May 11, 2022 Lunch - Chili Relleno Burrito. Dinner - Crab and Shrimp Soufflé with garden Salad.

May 11, 2022 Lunch - Chili Relleno Burrito. Dinner - Crab and Shrimp Soufflé with garden Salad. 

I ate two Pattie’s of sausage,two eggs and two slices of toasted and buttered French baguette spread with Apricot preserves for breakfast around 9:00 as I was weakening.

I then lay down to regain my strength.

I got up at noon and at 1:00 drove to El Super. I went to the Covina restaurant first and saw that they had baked Chile rellenos very much like the one I ate in PV on our recent trip to Mexico.

I ordered the Relleno with double beans for $7.99 and a Coca Cola that totaled $10.00.

The attendant asked me if I wanted corn of flour tortillas and I said, “Flour.”

The Relleno was also served with tomato and lettuce and with two flour tortillas wrapped in aluminum foil that had been toasted on a grill.

I decided to cut the Relleno in half and place it in one of the tortillas and garnish it with refried beans, lettuce, and tomato.  I loved it and it reminded me of the first time we ate a Chile Relleno burrito when we were in San Diego.  

   

The burrito

I could only eat one burrito so I asked for a box to take the other half of the Relleno and rest of the beans and salad home.

I then shopped for mainly produce. I bought limes, lemons, Persian cucumbers, oranges, Fuji apples, carrots, onions, a head of romaine lettuce, Shishito peppers, asparagus, broccoli, four ears of corn, three or four Yukon gold potatoes, a bunch of radishes, a bunch of green onions, a dozen eggs, vine ripe tomatoes, and green beans, plus a can of pinto beans.

I returned home at 3:15, just in time to unload the groceries and start the zoom meeting of the Titan board.

The meeting ran past 4:30, when Suzette arrived. We had invited Melissa and her mother, Ruth, and Willy to join us for dinner. 

We had selected a simple menu, crab and shrimp soufflé and a garden salad and toasted French baguette.  Suzette started cooking and I then joined her in the kitchen. She made the roux and we thawed about a dozen shrimp. She then added three egg yolks to the roux.  In another skillet she sautéed the shrimp I had minced with the crab we had picked last Saturday night and the white portion of two large green onions I minced.  I grated about 2/3 cup of Jarlsberg cheese and added it to the roux.  The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of cheese.  Also as the roux thickened Suzette added more milk to the roux.  These additions effectively increased the volume of the soufflé, which was needed to provide a  generous portion to each of the five diners.

Suzette cleaned and tore some of the romaine lettuce for the salad, cleaned it and put it into the teak salad bowl, while  I sliced two radishes, two vine ripe tomatoes, and added lemon juice to the Cesar salad dressing to add to its citrus flavor to complement the seafood flavor of the souffle.

I also shredded about about 1/3 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese with the micro grater that I coated the soufflé dish I had buttered to prevent the soufflé from sticking to the dish.

Melissa and Ruth arrived a few minutes before 6:00 with two lovely bottles of 2020 French Cotes de Provence Rose’s, Olema and Chateau Gigery.

We all liked the Chateau Gigery best, because of its greater fruitiness.

Willy arrived around 6:15 and a lively conversation ensued.

Melissa helped Suzette fold the egg whites into the batter and pour it into the soufflé dish. Suzette set the settings on the steam oven for a large soufflé and put the soufflé into the oven to bake with steam.

I asked if anyone wanted a slice of toasted French baguette and received a positive response, so I sliced a 7 inch Piece of baguette into six slices, which I toasted and buttered and Suzette wrapped and put on a monkey pod wood bread platter.

I then dressed the salad with the revived Cesar dressing and Suzette set up the salad and bread as a buffet on the kitchen counter.

I opened the Chateau Gigery and Melissa filled the empty glasses with it.

After about thirty minutes the souffle was ready and Suzette removed it to the counter by the salad.

I served portions of souffle to each person, who then served themselves salad and we seated ourselves at the dining room table.

Suzette had decided the wind was so strong that we should not eat outside?

Everyone liked the cheesy shrimp and crab soufflé and salad and the rose went perfectly with the souffle.

We caught up on Ruth and Melissa’s family news and history and Willy explained his job and career plans, so a very pleasant conversation among close friends.

Suzette went to the kitchen and made one scoop vanilla sundaes with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and one of her maraschino cherries for a nice dessert.

Around 9:30 everyone said goodnight and we went to bed by 10:00.

Bon Appetit