Getting Drunk While the Kid Cooks

Not champagne but it is an adult beverage

As Rei and I were preparing ourselves emotionally for dropping their brother off at college for his freshman year at SDSU, we noodled over ideas on what we could do together.

Adam on move-in day. He was so ready. And that’s my husband in the gray shirt.

We both love to cook. They love to bake. I hate following directions precisely.

We both love French food and Julia Child. Well, we love pretty much anything French.

We work really well together in the kitchen. Unless Rei is yelling at me to cook and stop writing. Which Rei is doing right now while they prepare the tomatoes (page 507).

Rei preparing Tomatoes a la Provencale

And with my husband going back to work after being home with the kids for 12 years, Rei and I are going to be on our own for dinner two nights a week.

Thus, our brilliant copycat idea to cook through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking was born.

We aren’t going to go in order. We may repeat recipes. We may only do desserts or entrees or veggies. We will definitely argue.

Peach clafouti

What we are going to do is chronicle our adventures in pictures and words. We are doing it for us, but we hope you enjoy our journey starting with peach clafouti (pages 655 and 657). Technically this isn’t a Julia recipe but it is highly unlikely that we actually follow every recipe. Neither of us like to be told what to do.

Tonight’s menu is filet de poisson poches au vin blanc, tomates a la provencale, haricot verts a l’anglaise, and clafoutis aux peches.

Simmering poisson before the oven

Rei got bossy in the kitchen and ordered me to prepare the fish. So I did. I’m generally not a pushover but I am a little fragile tonight.

Rei prepared the filling for the tomatoes and filled them before putting them in the oven

We did put my husband to work as the sous chef and dishwasher. He’s good at both of those tasks. And I have very little patience for both.

Sad table without the fourth place setting. Sigh.

Final prep on the green beans and preparing the sauce for the fish. The clafouti is still in the oven.

Fish juice boiling down; Rei doing final prep the the beans. Tomatoes are ready.

Butter and flour for the fish sauce. This is my favorite measuring spoon!

Boiled down the fish stock, added butter and flour, added cream, and worked on bringing back to a boil. Added some lemon juice, too.

And now it’s time to eat. Bon appetit!

Day one of our food journey complete.

Oh, wait! We can’t forget the dessert. We’ll have that in a little bit with leftover homemade vanilla ice cream from the other day (Rei’s birthday).

And that’s it for tonight. The wine is gone. My belly is full. My heart hurts but it’s all good. In three years when Rei goes to college, I am going to be a complete wreck. Until then, we shall cook and bake and drive each other crazy.

Happy Friday!

Terri (and Rei)