Not really doing much blogging around here, as I have ten people coming for dinner. Been making a cassoulet the past three days. And last night, a french onion soup, with 10 pounds of shallots, from a farmer friend in Sonoma. I can't stand those cheese filled flavorless onion soups they make in restaurants. This is just shallots, sweated for a while in vermouth, with broth left over from the duck and lamb broths I made for the cassoulet, and then when served, a small amount of fresh asiago grated on a little toast dropped on top of the soup, put under the broiler. The cassoulet is so good because instead of deriving the flavor from fat, it's slow cooked for two days, with gamey duck and goose legs and breasts, pork shoulder, leg of lamb and lamb ribs, duck sausage, ham hock, lamb neck and then the fat is skimmed several times, so that what remains are deep rich flavors, cooked into the cassoulet beans, with duck and lamb broth, again, skimmed of fat. Layered beans, meats, beans, breadcrumbs. Cooked again. Ummmm.

It's very rich, but not heavy, the way we think of rich foods in our fast cooking culture, where rich = heavy = fat or fried or cream. This is slow cooked (though you do something for an hour and then walk away for 12 hours), with lots of flavor, and a lot less fat. Delicious. With a little butter lettuce salad, walnut and sherry vinegrette, pear slices and toasted walnuts. And we are fortunate that a pastry chef friend is bringing creme brulee, and I have some of those Satsuma tangerines that are like candy now, macerated in cointreau.

You can see why my mind is not on IP or blogging. I'm very thankful that we can have such a nice dinner with friends and family. Have happy holidays and enjoy!