Fank you ... for all the meat and sausages

"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."


Neither one of us is shy about our love of food and cooking, and while in Scotland, we developed an affinity for all manner of Scottish (and British, generally) staples. The Full Scottish breakfast with the lovely sausages and rashes of bacon and the meat pies were our favorite savory dishes, and sticky toffee pudding was definitely the winner for the sweets. Thanks to our friends and family and their lovely wedding presents (and for being generally brilliant), our kitchen (albeit poorly organized) is stocked with all the necessary tools to turn out some really great meals. We were feted on our arrival home by both sets of parents (necessary and thoughtful restoratives), but found ourselves without dinner plans on Monday night. DJ called out "steak pies!" as I went out the door to pick up paint at Lowe's (thanks, Krystal!) and so I added a few non-hardware items to my mental list - but I really should have checked a recipe first. I was spot-on with the puff pastry, ale and onion, but the meat selection was poor and the addition of mushrooms would have been nice. After two hours of preparation, we sat down to eat at 11 pm. So disappointing! The gravy didn't thicken properly, the recipe we used was bland (even with the addition of a few spices), the meat was tough, and the potatoes were unnecessary and came out al dente. Ugh! It was a poor stew and a terrible meat pie. The first culinary experiment after the honeymoon: fail.
Undeterred by this failure, I set out the next morning to purchase supplies for Pop's birthday treat. I had been promising I would figure out how to make a tiramisu since our trip to Italy last year and our talk of sticky toffee pudding served to remind him I had not yet produced one! The problem, of course, was the mascarpone cheese. I bought the eggs at Braum's, the French Roast and pound cake at Sam's, the sponge cake, superfine sugar and dark chocolate at Wal-mart, called three international groceries to inquire about their stock of mascarpone (none), and was finally directed to the 67th Street Country Mart. At this point, the time window was narrowing dangerously and so DJ went after the mascarpone and picked up the brandy at the Cache Road package store. Meanwhile, I ran a load of dishes, cleaned counter space, brewed the espresso and studied the recipe. Confident I had the tools, I lined up the mixer, bowls, dessert bowls and gave them a quick clean, and measured out the ingredients. I used the Kitchen-Aid and two separate bowls (thanks Mary!) for the four step custard portion, and I was really happy with the taste and consistency. I vacillated between using the sponge cake (as called for by the recipe) or the pound cake or a combination thereof (next time I will make my own, using "hot milk cake" I think) but after a firm "go with the recipe" from Angie, I chose the sponge. First note: "dip" into the coffee and brandy mix does not mean "lay" and let soak - this is a sure way to make a mess of your sponge cake. Second note: making your own cake so the layers fit properly in the bowls is worth the effort. Final note: if doubling the recipe, triple the amount of espresso and brandy to make the layers come out evenly. A 10 egg, 21 oz mascarpone recipe will make 12 four-inch dessert bowls. DJ had to work an evening shift, so I sent one with him to chill in his work fridge, and put the other 8 (ran out of coffee and so I just stored the rest of the mascarpone mixture) in ours to blend the flavors for a few hours. Just before serving, I sprinkled Hershey's Dark Chocolate Select Cocoa on top. Max, Mary, Bruni, Angie, and Joyce loved it and DJ texted to let me know I totally crushed it! Phew! After the steak and ale pie fiasco, I needed a win.
While it's true the honeymoon trip is over, we still have many adventures ahead (not all so dull as cooking, there's painting to come!) and we will write about those that cause angst and joy. Next culinary adventure: sticky toffee pudding - I've special ordered the treacle, Lyle's Golden Syrup and the English double cream already, so that should cut down on the mad shopping. Now to find some dates ...