We lucked out at a used bookstore a few weeks ago and picked up a copy of both Ad Hoc at Home and The French Laundry Cookbook, both by Thomas Keller. We’ve tried a number of the recipes before and found them to be nearly perfect. They do take time and care, but, they’re great for those days when you’d love to spend the afternoon in the kitchen, sharpening your cooking or baking skills, and wowing people around the dinner table. This recipe is perfect; it took us several hours to prepare, then another hour-plus baking time. In the end, we thought it was worth it.
Leek and Cheese Pie
We went with a leek and cheese pie for our main for Christmas dinner, and, in many respects, we’re glad we did, because right during the middle of preparing dinner, our electricity went out. Having one of those all-electric houses, that could have spelled disaster. But, luckily for us, the pie had already been in the oven for about 30 minutes (of the 60 needed) and the residual heat baked it enough. Of course, our side dish was another story.