Towards a cure

Hangovers are practically unavoidable at weddings. The free-flowing champagne, the festive atmosphere, the occasional lack of enough substantial food all lead to wild dancing and merry-making the night of and headaches the morning after.

This topic was fresh on the lips of many of the party-goers this weekend because of a very entertaining article on a hangovers and their cures (or lack thereof) in the May 26th issue of The New Yorker. Joan Acocella makes the point that in the 21st century, with all our technological and medical advances, shouldn't we have a cure for this oh-so-common condition?

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_acocella

My husband, who never met a malady he couldn't cure with an over-the-counter medication, be it balm, salve or liquid decided what we needed was electrolytes! I've taken electrolyte pills with success before, but we had none and I didn't want to drink 1000 calories of gatorade. So after walking the 10 sweltering blocks to downtown Dallas' (only?) CVS he declared the answer to our prayers: Pedialyte! I was dubious, but game.

Pedialyte is of course, for kids, who are dehydrated for reasons other than drinking. We hope. Its website reads, "To help your child rehydrate and feel better quickly, choose Pedialyte®" Tips on ingesting Pedialyte as an adult: 1) Drink it on the rocks. Lukewarm pedialyte is like drinking corn syrup without the corny-sweet taste. 2) Better yet, drink it while holding your nose and wash it down with a water chaser.

All that said. I'm a believer. It did its job of rehydrating us post-rehearsal dinner, pre-wedding.

As a public service, please share in comments any hangover treatments/cures you have found successful, no matter how wacky!

TX Redux

Dallas was like a sauna. Or rather a steam room. A large metropolitan city-sized steam room. Other than that, the weekend was lovely.

I would definitely recommend Fearing's. Though I didn't order as well as my husband or his cousin, there were some definite hits and I suspect that the dinner menu showcases the chef's southwestern tinged creativity even more freely. Though if you go, try to avoid the waiter who resembles a hobbit. His speech was incomprehensible, he seemed fully unprepared to make suggestions and was perhaps unaware of the drink/bar menu completely. Very surprised to find such service at a Ritz.

Favors at the wedding were delicious pickled jalepenos from Too Hot Mamas. I've already used them in a recipe I will post shortly. Spicy goodness!

Big D

We're heading to Dallas this weekend for the wedding of one of my dearest friends. I am looking forward to celebrating this momentous occasion, of course, but I am particularly looking forward to the following things culinary.

1. Wedding Cake.
I've been no-carbing it for two weeks to look good in my new dress and shall reward myself with as gigantic a slice of cakey, sugary goodness as I can find.

2. Champagne
Because I always look forward to champagne.

3. Sunday Brunch at Fearing's
Fearings is the restaurant at the Dallas Ritz Carlton that Frank Bruni named the 5th best restaurant in America (outside of New York). When I saw we'd be staying within walking distance, (no, we are not quite ritzy enough to stay at the Ritz) I immediately made a reservation. I've already been searching the menu online and torturing my tastebuds!

Fearing's online
http://fearingsrestaurant.com/
Bruni review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/dining/12five.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bruni+fearing&st=nyt&oref=slogin


Stay tuned for dispatches from big D little a double l - a -s!

Top 20 continued...Dessert!

I made this recipe for a Valentine's Day Dinner with my now husband a few months before he proposed. Not saying this is what did it, but.....hey, it can't hurt. A decadent, chocolaty and easy make ahead dessert courtesy of Gourmet. This tart is extremely rich. I like to skip dusting with cocoa and serve it with a bit of freshly whipped cream.

Chocolate Truffle Tart Gourmet | February 2007

For crust 28 chocolate wafers such as Nabisco Famous, finely ground in a food processor (1 1/2 cups) 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled completely For filling 1/2 lb fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), coarsely chopped 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Special equipment: an 8-inch (20-cm) round springform pan Garnish: unsweetened cocoa powder for sprinkling Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap a sheet of foil over bottom of springform pan (in case of leaks). Lightly butter side of pan. Stir together ground wafers and butter in a bowl until combined, then pat mixture evenly onto bottom of pan and 1 1/2 inches up side. Bake until crust is slightly puffed, about 10 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make filling while crust cools:
Melt chocolate and butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined well.

Assemble and bake tart:
Pour filling into cooled crust and rap pan once on counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until filling 1 inch from edge is set and slightly puffed but center trembles slightly when pan is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as it cools.)

Cool tart completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Chill, uncovered, until center is firm, about 4 hours. Remove side of pan and sprinkle with cocoa to serve.

Cooks' notes:
• Tart can be chilled up to 3 days. Cover loosely after tart is completely chilled (covering before may cause condensation).
• Crust, without filling, can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Where the locals go!

Ezra Klein points out something amusingly awry in the NY Times review of Chicago's Frontera Grill.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=05&year=2008&base_name=insider_advantage

Green Green Salad

I'm always on the look out for a crave-able salad, one I'll actually look forward to eating. This one is crunchy, spicy with different textures and lots of different springy green colors. Also, bonus, it's deliciously low-carb, for those of us who may be restricting our intake.

Green Green Salad

4 oz. baby Arugula
1 cucumber
1 small fennel bulb
1 ripe avocado
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper

Yield: 4 side salads

A fun thing to do with this salad is to cut each vegetable into different shapes. Peel and slice cucumber (I chopped the cuc into little rectangles). Cut fennel bulb into semi-circle slices. Slice and scoop out avocado. Throw all veggies (and some of the fennel top greens if you like) into a bowl. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss with salad. Serve.

Yield: 4 sides salads

No leftovers. Easy barbecue edition

I have barbecue on the brain. Maybe I think by cooking summery food I can will summer to finally arrive? Regardless, we had some sandwich rolls about to go stale so I decided to make barbecue for Saturday night dinner. I assured my husband there'd be leftovers for Sunday lunch...I was wrong. This recipe, from Cooking Light (with a few changes) was a huge hit: easy, and involving lots of already-in-the-pantry items. It's not smoked tender, but it is the best fast 'cue sandwich I've had. Warning: keep lots of napkins and a beer nearby.

Flank Steak BBQ Sandwiches
Cooking spray
1 (1-pound) organic flank steak, trimmed
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (less if you don't like it too spicy)
4 buns, split
bread and butter pickle slices
salt
pepper

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Season steak liberally with salt and pepper. Cook 6 minutes on each side (should give you medium rare, cook longer for more doneness). Remove steak from pan, let stand 10 minutes. Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool.

While steak stands, combine ketchup and next 4 ingredients (through chipotle chile powder) in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring well. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Optional: chop the steak if you'd like a more pulled-pork texture. Add steak and onions to ketchup mixture; toss to coat. Divide steak mixture evenly among bottom halves of rolls; top each serving with one onion slice and 3-4 pickles. Place top half of roll on each sandwich.

Serves: 2 hungry newlyweds