A Very Special French Laundry at Home: Happy Blogiversary!

As I mentioned in my previous post, this is a Very Special French Laundry at Home. And, as wise as you are and as well as you've come to know me, more than a few of you have emailed to ask, "Holy crap, are we going to learn a serious life lesson like on those 'very special' episodes of Facts of Life?"

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this Very Special edition of French Laundry at Home will not feature cousin Geri. It will not overcome great odds. There will not be a cameo by Charo. It will not recover from tragedy. It will not address a taboo social issue. There will not be a guest appearance by Jim J. Bullock. There will be no hugging, no learning. Kristy McNichol is not in the building.


Instead, there will be champagne and lots of eating because today is a very special day (to me anyway). It's the one-year blogiversary of French Laundry at Home. As you know, I started this site on January 15, 2007 with the intent of spending two years cooking every dish in The French Laundry Cookbook. So much for that timeline, eh? Once I started cooking, I just couldn't stop. It's too freakin' addictive! In just a year, I've cooked 71 out of 100 dishes, and I am having the time of my life. I hope you are, too.

Based on the spike in email and site traffic that started right after Christmas, it seems like many of you have either dusted off your copy of The French Laundry Cookbook, permanently borrowed one from the library, or received a copy as a gift. Congrats, and welcome! Oh, and call someone else for bail money if you get busted for the library theft. I can't help ya there.

Many of you who've been in touch over the past few weeks have asked what my favorite dishes have been so far, or what I would recommend you try if you got The French Laundry Cookbook as a holiday gift, so let me spend my blogiversary telling you just that.

First, let's start with the Top Ten. They're in no particular order, and asking me to rank them would be very Sophie's Choice of you, so I'm not gonna do it. I love all ten equally.

1) Oysters and Pearls: The only oyster dish I will ever eat. Enough said.

2) Linguine with White Clam Sauce: Easy, easy, easy, especially when you cheat and use store-bought pasta like I did. The reason this made the list is not just because it is excellent, it's also because I have an emotional connection to this dish. It came at a time when I found out I had skin cancer and another friend got some bad news about her father. So, it was so wonderful to sit with my friends around my dining room table and have not just this dish, but the giant bowl of leftover pasta with clam sauce and a few glasses of wine to try and feel better. It worked.

3) Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Sage Cream, Brown Butter, and Prosciutto: If it were possible to marry food, meet my new husband. But, ssshhhhh... don't tell my boyfriend, Mike Bloomberg.

4) Black Sea Bass with Sweet Parsnips, Arrowleaf Spinach, and Saffron-Vanilla Sauce: After I divorced the Agnolotti, I'd shack up with this dish for sure. Also, keeping The Bloom in play, because, hello, I think I'd make a fantastic First Lady.

5) Roulade of Pekin Duck Breast with Creamed Sweet White Corn and Morel Mushroom Sauce: One of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. Also see: notes on the duck dish at Per Se. I feel the same way about this dish.

6) Coffee and Doughnuts: I know you haven't seen the post for this yet. It's coming I swear, and it's full of slightly drunk, caffeinated goodness, and doughnuts that are, um, shall we say an interesting shape.

7) Cream of Walnut Soup: I associate this with snow and a cold, cold day. Nothing better than the near-silence outside when it's snowing hard, and you've got a little shot glass of hot cream of walnut soup in your hands. Really, life doesn't get much better than that. Well, except when I become the First Lady in a Bloomberg White House. That might be better than the Cream of Walnut Soup, but not by much.

8) Lemon Sabayon Pine Nut Tart with Honeyed Mascarpone Cream: I hate lemons almost as much as I hate celery, but I loved this dish. Go figure.

9) Tasting of Potatoes with Black Truffle: It's only been a week or so since I've made this, yet I dream about that potato purée all the time.

10) Butter-Poached Maine Lobster with Leeks, Pommes Maxim and a Red Beet Essence: Butter, lobster, beets... three of my favorite foods. It's perfect. The only way to make it better would be to add bacon, so... um.... guess what I'll be trying this weekend?!?!?!?

So, those are the dishes I think I love the most (so far). Now, here are the dishes I think could pop your French Laundry Cookbook cherry:

Gazpacho: So simple and straightforward. You can't screw this up. It's a great place to start.

Gougères: Again, there's really no way to mess this up. They're easy and will be gone in minutes, they're that good.

Black Sea Bass with Parsnips: This was one of the simplest dishes to do, and it's really, really good.

Salmon and Celery: Yes, I know I pitched a fit about how much I hate celery, but you could make it without it, or use something else in its place. This dish was really easy and a real crowd pleaser.


And, the dishes I will likely do over because I'm pissed off they didn't work the first time, or I know I can do them better:

PB&J

Spotted Skate Wing: This time with skate instead of halibut.

Chocolate Cakes with Beet Ice Cream: I need those cakes to work, damnit.

Crème de Farine: I know, I know, being married to Dick Cheney would be a far easier and less painful form of torture, but I don't care. I want to get that dessert right. Or at least, less pitiful-looking. I owe it to The Durf. Durfster. Steeeeve. Steeeeve-a-reeeeno. Duurrrrrrrrfff.

Pot Au Feu: No brainer. Those cock-ups were all my fault. I can make this work. And, so can you -- it's also a pretty easy one, if you can, you know, tell the difference between buying beef and pork. Gah.

Agnolotti: Any kind, any filling. I will go to my grave having accomplished a beautiful agnolotti, even if it takes me until I'm 100 years old.


I know I was all gushy and mushy in my end-of-year post back in December, but I can't close this post without again thanking you for being such great readers. Your witty emails and comments make my day, and even the bitchy ones make me smirk because I can say nasty things back to you as I'm reading your email and you won't know it, so ha ha ha on you!

Before I go, and this really is a Very Special thing, I want to tell you about the money you raised for Share Our Strength, because honestly, I'm blown away. I kicked off the fundraising drive back in August expecting to raise between $250-500 by the end of the year, but really didn't pester you too much about it until closer to Thanksgiving when I just wouldn't shut up about it. And, it worked.

The results are in and my original secret goal of $500 was way off, because from August through the end of 2007, we raised $3,000!

I originally said I would match 10% of the total donation, but I've changed my mind. You guys opened your hearts and your wallets and it's only right that I do the same. So, I'm actually going to match 50% of the total and donate $1,500, for a total of $4,500.

Let me take a moment to thank those who opted-in to be thanked publicly:

Kristen Byrne
Brian Chan
Carolyn Ciesla
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Karchmer
Elizabeth McGhee

I want to thank each and every one of you, on this list or not, who donated to this worthy cause. I am so grateful that you all are as kind and generous as you are.

Thanks again for such a great year, and for making this one-year milestone such a pleasure to reach.

I had the great pleasure of being in New York this past weekend with my family to celebrate my dad's birthday, so I'll be back in a few days with an actual food post. If you want, please feel free to use the comments section to wish my dad a happy birthday. He'd love it. Well, he'll love it once he's done killing me for telling the entire internet about his birthday. Oh well, he's so old he'll probably forget about it in a day, anyway. KIDDING.

Or, use the comments to tell me what you're cooking these days -- French Laundry Cookbook-related, or not. I'm curious...

Up Next: Venison Chop with Pan-Roasted Butternut Squash and Braised Shallots (featuring my backyard version of Marlin Perkins' Wild Kingdom)

Read my previous post: Salmon "Chops" with Celery and Black Truffles