March 11, 2018 Brunch – Shrimp Omelet. Dinner – Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Rosemary, Lemon and garlic and Calabacitas and black beans

March 11, 2018 Brunch – Shrimp Omelet. Dinner – Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Rosemary, Lemon and garlic and Calabacitas and black beans

It was lousy weather today so we cooked.  While I watched the morning news programs and made a Tropical fruit salad with pineapple, papaya, orange, Mangos, and juice of a large lime, Suzette made a shrimp omelet with Melted Jarlsberg  cheese garnished with slices of avocado.

We had a wonderful breakfast that reminded us of vacations in Sayulita.  We discussed what to do and I mentioned going to the art museum.

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Then I took a nap, but Suzette awakened me at 12:30 to remind me that we had discussed the museum, so we dressed and drove to the Albuquerque Museum of Art.  We saw three interesting exhibits, a contemporary design exhibit from Africa, a political poster exhibit, an$ a U.S./Mexico Border exhibit.  My favorite piece was a Mexican blanket repurposed as a large kinetic string piece.  Here is a picture of it.



We went by Lowe’s on our way home for flour and milk, so Suzette could make a quince tart.  When we returned home Suzette made the tart.  Her secret is that she uses wine in the crust that gives the crust a lovely flavor.  The quinces were grown in the orchard at the Center for Ageless Living last summer.

While suzette was making the tart I sliced 4 cups of leeks and 41/2 cups of peeled potatoes and simmered them in 2 quarts of water and 1 T. of salt to make potato soup.

Willy called and said he would arrive at 5:00 for dinner, Suzette started prepping the Cornish game hens as soon as the tart was in the oven.  We peeled about 30 cloves of garlic and Suzette made a chicken stock and white wine sauce for the hens.  She stuffed them with a wedge of lemon and fresh rosemary from the garden, poured the sauce over them and added the cloves of garlic and roasted
them in the oven for 45 minutes at 350.

We also reconstituted the PPI Calabacitas by adding a 25 oz. can of black beans and two chopped
tomatoes.


I chilled a bottle of Kirkland Premier Cru Chablis, a new bottle of the better quality wines Costco has
recently begun offering.  As I recall this one was $18.00.


When Willy came Suzette puréed the potato soup with the emersion hand blender and added 5 or 6 T. of heavy cream but the soup seemed thin, perhaps because I covered the pot as the leeks and potatoes simmered.  We decided to let the soup simmer to thicken and we would eat the Calabacitas and beans with the Cornish game hens first.  It turned out to be one of those strange French/Mexican meals with good French wine.

                               The game hens before roasting

The Calabacitas and black beans

                                              The game hens after roasting

We each ate ½ game hen, so there are three halves left.  There was also some Calabacitas left.

We ate slices of Quince tart after dinner garnished with a dab of crema and a few flakes of lemon zest.

 Everyone was full, so I put the potato soup in the fridge in the garage.

It was another one of those homemade meals that are so comforting in front of the fireplace on a wet cold night like this evening.

Willy took a walk and I worked on taxes and discovered that Dick Armes, one of the Last Thursday Book Club members died suddenly today from complications from surgery.  I am very saddened and even shocked.

When Willy returned from his walk he heated the potato soup and ate several bowls of it.  I ate a couple of spoonfuls and found it delicious.  Thanks, Julia Child and “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.

Bon Appetit