My anniversary, #45. Ordinarily if it is not shabbos, we go out, usually our fanciest and most expensive evening out together. This time I opted to make a gala dinner instead. Already had my first minor misadventure, though one without physical injury. All doughs made, one for French bread, one for a berry pie, and one for samosa wrappers. Brisket seasoned. There's some time and equipment planning, which is much of what engages me about home cooking where I only have one oven and four burners and one stand mixer and one food processor. I will need the final few hours in the oven for the brisket. The bread will need to go into the oven at its appointed time. That means the pie needs to be baked first, probably as soon as the dough is suitable for rolling.
For the stove top, I will need to assemble and fry the samosas. Boxed couscous is straightforward, done at the end. Glazed carrots also done near the end, but the prep can be done sooner.
Gazpacho needs a tad of stove to peel the tomatoes, but for the most part it is cold. I think the cucumber salad is all cold, unless the dressing needs a brief stove top.
And elegance needs cleanup. We had a recent fly infestation, something we can expect every couple of years when eggs somewhere in our kitchen or dining room hatch. Bug spray worked well, but I need to vacuum their remains. Got a special red wine, maybe chill for an hour before serving. Bread on a plate or platter. Samosas in a bowl. Salad in a bowl, maybe use our best one. Gazpacho in the tureen, served in bowls. Brisket on platter. Couscous and Carrots in separate bowls. Pie in pie dish.
Clean up as I go. Will not use stand mixer or food processor. Will need granite pastry board later. And finish washing crock pot from shabbos. Get blender from basement for gazpacho. Maybe use mandolin for slicing, or I could wash food processor and use slicing disc for cucumbers, or just my good chef's knife.
Finish coffee, then prep vegetables. Make pie filling.
But first finish coffee.
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