Thanksgiving

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I was not looking forward to Thanksgiving in Orlando.  Thanks to my publishing job, I had already been to Orlando for conferences twice in the last year, and one of the last places on Earth I wanted to go was back to that land of manufactured reality.

It turns out that all my self-indulgent whining was just that: self-indulgent and whiny.  We had a fantastic time at Harry Potter World.  And the Thanksgiving buffet?  Well, all-you-can-eat crab legs and dessert don't suck at all.

And did I mention the bottomless Champagne?  I might be coming around to buffets after all...

That said, we had lots of amusement park food: soft pretzels, hot dogs, fries.  So, by our last night, I was more than ready for some real food: we made reservations at Emeril's Orlando.  I was skeptical...but it was everything I had hoped for: delicious food, gorgeous list of wines by the glass, and attentive service (but not overly so).

We started with the New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, which came with a diminutive but delicious rosemary biscuit.  The sauce added a touch of heat but it didn't make me scramble for my water glass (which is a good thing).  We also started with oysters in a creamy sauce with frisée and bacon.  It was okay...but I realized that I really love my oysters raw and adorned with only a squeeze of lemon; with all the other goings-on, I could hardly taste the oyster.  I drank a glass of Champagne, which held up to the barbecue shrimp surprisingly well.

Adam and I shared the duck duo for the main dish, which included a perfectly seared duck breast and duck confit.  Brussels sprouts and steamed potatoes were served with it.  And because we were having duck, I naturally drank Pinot Noir with it, specifically Foris Pinot Noir which is from the Rogue Valley in Oregon.  It was one of the rare times that Adam admitted my wine paired with the dish waaaay better than his beer.  I won, I won!

For dessert, we shared a vanilla crème brûlée which...I have to say...might be the best crème brûlée I have ever had.  How they got that thick sugary crust caramelized so perfect, I will never know.  It was outstanding.  The server recommended a glass of sweet bubbly for a pairing, which was lovely, but I was sort of jonesing for the espresso Adam ordered - it covered our table in a fragrant cloud.

It was an amazing meal with my amazing family, and it reminded me that my attitude can be such utter crap sometimes.  Orlando isn't that bad.  I'll never forget the trip and I'm so glad that we went.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday (you USians, anyway) with loved ones!

Eat, drink, and celebrate family.

Spanish-Style Braised Squid

Every once in a while, someone will ask me how we get Bug to eat the food I feature on the blog. Well, in this case, I will openly admit that she didn't eat this - she had her own "kid dinner" and then we ate this meal post-bedtime. Now, she loves calamari (code: fried food) but she wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole. And as much as I would love to "expose" her to a new food, to be quite frank, that would have ruined my meal if I had to spend it cajoling and convincing her to take a single bite.

Right before I left on my summer vacation, I found a galley of Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh in the office and took it. One of the first meals I made was this Spanish-Style Braised Squid:

It was the type of dish that transports you to another place because it just doesn't seem possible that you're sitting in your apartment in Queens, tasting something so fresh and straight-from-the-ocean. In fact, it was sort of a cruel joke. I should have been enjoying it from some cozy vacation home nestled on some beach in Spain, right? Well, I was very much grounded in New York, on the 17th floor of my apartment building, and this was the next best thing to actually being abroad.

Spanish-Style Braised Squid

by Emeril Lagasse

1/4 c. olive oil

3/4 c. sliced onions

3 tbsp. sliced garlic

1/2 c. dry white wine, such as Albarino

1 lb. squid, tentacles removed and reserved, bodies cut into thin rings

3 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano leaves

1 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. nonpareil capers, drained (I omitted these - I don't like capers)

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

Generous 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. hot pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)

Warm crusty bread, for serving

1. Combine the olive oil and onions in a large saute pan (I used nonstick) over medium heat, and cook until the onions are beginning to caramelize, 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer (watch it closely so it doesn't burn!). Add the white wine and reduce for 2 minutes. Add the squid (tentacles and rings), parsley, oregano, lemon juice, capers (if you want), salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until the squid is tender, 5-6 minutes.

2. Serve with the crusty bread

4-6 tapas-size servings (I just made this 2 entree-size servings)

The only thing I would change about this is add another 1/4 tsp. or so of paprika next time. The recipe could have done with more smokiness, I think. Otherwise, this recipe was incredibly simple and easy...but you would never guess from the richness of flavor and texture.

Eat, drink, and travel vicariously through food.