For the Love of Creme Fraiche
Waah waah waah, we're too tired to help you make the gnocchi that we will end up rejecting for dinner. We need to take a nap.
(one mother lugs two children upstairs)
I have been listening to my children alter between silence, quiet play, and all-out-completely-rude-in-my-face-we're-not-going-to-sleep laughing for the past hour. It is time to call this nap a bust. For the third day in a row. I think we're in the transition zone, that tentative time between two naps and one nap. That create lovely, joy-filled afternoons while 15-month-old twins lie on the floor, beating their feet against my stomach in anger as if it was my fault that they didn't sleep. Damn bitch of a mum.
Since I am passing along all of my cooking school tips to you, my number one piece of advice is to read ALL of the directions before you begin. Before you go food shopping. Before you plan to use creme fraiche that evening when it takes 36 hours to make. Before you cook the gnocchi at 3:15 in the afternoon and you read on to discover that gnocchi needs to be served immediately so here are some ways to keep gnocchi until you are ready to use it.
My current lesson--preparing creme fraiche--seems a bit too easy to be true. All you do is cook 16 ounces of heavy whipping cream to 110 degrees. Add an ounce of buttermilk and allow the mixture to rest in a glass jar (lightly covered) until it thickens. I am not a very patient chef. I have returned to the creme fraiche no fewer than three times already even though I made it 45 minutes ago. Just checking on how that thickening is coming along. On 35 hours and 15 minutes to go! As of yet, it has not noticeably thickened which has now made me worried. I have checked my current recipe against two other recipes to make sure I did not leave out a step such as whipping the cream.
The creme fraiche was to be used on top of the gnocchi in a grilled lemon sauce. Though the gnocchi is currently boiled and now congealing unattractively in the refrigerator while I rethink dinner. And back to my most important lesson to date: read all directions before you begin.
(one mother lugs two children upstairs)
I have been listening to my children alter between silence, quiet play, and all-out-completely-rude-in-my-face-we're-not-going-to-sleep laughing for the past hour. It is time to call this nap a bust. For the third day in a row. I think we're in the transition zone, that tentative time between two naps and one nap. That create lovely, joy-filled afternoons while 15-month-old twins lie on the floor, beating their feet against my stomach in anger as if it was my fault that they didn't sleep. Damn bitch of a mum.
Since I am passing along all of my cooking school tips to you, my number one piece of advice is to read ALL of the directions before you begin. Before you go food shopping. Before you plan to use creme fraiche that evening when it takes 36 hours to make. Before you cook the gnocchi at 3:15 in the afternoon and you read on to discover that gnocchi needs to be served immediately so here are some ways to keep gnocchi until you are ready to use it.
My current lesson--preparing creme fraiche--seems a bit too easy to be true. All you do is cook 16 ounces of heavy whipping cream to 110 degrees. Add an ounce of buttermilk and allow the mixture to rest in a glass jar (lightly covered) until it thickens. I am not a very patient chef. I have returned to the creme fraiche no fewer than three times already even though I made it 45 minutes ago. Just checking on how that thickening is coming along. On 35 hours and 15 minutes to go! As of yet, it has not noticeably thickened which has now made me worried. I have checked my current recipe against two other recipes to make sure I did not leave out a step such as whipping the cream.
The creme fraiche was to be used on top of the gnocchi in a grilled lemon sauce. Though the gnocchi is currently boiled and now congealing unattractively in the refrigerator while I rethink dinner. And back to my most important lesson to date: read all directions before you begin.
posted by Mum at 11:51 AM
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