Poached Pears with Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

Poached Pears with Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

1. Peel pears, leaving the stems intact.

2. Place pears in a sauce pan and cover with cabernet sauvignon wine.  For one bottle of wine, you can usually cover about three pears at a time.

3. Simmer the pears until they are fork tender.

4. Remove the pears from the wine by using the stem as a handle so that you don’t damage the flesh.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve poached all the pears using the same wine.

6. Add sugar to taste, around ¼ cup.

7. Add vanilla and a cinnamon stick.

8. Put pears back into the seasoned wine for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors. You may be tempted to add the sugar at the beginning to save a step, but it will not taste good.

9. Carefully remove pears by the stem again.

10. Cook wine until it is reduced and slightly thickened - to around a cup or two.

11. If you don’t have a lot of time or don’t need as much sauce, toss half the wine and reduce to about one cup.

12. Should be syrupy when cold. If too syrupy, reheat until it is the desired consistency.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1. What Michelle did for book club:
1. Whip heavy cream with honey and vanilla.
2. Add mascarpone cheese.
3. Whip together.
4. Created a lumpy texture. I personally loved the bursts of mascarpone.

2. What Michelle wished she did:
1. Whip heavy cream with honey and vanilla.
2. Whip mascarpone cheese.
3. Fold together. Should create a homogenous, smooth texture.

Sunday Brunch

11 am - 2 pm

at Peggers'

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Synopsis

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Book Owl Dinner

Thank you all for coming to dinner! It is always a great pleasure to share a meal and great conversation with you all.

***

I will pass on your kind words to the very talented Michelle! I will try to get recipes from her, but here's the menu:

Menu:

Butternut squash and green apple bisque with fried sage leaves and brown butter

Spinach salad with raspberries, feta, and candied almond slivers with red-wine vinaigrette

Grilled New York steak with chive oil

Baked salmon with apricot chutney

Whole-wheat couscous with dried cranberries and parsley

Poached pears and Cabernet Sauvignon (Terra Robles 2006 Paso Robles) reduction sauce with whipped mascarpone cream

***

Wines:

Norton Malbec 2004 Reserva, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

Neyers Chardonnay, Carneros District, 2007

Boarding Pass, Shiraz, 2005

Trefethen, Chardonnay, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

***

Click on any photo to view larger.

October 2009 Meeting

Book Club Meeting

Thursday, October 29

7 p.m. at Dutchbaby's

Costume optional

RSVP appreciated

Wayside Inn - Carmel

800-433-4732 toll-free
831-624-5336 phone
831-626-6974 fax
waysideinn@innsbythesea.com

next meeting?

I missed the date for our next meeting, with all that last minute blow torching of the strawberries for dessert garnish......fill me in please, I really don't want to miss a thing.

Angel completely madly in Love

I think I've Found our Hotel!

I've been deep in internet land looking at hotels, and think I've found a good one.  We can get a good group rate at the Inn on the Alameda.  http://www.innonthealameda.com/index.htm

This is the top rated hotel on Tripadvisor (which I have always found to be a reliable source). The location seems pretty ideal (walking distance to the Plaza and to the art galleries on Canyon Road.  

I contacted the hotel and confirmed that they currently have available:

6 traditional rooms with 2 Queen beds, patios or balconies, whose group discounted rate is $207 per night plus tax.  

2 traditional rooms with 1 King bed, patios or balconies whose group discounted rate is $221 per night plus tax.

A selection of more deluxe rooms, but only two of these have 2 beds, and those are far apart from one another.  The discounted rate for any deluxe room is $261 per night plus tax.

These rates include breakfast, free parking and an afternoon wine & cheese reception.

The hotel will hold rooms for me without any deposit for up to 60 days prior to arrival (at which time a deposit is required).  I think we should reserve rooms, and if anything more attractive shows up we can cancel.  SO,  I need to know final room count.

I know that Jodi and RoseAnn both indicated that they wanted to share a room, so I will reserve one traditional Queen/Queen for you.  I want a single, as does Sarah, so I will reserve the two traditional Kings.  

Peg, Kris, Diana & Lalitha all indicated they were flexible.  There are enough rooms available that you could each have your own traditional room (although it would have two queen beds) at $206/night.  Or you could share.  Confer amongst yourselves and let me know ASAP so I can put a hold on these rooms.

Get your Santa Fe Gear together!

Don't forget to pack your Santa Fe style when we head out on our trip.  My daughters and I did not quite measure up in our fashion for the plaza last year.

My Vote

Let's stay put in Santa Fe. Sounds like balloons require too much driving back and forth.

I would rather stay in Santa Fe.  It is a lot of driving back and forth for my taste.  I mentioned to Jane that the Acoma Pueblo is right outside Albuquerque and I would be more interested in seeing that on our way to or from Santa Fe. And,  I actually think we may be able to see the balloons when we are in Santa Fe, but we will have to ask about that.

From the Queen of fast yet nutritious recipes

Minato at Flickr

Ginger and Coriander Carrot Soup Recipe:

Peel and roughly chop one large onion, saute in a pan with chopped ginger (there's no such thing as too much ginger in my book but a one inch piece, peeled and chopped, should suffice) and 1 tsp of curry powder. When somewhat cooked, throw in 1 1/2 pounds of peeled and halved carrots, add one of those free range pkgs of chicken stock (or swansons, two small cans), salt to taste (1/2 tsp) and maybe a little water so the vegetables are just covered, simmer until the carrots are fully cooked. Throw in a handful of coriander/cilantro (washed and the thickest part of the stems removed) and puree with a hand blender till smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche and puree for an additional 30 seconds and voila, carrot soup. Serve with fresh bread and cheese and baby tomatoes and wine you have one of my favorite meals ever!

vforvelociraptor at Flickr

Salad:

So HARD! Buy a pkg of mache lettuce and another of baby lettuces, rinse and dry (yes, I know it says triple washed but just in case..), add Trader Joes poppy seed dressing (in moderation) and toss.

newyork808 at Flickr

Mascarpone cheese sauce (which I served with the berries):

I pkg Mascarpone cheese (6 oz)

3 tbsps creme fraiche

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Mix and beat with a fork, serve with berries. I think it's yummy, my good friend Susan gave me this quick recipe.

March Book Club Meeting

The Road Home: A Novel by Rose Tremain

Host: Angel in Love

Date: April 2, 2009

Santa Fe and Big Balloons

To recap our discussion at Lalitha's - We have dates (Thursday October 1st through Sunday October 4th).  We have the destination (Santa Fe), flying into Albuquerque, which is a bit over an hour away from Santa Fe.  We need to settle on accommodations quickly, especially since the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta will be on while we are there (it runs from Saturday October 3rd through Sunday October 11th).  

Notes on the Balloon Fiesta:  http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

The balloon events are either early morning  or early evening events.  By early morning I mean recommended arrival time at the event is 5:30AM!  I think this is out of the question, particularly since Santa Fe is more than an hour drive to Alb.  The better option might be the evening events, which sound lovely anyway (lighted glowing balloons followed by fireworks). Recommended arrival at the park for evening events is 4:00PM.  I checked flights on Sunday and confirmed that there are no late night return flights that would allow us to see the Sunday evening balloons and still fly out that night.  That limits us to the Saturday evening show (opening day).  That's a lot of to-and-fro (Alb to Santa Fe on Thursday arrival, Santa Fe/Alb roundtrip on Saturday for the balloons, Santa Fe to Alb for return flights on Sunday), so I wanted to gauge people's interest in the balloons.  If not everyone is interested in seeing them, I would consider spending Thursday to Sunday in Santa Fe, going to the Sunday evening balloon event & spending Sunday night at an airport hotel in Alb,  flying home Monday morning ( or later in the day if there is stuff to see in Alb).  

Let me know which of the following describes you best:

A)  I really don't care about seeing big balloons and would rather spend Thursday to Sunday chillin' in Santa Fe.

B)  I have a deep desire to see big balloons and don't think it is too strenuous to drive back and forth to Albuquerque on Saturday.

C)  I have a deep desire to see big balloons and would consider adding Sunday night in Albuquerque to make that dream a reality.

D) Both B and C.

E)  I have another suggestion which is (fill in the blank).

Can you tell that I just took my mid-term exam in my Estate Tax Planning course?

Trip

Wow, I love that balloon picture....I really wish Sunday night would work out and then fly home.  That doesn't seem possible so I guess I'd vote to let go of the balloons, that is a lot of driving on the same road.  Santa Fe will be just fine....Angel in Love

Trip Planning

I'm going to try to handle the trip planning through the blog. That way we can all see everyone's posts in one place without going back through email history or scrolling through forwarded emails. It sounds like we would all be happy to go to either NYC or Santa Fe. From a cost perspective, flights would be about the same. If Sarah is able to swing the timeshare arrangement, hotels would actually be cheaper in NYC (such a deal!)

SO, let's see if we can get the NYC hotel. If not, Santa Fe is Plan B.

Here is what Sarah needs in order to see if we can line up rooms at her friend's timeshare:

1. We need to pick one or two specific weekends in October that would work for our group.

2. Decide how many nights (most likely Thursday, Friday & Saturday - more if possible!)

3. Decide on the configuration of rooms and roommates. If you go to the Phillips Club website (phillipsclub.com) you can see the apartment configurations (click on Extended Stay Hotel, then The Residences to bring up floorplans. There are two-bedroom/two bath apts that will accommodate 4 people (2 twin beds in each room), one-bedroom apartments that will accommodate 2 people (twin beds) and studio apartments for one person.

Sarah says" These places are great. Each has a kitchen and a living area and a laundry on each floor. There's a wonderful specialty grocery downstairs where we can stock up on breakfast food and snacks. I am guessing that Joan (our contact) will charge us $100 or so per night per person. We would be responsible as well for the daily maid service charge and maybe tax."

Here are my answers to my questions::

1. I can go any weekend in October.

2. I would be interested in staying four nights (arriving Thursday, returning Monday)

3. I am happy to share or take a single room if that's how the numbers work out (I know Sarah prefers a single).

Please respond through the blog. That will save me having to try to track through multiple emails. If you have forgotten how to access it, go to the blog site (http://bookfoodtherapytravel.blogspot.com/). If you haven't signed up on your own (or have forgotten your login), you can enter the site by using this email address: bookclubangel@gmail.com and password: armpits! (including the exclamation point). If you click "Remember Me" you should be able to access it without reentering the info each time.

If we get back to Sarah quickly we'll figure out whether the NYC idea is going to fly. If the Phillips Club isn't an option, I'll switch my focus to Santa Fe.

Some levity provided to you by dutchbaby:

February Book Club Meeting

 Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

by Gregory Maguire

February 26, 2009

Host: Entrepreneur