What an interesting day of food and adventures.
We awakened around 7:30 and Suzette made breakfast burritos by frying bacon and scrambling eggs and toasting a fresh flour tortilla I bought at El Super yesterday, which we ate with a dash or two of hot sauce and our respective cup of coffee for Suzette and a cup of camomile tea with honey, and lime for me. We watched the Balloon Fiesta on TV but the balloon ascension was delayed due to fog.
A little after 9:00 we drove to the building to pick the color of paint for the doors that were recently installed and then drove to Santa Fe.
We had received notices of estate sales of two luminaries, the American Indian painter, Allen Houser, and Murray Gell-Mann, the Nobel Prize winner in Physics for his research and discovery of Quarks, the subatomic particle, in all matter, who had spent his latter years at the Santa Fe Institute.
We were amazed by both houses. Houser’s was a small 1200 square foot tract home in south Santa Fe near Zia Rd. In the middle of a suburbia that could be an entry level home anywhere. We did not buy any of his extensive and expensive Indian Jewelry. Instead Suzette bought a large and small galvanized steel wash bucket for $15.00 and a small pony bit.
We next drove to Stephen’s Consignment to pick up the wrought iron coat rack, suzette had selected on our last visit. After we paid and loaded it, we got directions to the big Estate sale at Murray Gell-Mann’s
House, which was on Museum Hill near St. John’s University. Tell-Mann’s house was at the other extreme of society, a large rambling approximately 6000 to 7000 square foot contemporary adobe style house with an indoor swimming pool, connected casita with two guest rooms, patios, several bedrooms and sitting rooms and two large libraries for all of his books with lots of bird prints and Oceanic art.
We looked at everything and bought a heavy duty furniture dolly for $25.00 and a 5 gallon plastic gasoline storage container for $8.00 that was new and marked $12.99 from the retail store it had been originally purchased at.
We were amazed that from these two sublime mentors of science and culture we were interested only in the most functional and uninteresting goods.
As Suzette about the buckets, “You can always use a bucket.” And at Gell-Mann’s House, “We need a good dolly and a gasoline container.” So for our morning function won out over form. But that changed completely after lunch.
It was noon and we drove to Owings Gallery and parked and walked through Sena Plaza to The Shed. It was crowded with lots of balloon tourists, but we were willing to wait for 45 minutes on a park bench in the restaurant’s patio in the warm sunlight in the 60’s degree weather. Suzette drank a margarita and then some water and I drank a Negra Modelo. The beer tasted particularly good for some reason.
When we were called we took a table under the canopy that shaded part of the patio next to the restaurant’s entrance . Suzette ordered a carne adovado plate with a rolled blue corn cheese enchilada and double Posole and I ordered my usual, No. 5; rolled blue corn enchiladas filled with ground beef and sauced with red chili and cheese with double Posole and sour cream and two more Negra Modelo beers. We ordered a bowl of cold raspberry soup, but our waiter forgot that part of the order. Given the massive crowd, we did not mention the oversight and he apologized and when he brought us our plates of food hot from the oven, because he had helped us decide a big issue.. I asked him to put in an order for a mocha cake for dessert, so it would thaw while we ate.
While we were trying to decide what to order after we were seated we had argued about whether to order the raspberry soup as an appetizer and the dessert and had decided to order the soup and no dessert. But now, our waiter had made that decision for us, since we were served our entrees it was easy to add the dessert to the end of the meal. Suzette did suggest trying the soup as a dessert, but I rejected that idea. Next time we will find out if the raspberry soup would have been a good choice for dessert, but not in this maelstrom of activity.
I requested sour cream and chopped onions and was brought them immediately. This waiter is one of my favorites and felt great about the meal.
Both the Shed’s red Chile sauce and the mocha cake are béchamel sauces. For example, the red Chile sauce is constructed by heating red chili powder in oil and then adding tomato juice or water to emulsify the sauce.
The recipes are available on the Internet, but here are the recipes:
Red chili sauce
Ingredients
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp flour
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup Shed New Mexico red chile powder
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
Directions
1. Heat oil in pan.
2. Add flour and garlic and brown.
3. Add chile powder and mix.
4. Add water and stir until lumps are dissolved.
5. Add salt.
6. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, minimum, on medium heat. Let it simmer at least 45 minutes to let flavors blend well.
Good on huevos rancheros, enchiladas, tacos, or simply as a garnish.
Makes approx. 2 cups.
THE SHED MOCHA CAKE
From: Santa Fe restaurants - The Shed and La Choza
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup strong coffee
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
5 eggs, separated (pasteurized)
1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
Work butter and cornstarch together into a smooth paste. Add coffee and melt the butter mixture in the top of a double-boiler. Add semi-sweet chocolate and melt, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, beat egg yolks, adding 1/2 cup of sugar. Gradually add chocolate mixture and continue beating until blended. Return the entire mixture to the top of the double-boiler and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in vanilla and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites and salt until thick and frothy. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar gradually and beat until mixture holds a point. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture until well-blended; set aside.
In a butter-greased 8-inch pan, sprinkle 1/3 cup wafer crumbs, coating the bottom evenly. Pour over half of the chocolate mixture, spreading evenly. Layer another 1/3 cup wafer crumbs, add the remaining half of the chocolate, and top with the remaining 1/3 cup of wafer crumbs.
Cover and freeze for a minimum of 1 hour (2-4 hours is preferable).
To serve, cut in squares and top with whipped cream.
Source: The Best from New Mexico Kitchens by Sheila McNiven Cameron and the Staff of New Mexico Magazine, 1978
THE SHED MOCHA CAKE
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp. instant coffee
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
7 eggs, separated (pasteurized)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 1/2 oz. chocolate wafers, crushed (or use Oreo pie crust, if you cannot find plain wafers)
Whipped cream, for serving
In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate chips, coffee, sugar and water; allow to cool.
Add egg yolks to the chocolate mixture along with vanilla; set aside.
Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture.
Spread crushed chocolate wafers in the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square pan. Cover with half of the chocolate mixture and another later of crumbs. Freeze for 15 minutes.
Add remainder of chocolate mixture and top with another thin layer of crumbs. Cool.
Serve with whipped cream.
Makes 6 servings
The Enchiladas were better than ever with lots of red Chile and Posole. Suzette ate about ½ of her lunch and I ate a little more of my enchiladas and less of the Posole and red chili. We boxed about ½ of our food for breakfast tomorrow with fried eggs and a fresh warm flour tortilla.
When we finished lunch a few minutes after 2:00 we walked the 1 ½ blocks to the Fine Arts Museum to see the Agnes Pelton exhibit, Desert Transcendentalist. It was the best exhibit I have seen in years, and I have seen a lot of exhibits. The reason why was she was a member of the Russian Theosophical group associated with Agni Yoga founded by Nicolais Roerich and Helena Roerich, which I am attracted to. Let me quickly trace the connection. Nicola is Roerich was the Minister of Culture for the Czar and was forced to leave Russia in 1917. He first moved to Paris and designed sets for Diagalev’s Ballet Russe working with Stravinsky and other Russian emigres. Roerich then went to England and then New York where he established the first integrated arts school. He hired Emil Bisttram as a teacher at his school in 1920?.
In 1919 Roerich I think visited Santa Fe and in that same year I think was commissioned to design sets in Chicago were he created a small art society of those who painted from the the heart and became friends with Raymond Jonson. The Roeriches must have been magnetic personalities. They left adherents to their way of seeing the world wherever they went. Agnes Pelton was also a friend/follower of theirs, as evidenced by the portraits of Nicholas and Helena Roerich in the exhibit. In fact it appears to me that she most clearly embodied their form of Theosophical Agni Yoga iconography in her work.
Suzette loved the exhibit also. That shared spiritual bond is probably one of the reasons I love Suzette.
At 3:00 Suzette drove us back to Albuquerque, while I slept.
We showered and dressed and at 5:30 drove to the symphony.
The symphony was wonderful. The starSpangled Banner and then a wonderful Tchaikovsky violin concerto with an amazing young violinist and after intermission, Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony.
After the symphony, we met Cliff and Nancy at Le Troquet at 3rd and Gold for dinner. Le Troquet is owned by Jean Pierre, who has had French restaurants in Albuquerque for over 40 years. He is a fabulous cook in the classical tradition of French Cuisine. You will never be surprised or unsatisfied by his food.
Tonight was no exception. Suzette and I shared a house salad of Bibb lettuce and red onion slices dressed with a light vinaigrette. Cliff and Nancy shared an endive, walnut and mandarin orange salad. We then all shared an appetizer of French smoked cured herring pieces on slices of potato, again with thin slices of red onion and a vinaigrette dressing.
We had spoken to Jean Pierre and he had recommended the fresh Halibut and a bottle of white Bordeaux from Graves. We took his suggestion and both couples ordered the Halibut that was split onto two plates with extra vegetables and a wild rice and white rice medley.
The Halibut sauced with an exquisite beurre Blanc with capers was amazing. The julienned carrots, celery, and eggplant and Brussels sprout and two thick asparagus were cooked and sautéed superbly.
The complexity of the wine perfectly complimented the meal.
Nancy and Cliff told us about their latest trip to Mackinaw Island in Michigan.
Cliff’s showed me his sketches of the area, which were lovely.
We paid and said goodnight after discussing our next dinner date, which probably will be in December.
A lovely day of activity and food.
Bon Appetit
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