Sliding into Home Base
Remember in my last blog (right below this one…), I said I wanted the rain to come back? Yes. I got my wish. We have had a lot of rain since then. How fortuitous indeed! Except for the accident two days ago…on a particularly stormy day.
It started out like any other day. I woke up after rolling around in bed for 20 minutes. Bianca read some quotes to me. “If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to get struck by lightning.” That is good to know. I had classes (my big presentation on Photosystem II and xanthophyll stuff went ok I think). Then I came back and went to get dinner. Guess who I saw at Mabee…Bianca! Yay! The lady working at the registers told me Bianca wanted to slip away but I caught her. Hehe. So, we had dinner together. Afterwards, I left with Bianca. It was totally pouring outside. I told Bianca we could share my umbrella. But, I noticed that my dorm was about 15 feet away from the exit of the dining area. If I can see any entrance without my glasses on, it must mean we are close. So…I thought I would run over there…and move so fast that not a single drop of rain would hit me. So, I took off my shoes and made towards the entrance. A kind person opened the door as she saw me run towards it. Thank goodness she did because at that moment…I kind of…hydroplaned? I slipped on the steps to the entrance and literally slid through the door. Ouch! As Bianca cleverly put it, “I slid into home base.” It seems funny now but I was in shock. I laid there for a bit, coffee dripping off my sweater, my shoes flew out of my hands and rested against the window, my headband thrown off. Bianca helped me up and I got back into the room. I thought I would just get a serious bruise and that would be all. However, I woke up the next morning completely sore on my backside. I feel like I was in a marathon…where I had to wheel myself up a mountain without a break. I know I sound dramatic but it really happened! To me…the most graceful person on earth! Oh woe is me! I am still in pain but there is no time for that today. Today is a very special day indeed. Why?
Today my dear readers, is Le Reve Day. Early in September, the head chef announced that he would be closing it down. I was so despondent! Not before I had a chance to eat there! Le Reve has 12 tables. It takes 3 hours to complete the full meal. They only open 3 nights a week and they seat once. It has been ranked #4 in the nation by Gourmet Magazine and #1 in Texas for ages (actually 12 years). Naturally I made a reservation. I was so worried we would not get a seat but lucky for us, it happened. I called back about 5 times this week to make sure we were still confirmed. I have a horrible feeling that at any minute, a gajillionaire with a wad of cash will bribe the maître d’ and give away my spot. Fortunately, I have not received such a call. Tonight will be very special. I am even wearing…get this...heels! I know! I borrowed them from my sister. Thank goodness Bianca and Victoria are coming. I will definitely need them for support. Before we leave tonight, Victoria has promised to do my hair. I will be like Cinderella, completely changed for the evening. Naturally pictures will be posted. I will leave food descriptions for another blog though.
And speaking of food (what else do we ever talk about)… Fall Break was last week. What does that have to do with food? Everything. If I was not in a small room taking a scare-your-pants-off test, I was on my feet cooking. The test was the GRE. It was very scary. I hated every minute of it until I got my results at the end. Who rocked their GREs?? Me!! Hehe. The GRE is the graduate school entrance exam. It is similar to the SATs but for college students going on to graduate school. I knew it was coming. I should have prepared more but I went in anyway. The verbal section was difficult (the average GRE verbal is much lower than the math) and the math was even harder for me. I felt like the worst student in the world in that small room. There was a camera on me the whole time, they told me I could not wear a watch and they also said no food or drink. For 4 hours??!!?? If I can’t tell the time or have some candy, I might as well not take the exam. I need food to think! And the camera was for cheating and things like that. Why would an Honor Council Member like myself cheat on this silly exam? Well, I definitely did not enjoy that feeling. After 4 long hours, I got my results (they reveal them to you right away because it is computerized). I was ebullient!!! I called all the important people who needed to know that I conquered the exam! Afterwards, I came home to prepare the menu for my sister’s birthday dinner.
My darling sister turned 24 last week. She is so old. Hehe. Well, to celebrate her special day, I cooked up a special meal. Below are the pictures. I did not have as much time as I liked because I had to go back to work but I think things turned out ok overall.
Olive and sun-dried tomato fougasse (courtesy of Bon Apetit). I think I love working with yeast the most. I love watching dough expand.
Ratatouille. This is Thomas Keller's (from the French laundry) version. He made it especially for the movie. This version is more like "Confit Byaldi."
Provencal vegetable stew for my sister who is a vegetarian.
Bouef Bourguignon for everyone else. I didn't have time to add the pearl onions. So... it looks plain but the broccolini kind of made up for it. I love broccolini.
For dessert, we had Coffee-caramel creme brulee with coffee. My creme brulee was delicious but not exceptionally beautiful. I will try again, using a different method to melt the sugar. It looked a little spotty so I was not satisfied but it was probably everyone's favorite part of the meal. Coffee and cream with caramelized sugar? You can't go wrong.
