My neighborhood friends, Adriana and Michelle, both share late-Fall birthdays with me. Each year we celebrate this with a girls-night-out together. Being that the three of us are at our local gym by 5 am each week-day morning before starting our busy work day, our girls-night-out is not the norm. It’s 5:30pm pizza at our favorite local joint. Pitiful, huh?
Since I will be moving back to Aspen soon, this year’s celebration will probably be our last together. Because my FFWD recipe this week was to be Beef Cheek Daube with Carrots and Elbow Macaroni, we decided to push the dining hour forward by an hour or two (7pm) and enjoy a girls-night-in (at Chez Hirsch).
Although decorating the Christmas tree is #@%!!& times two, the end result makes me happy. Each decoration is a joyful memory, I believe, of a past well-lived. We all thought the tree contributed greatly to the evening’s festive spirit.
If you recall, Michelle, a lawyer and judge, also graduated from culinary school. She’s a pro. Sicilian-born Adriana, who learned at the elbow of her talented mother, Pina, is a wizard with fruits and vegetables. We all contributed to the success of our deliciously flavorful dinner where, in this case, pictures are more tasty than words.
We began with french champagne, Bollinger, served with Dorie’s Herbed Olives (which just taste better and better). And, birthdays = presents. Michelle always keeps Adriana and me up-to-date with kitchenware and, this year, she didn’t disappoint. (More in later Blogs.) Adriana, ever the foodie was generous with wine and chocolates and real Italian pannettone “from the old country”. I brought them momentos from my South American trip, handmade Chilean scarves.
This daube was to be anchored by Beef Cheeks — yeah, Moo! Moo!. Although I’m an Iowa girl, this ingredient had me stymied. My tried-and-true Whole Foods could not get me beef cheeks nor could my two local butchers. I used, per Dorie’s suggestion, boneless beef chuck roast. (I now know that Beef Cheeks can be found at Latino/HIspanic/Mexican grocery stores.) Lesson learned.
Although I made the daube the day before, adding carrots, onions, bacon, wine and beef broth, I didn’t add the macaroni nor finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (the secret ingredient) until the last moment. Love the steam.
Adriana’s glorious salad, something we request over and over again. For our birthday celebration, she didn’t disappoint.
In May 2011, Michelle spent a culinary week in Italy, learning, cooking and writing about Italian cuisine. She carried this bottle of Brunello Di Montalcino 2003 back as a gift for me. I had saved it for the perfect evening………this was it. Like Adriana’s salad, this wine did not disappoint either. Fabulous.
Michelle spent an entire Saturday (serious, not kidding) making croissants. Might I just mention that she is a perfectionist? She then froze them individually (as dough).
She brought a cookie sheet of croissants, already proofed, to my house and we baked them off just before dinner. They were as good as they look.
A bowlful of beef daube with carrots and macaroni, something that I will make often this winter. No complaints from my guests, either.
There were a number of champagne and wine toasts during our evening together. I think this toast with Michelle was suggesting she return to Italy for more wine!
And was there any doubt about dessert nor that we would lick the plates clean? Michelle made a heavenly and creamy yogurt-honey-vanilla bean panna cotta drizzled with apricot honey brought back from her summer place in Bainbridge Island, Washington. The panna cotta was enhanced by Moravian spice cookies and the last of the red wine. Good night…….
Once again, Dorie came through with a hearty, rich and rustic main course for an evening meal. I cannot praise her cookbook, Around my French Table, enough. It would be a wonderful Christmas gift. I would also like to extend my gratitude to two wonderful friends who have been unbelievable neighbors the past eight years. For this meal they both contributed the best they can make and bake and shared an evening of happiness in my home, around my table. As you all know, evenings like this, shared with friends and family, are what I love best. And, what I need.
Happy Holidays, Everyone.
What a wonderful evening! Fabulous food, wine and friends. It does not get any better than that. The daube tastes even better on Day 2!
Wow, 5 am… I’m not sure I could get to the gym that early, but if it was the only time of day I would do it because I like to eat and as one gets older and likes to eat…one better get one’s butt to the gym.
Your friends sound so wonderful and talented too… I’m missing them. Rustic is definitely the word to describe this dish… I loved it.
looks like you had a great meal and a great birthday! 🙂 I have a late fall bday too, and its nice to have friends to spend it with each year. Looks like you have a really talented friend, there looking at the croissants! 🙂 Great job!
CHER –
Mary – wow! Sounds like a perfect celebratory evening. Croissants are a labor of love & that panna cotta looks amazing.
There’s nothing so lovely as a meal shared with friends, and this sounds even more special with everyone contributing to the menu. I hope the meal left you all with great memories of your time together as you set off for your winter home. That daube was good!
This looks like a great celebration and good time! Made better with this great meal! Yum!
5am???!!! Good lord woman, that’s early! After all that early morning working you, you ladies definitely deserved to celebrate. Looks like a lovely meal. Happy Birthday!
Beautiful tree and beautiful daube! Looks like a fun celebration with good friend.
Such a wonderful celebration with good friends…the very best life has to offer! Every part of your meal is incredibly perfect…the wine and olives…the salad…the beautiful croissants, the daube and that gorgeous Panna Cotta!! A lovely way to spend a birthday!! Happy Birthday, Mary!!
I always think of myself as an early bird, but by your standards I’m a lazy person…sleeping in till 6am! Btw…the daube looks gorgeous in your beautiful china!!
You make me laugh, Kathy. Not my choice – 5am, but I could squeeze in an hour of exercise before Michael woke up and I needed to be home. Now, when I could sleep in, I cannot! Let me tell you, there is a whole lotta Life going on at 5am but I think you 6am is better. I’m in bed most nights by 8:30PM. I’ve never been called the “life of the party”, believe me. LOL
Doesn´t get much better than good food and friends! Happy birthday to all of you! The beef daube looks rich and wonderful and your tree is beautiful Mary!
Mary, love your amazing and impressive Christmas tree – I only decorate our tree the day before Christmas. For now, our decorations “revolve around” the the Advent Wreath with the four candles. Your celebratory evening sounds incredible – terrific friends, fabulous food and fantastic gifts, not much more one could ask for! And you cooked a delicious looking Beef Daube and served it in such beautiful plates. A wonderful post with great pictures!
Have a good weekend!
Beautiful tree Mary. We just finished ours and we always say “this is the prettiest tree we’ve ever had” ………. the same thing every year, and then we laugh. Yours is gorgeous and the beef cheeks would be the perfect thing to eat sitting while admiring the tree! Looks like a fun evening!
Hi Mary, I’ve missed you too…I won’t even begin to get into all of what’s gone on here over the past 6 months…I’ll just say, when you have 7 kids, you sometimes have 7 problems or 7 joys or whatever, but they can take your life. Between car accidents, kids moving, new babies born, one son going through a divorce, etc etc etc…and this horrible economy here in AZ I had to give up some of my fun and deal with life. Thank goodness for the new babies! Gotta have some pleasures. Anyway, a little family who was living here with us just moved out and my newly divorced son (so sad…he is heartbroken and so are we) has moved back home and he can actually help once in awhile…so I just might get some of my life back. Sorry I did not get your emails…I have a business email account and that kept me super busy and I never got to my fun email account. But I’ve caught the holiday spirit, need to be in the kitchen and I miss you and all my cyber friends…and I’ve really missed out on so many great foods. So nice to hear from you. Sounds like you are on the move again. Hope you have a great December. Love this post. Your tree, friends, and food are all beautiful!!! “Talk” to you soon!
Having ood food and good company is happiness indeed. Your a gorgeous Christmas tree you have there and a fantastic photo of you and your friend with such beautiful smiles.
Mary – what a wonderful celebration! Thanks for letting us live vicariously!
Wishing you peace, love, and happiness.
Happy Belated Birthday!
xoxo
Such a beautiful way to celebrate. Everything is perfect. A belated Happy Birthday.
Oh, what a meal!!! Perfect to celebrate your birthdays, Dorie, the start of the holiday season…anything!!! Your tree is just beautiful, too~
looks like a really fun girls’ night in, with great food to boot! and what a stunning tree you have.