An Evening with Bari Kessler...

I found this image when I googled "kessler," other than that it has no relevance. The important thing is I got to see one of my good friends whom I haven't seen since high school. After we graduated when went to different coasts and lost touch. So this last weekend after a chance reunion I drove up to saratoga springs and hung out for the night. Dinner consisted of:

Roast Leg of Lamb with Sauce Bourguinonne
1 (4#) boneless lamb roast
4 oz cultivated mushrooms
olive oil
2 c. good syrah
1 sprig marjoram
1/2 medium shallot, diced
1/4# butter
1 garlic clove

preheat oven to 450. Rub the lamb and mushrooms with olive oil and roast to internal temp of ~110F. Takes about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the mushrooms when cooked, they take less time than the lamb.

Add the wine, garlic, marjoram and shallot to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce to about 1 cup. Strain the ingredients and place over low heat. Vigorously whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, making sure the sauce does not get too hot. Hold at ~145F. Do not make the sauce until very close to service because of the risk of it breaking.

Cream of Parsnip Soup
12oz parsnips, peeled, medium chopped
1/4 white onion
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup golden delicious apple (or pear), peeled, chopped
2 oz fresh mint
1/2 oz parsley
olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Sweat the onions in a soup pot with the olive oil over medium heat until they begin to soften and become shiny. Do not carmelize. Add the parsnip and garlic and sweat another 5 minutes. Add the apples and white wine. Cook until the wine is reduced. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 30-45 minutes. Puree the soup. Hold hot until service. Finish by stirring in the cream and ~1 tsp of wine in each serving.

While the soup is cooking crush the lemon juice, mint and parsley together in a small food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it becomes a viscous sauce. Garnish the soup by swirling the mint sauce in.

After all of this we were really tired. We threw in a movie and then fell asleep. It wasn't very exciting (other than the delicious food of course) but the important thing is I got to cook in a real kitchen. Also, I didn't make the mint sauce cause I couldn't find any fresh mint at the store, but I guarantee it will add another dimension to the dish which is kind of sweet and needs something a little more earthy to round it out.