt, and herbs, but you know, birthday party and all, I wanted something a bit more special. So considering it had been almost a month [gasps in horror] since I had made anything with leeks, and still on an olive kick from Midsummer the night before, I made a quick saute of three large leeks, 1 cup of green olives, and 3 tbs of olive oil. The leeks take about 10 minutes to cook, so toss them with salt and pepper and lots of fresh dill and let them soften a bit. After 5 minutes, add the olives and keep stirring until they start to brown. Your house will smell wonderful, and you will absolutely love the oniony, salty pairing of them with a clean, white fish. They offset each other perfectly.
Served over the fish, this is best served hot. However, if, like me, you made a lot of leeks and olives, they are OMG SO DELICIOUS cold the next day.
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| And all together now . . . |
Ok ok ok so I knowwwww you've all been going BEETLE WHAT THE HELL STOP TALKING ABOUT LEEKS FOR GOD'S SAKE I READ THIS BLOG FOR THE BAKING I WANT THAT PAVLOVA THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN THE BEGINNING I'M BORED GET ON WITH IT.
Sorry. Here it is.
BIRTHDAY CAKE
PAVLOVA WITH WHIPPED CREAM, RASPBERRIES, AND BLACKBERRIES
Pavlova became the chosen birthday cake about a month ago. I forget what we were watching on television but all of a sudden there was a MASSIVE ONE on the screen and Mum turned to me and went I WANT THAT FOR MY BIRTHDAY MAKE IT and I went OK FINE.
I had never made a pavlova before. The concept of making a meringue, delicious delicious delicious meringue, made me nervous. I was fine eating marshmallow fluff out of a jar but BAKING one? A recipe that involved propping open the oven door with a spoon for an hour and only opening it upon pain of culinary death? Different story. However. I am not called Warrior Beetle for nothing. BRING IT ON, EGG WHITES AND CASTER SUGAR AND FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON WHITE VINEGAR. BRING IT ON.
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| How do you like THEM stiff peaks???? |
I used the Joy of Baking recipe, wanting something absolutely basic (none of your fancypants meringues, thank you, we don't do that up North, Yankee modesty and all that . . . also it was going to be daunting enough without adding pistachios or something).
The thing is, meringue is inherently easy. The ingredients come together in a few minutes, and if you've got a mixmaster it's even faster. What makes this scary as hell is the fact that you bake it for over an hour, that you CANNOT ON PAIN OF DEATH open the oven door, and then, like I said, you have to let it cool by sticking a wooden spoon in the door hinge, backing slowly out of the room, and lying in a dark closet for an hour until it's safe to come out. That, dear reader, is worrisome. SO MUCH COULD GO WRONG.
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| Oh god you can SEE THE CRACKS. I suck at life. |
Below is a small meringue slideshow to commemorate my first attempt. (I have been informed it will BY NO MEANS BE MY LAST.)
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| Pre-cooked. Perhaps where I went wrong. |
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| After cooking and stealth cooling . . . note the collapsed edges. |
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| Beetle Fail. Delicious Fail. But Fail. |
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| And filled to the brim with cream and berries. |
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| And with candles cleverly stuck inside upside down blackberries to keep them upright. Genius Beetle. |
Good news is I can TOTALLY EAT MERINGUE because it's egg whites and sugar, so the cracked sides actually helped me nibble, rabid squirrel like, round the edges. I can personally attest to the fact that the insides WERE TOTALLY MARSHMALLOWY LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE and that it was, in fact, CRAZY YUMMY.
Or rather:
OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT THE BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST. When you ask Mum what she wants for her special bday morning meal, I'll give you three guesses as to what she says. . .
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| Yep. Pancakes it is. |
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| You can take the girl out of Finland . . . |
So Happy Birthday to my dear Beetle Mum, and please forgive me for giving your old workout clothes to our handyman as drop cloths for his bandsaw. I figured if I gave you nice new ones it would sort of even things out.
You know what, whilst you decide whether you are still pissed at me or not, let me just cut you another slice of pavlova . . .
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