Further to this post, where I wrote about cooking from America’s Test Kitchen’s Cooking for Two (2010), I’ve spent a some time in the kitchen since our big deal signed a few days ago. (A veritable “big deal” such that an attorney on the other side of the transaction was recognized as AmLaw’s Dealmaker of the Week.)
This time, I chose the Polenta and Sausage Dinner with Mushrooms recipe. The name leaves out some important details: the sausage is sweet italian, tomato and onion are included, and the topping is finished with a goat cheese crumble. This qualifies as adventurous, seeing as I’ve never had polenta before. It tasted great right out of the oven–so I’ll call it a success. But a few notes about this recipe:
First, I’d call this cooking for at least three, if not four. (I prefer a small portion and was able to stretch this to four dinners.)
Second, polenta doesn’t keep well, which is important to remember since I store the second serving of these recipes for dinner the next day. The polenta turns to rubber although the mushroom, sausage, tomato and goat cheese topping makes for excellent leftovers.
Dessert was justified after my 24 hour stretch in the office, so I also picked something sweet: Peach Crisp. I love peaches in all forms, but there is something especially comforting about baked peaches. The recipe is simple and, if you use a food processor to chop your nuts (I used almonds), preparation moves very quickly. I’ve resolved to keep a small bag of frozen peaches in my freezer so that I can whip up some peach crisp the next time I have a bad day.
I am still processing my reactions to what it was like to work on this particular deal. My knee-jerk was to feel very concerned about heading further down this path. I spent more than 24 hours in the office while a dear college friend delivered a baby and my first love got married. What a juxtaposition! It’s hard to keep up with life (or have a life) outside of the office when work demands are utterly unpredictable.
Read the full article: The Kitchen