A michelangelo on 5th

I was recently lucky enough to see this Michelangelo in a stately home here in New York. It was a truly rare treat, though someone else with me raised an interesting question - do modern sculptors have the ability to make such a thing, or has that particular knowledge been lost?

A half success

So I'm not going to claim that these lemon-chocolate macarons (adapted from Aran's recipe) were the biggest success on the planet. Long story short, the meringue mixture was initially too stiff, I mixed it more, and then it got too loose, and the macarons spread on me when I piped them. Result? Oblong, clumsy looking macarons.

However, the flavor and texture of the things was excellent, and I love the combination of lemon and chocolate. I will try these again and improve.

n.b., the chocolate filling was just lindt bittersweet chocolate mixed with heavy cream - i.e., ganache.

Adventures in Meat cookery

I try not to eat too much meat during the week so that I can splurge over the weekend. This week's such splurge was a cut of dry-aged, prime, beef that I bought from Astoria's own Christos Steakhouse. Rather than cook the steak the way most people recommend (screaming hot pan, massive sear), which creates so much smoke as to be unappetizing at home, I've begun experimenting with the egullet, Alain Ducasse home method demonstrated here.

I still think I did not rest the steak quite enough to fully redistribute the juices around the meat (you're supposed to rest it for 15 minutes, but I got impatient), and did not use the recommended butter. Still, the method produces a delicious, crusty, steak.

UPDATE: We enjoyed a bottle of Nederburg Shiraz with this steak. It is a simple, pleasing, South African wine with some good flavors, and has the great advantage of costing $9.

Olive-oil poached escolar with wine sauce

Observant readers will recognize this recipe from Top Chef, when Carla was asked to replicate Eric Ripert's recipe. My effort is not quite as beautiful (my potato chips need work!) but the escolar was extraordinarily good. My technique was simply to warm a pot of olive oil to about 130, add the fish, and let it poach without even simmering for about 8 minutes.

Important note: Escolar is said to have Olestra like effects on your, well, intestines. Keep consumption under 3 or 4 ounces to be safe.