I fell asleep at two last night, exhausted from making a ridiculous Pierre Herme recipe for puff pastry that has the butter layer on the outside of the dough layer. Is he on crack? All I know is that it better be the most tender and lofty puff pastry ever.
Chef Jack is visiting tonight from the twin cities, where he always extends unbelievable hospitality to us.
When the alarm rang at eight, I was in the middle of a fabulous dream. My agent had forwarded me an email from Herman Hesse in which Hesse said he loved my novel. This was the pull quote: "Iris, Messenger helps bring redacted tales back into the popular consciousness."
He also said he had recently attended a Bad Plus concert and had a great time.
It's nice to know my subconscious is getting behind the family art. I also like the strange use of the word "redacted." My subconscious was like, Hesse would use big words. I don't exactly know what "redacted" means, but it sounds like something a German intellectual would say.
I've been meaning for years to reread Magister Ludi. Maybe this is a sign that I should. This is such a beautiful novel, sort of postmodern, dreamlike. There's a whole section of poems at the end, I think. The world of the novel is one in which no one makes art anymore. They just play games with glass beads in which art is referenced. The exact nature of the game is never described, which I love. Books about games are wonderful. Oh, and this one, too.
Here's my menu for tonight:
Rabbit rillettes with stewed prunes,
Fried shrimp with anchovy sauce,
Hazelnuts
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Salad of bitter greens with duck confit and celery root-apple puree
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Blood orange-campari sorbet
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Bouillabaisse
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Chocolate-cherry mille feuille
With a chef coming over, I think it's a mistake to try to show off or impress. Bouillabaisse is nice for this, because it's a simple, elegant one dish meal.
I will write an update tomorrow with recipes.
My neck is frickin killing me -- the old boxing injury rearing its head. I got this from sparring a diminutive Mexican man named Alvaro. Must focus. Must. Not. Nap.
