Day 4.

Friday, Day 4. The plan was to arrive at work early enough to complete the wholesale orders we were behind on. This involves no hard work, but a critical amount of time in order to melt, temper, clean, remelt, and temper two different kinds of chocolate. Needless to say, my 7 a.m. arrival turned into 8 a.m., which means the double americano with a bit of steamed milk went with me directly to the chocolate room. It is my belief, backed by years of formulated logic and calculation, that chocolate and wine are best tasted first thing in the morning. Without going into the chemistry of my theory, this is the time of day that your palate is the freshest. My wine purveyors are happy to schedule a 9 a.m. tasting with me, since most self-respecting bar managers are still asleep at that time. Same for chocolate, although my tasting days are thankfully over, given the accessibility of approximately 700 lbs of chocolate on any given morning. Today, however, I plopped myself down at the dipping table, palate clean, senses honed, and stomach growling just slightly miffed about the long-digested ear of corn. Those little drops of chocolate that fall around the pan when you're moving chocolate around are pretty easy to just pop right in, and the wonderful flavor of chocolate and perfect mouth-feel of cocoa butter cries out for another. I will admit right here to being addicted to chocolate, so of course the doors flew open and caution be damned. By the time the orders were filled, I had moved in to the office for my usual morning chores, grabbed a couple of cookies left over from last nights library capital campaign committee meeting, and by the end of the second one remembered my beautiful garden. That's always the way it is, the deceit of the body hides the truth from the mind until it's too late.
Lunch, atonement: That hot tub of carbohydrates kept me going until around 1:00. I put a potato and a golden beet in the oven to roast, same oil and salt treatment as in Day 1. I sliced my biggest carrot into coins, added a dot of goat cheese to the plate, sliced the hot potato, and ate them happily sitting in my garden under the big cedar. Carrot and goat cheese turns out to be nice. I turned off the oven and left the beet in there while I went back to work to deliver a cake to Harbor Lights. Happy Birthday Brian.
Dinner: It was the herb garden that gave me the idea to ask Amanda for an egg. I drove the 4 blocks over, and was rewarded with 6 eggs and a glass of wine, a Beringer Sauvignon Blanc, refreshing. Amanda explained that eggs of free-range chickens have twice the protein, and besides that she's now feeding them flax which ensures a dose of omega 3.
Back home, omelet in mind, I picked a 4-inch zucchini, one roma tomato, a leaf of sage, a sprig of fennel, a leaf of basil, a sprig of thyme, and a few strands of chive. I call it a Farmer's Omelet. Here's what to do: Get everything ready first. Stir up a couple of eggs in a dish with a fork. Put in a teaspoon or so of water, the steam from the water as the eggs cook will make them fluff. Slice the herbs. Cut half the tomato into 1/2" dice. The roma has less juice than regular, and won't mess up your omelet.
Melt a bit of butter and some canola oil in a hot egg pan. Clarified butter instead of the combo is the best, but the last thing I need hanging around the house is a squeeze bottle of clarified butter. Slice the zucchini very thin, and throw it around in the hot oil with some salt. When it takes some color, throw in a little sherry or wine and cook it off. I used some Madeira, a nice one left from a wine dinner, and poured myself a little glass while I was at it. It's Friday night. Pour the eggs into the pan, and turn and shake the pan to keep it off the bottom. Lay the tomatoes in and the herbs over that. I love flipping omelets, just do it over the sink unless you feel like cleaning the kitchen. If it doesn't flip, turn it into a scramble. Oh, I put a dot of the goat cheese in too. Love that.
You're done. Life is good. A chicken pecking around under the beans would be great, remind me to check how Daisy feels about that.

For previous posts: http://affairschocolate.blogspot.com