I MISSED IT!!!! I MISSED THEM!!!! Our fish dinner

I find myself, from time to time, in a situation where I feel somewhat akin to how Jessye Norman described her debut at the Met Opera. This was way back in 1982. The production was "Les Troyens" (worth seeing, but not a great opera, in my view). Interviewed, after it was over, I recall her saying something to the effect of "I was so excited !!! I was jumping up and down and laughing and smiling and screaming" .
Well, the thought of Ms. Norman jumping up and down is a bit frightening. Funny, but frightening. And in an apartment building with sensitive neighbors, who DO like to sleep, this is probably not the best way to behave. Be that as it may, it is how I felt last night after we made the dish I describe.
Yes, the pronoun was "we," and that's why I was jumping up and down with joy. See, Annalena has gone back into the kitchen. This time, with Keith and Jeremy. It has been MONTHS since Keith and I have cooked together. Jeremy and I cooked together last month, and I have been wanting to get him back in the kitchen since then. Also, Annalena has a pretty good instinct about when things will work. And you take two men who are extremely open and easygoing, and you have a magic in the kitchen. The fact that the food we cooked was delicious is almost , in fact it is, secondary. "Where there is great love there are always miracles" wrote Willa Cather. There was great love in that kitchen last night. Was the fish miraculous? Perhaps. Was the atmosphere around the fish miraculous? YOU BETCHA. Story lines opened and weren't finished (and that's good!), much frustration was forgotten, at least for a while, and a good meal was enjoyed by all.
So, all I can say about this, folks, is learn from my "mistakes." Remember the line from one of my favorite songs: "If you know it show it" Well, I KNOW I love cooking with my friends. Why I let them get away, I dunno. But guys, you ain't getting away again. Uh uh.

We made two dishes last night. Either one of them would have made a truly wonderful meal. Together, they were sublime. And you'll have to be patient, because you're only getting one in this note: fish baked in creme fraiche mustard sauce, a dish based on my new girlfriend, Ina Garten's book.

Creme fraiche is one of those ingredients that Europeans very much take for granted, and Americans don't use. USE IT. In fact, make it. I will tell you how in a minute. The reason you should use it is because it is solid and rich and does not coagulate in cooking, the way yogurt and other solid dairy products do. And whilst based on cream, it is solid enough to hold together as compared to cream itself. You can buy really good creme fraiche, but here's how you make it: take a pint of heavy cream. Get stuff that hasn't been irradiated, and if you can, get unpasteurized stuff. Pour it into a big container. Add about a quarter cup of buttermilk. Shake it. Put it on a counter, UNREFRIGERATED and let it sit. After two days, you'll have a loose, slightly sour product. At three, it solidifies nicely. At four, you have a solid mass that is also pretty tart, going toward sour cream. You decide how you want it, and then refrigerate it.

You will need anywhere from a cup to two cups of the creme fraiche for this dish. We used two cups but we had lots of sauce left (and that will be the subject of YET ANOTHER NOTE in the future). You will also need a big tabelspoon of a grainy mustard, and three of dijon. If you only have one type, use that, but you should have them both in the house . Mustard is one of a cook's best friends. Stir that mustard into the creme fraiche, and put it aside.

You also want to chop up one shallot. And you want a tablespoon of capers. Now, I favor the kind that are packed in salt, rather than under brine. What that means is that I have to soak mine for about half an hour before I want to use them, and drain the water a few times. To me, it's a simple operation and it's worth doing it, because I don't like the briny taste of the jarred ones. This is your call, though.

Ok, now to our fish. You want four fillets, about half a pound of a white, firm fish. We used red snapper. Use halibut, use cod, use pollak, use what you have available. A few weeks ago, we ate tilefish here that was available from local waters. Worked great. Later in the year, local black seabass will work as well. Lay the fish, skin side down, in a 9x13 pan, and salt and pepper them. You do this to taste . Keith is not a big fan of pepper, and we didn't use a lot. If you are a pepper slut, use lots. Use green peppercorns, or pink ones, too.

Now, take that sauce and pour it over the fish, and spread it nicely to cover everything. Sprinkle the shallots and the capers over it. Get your oven heated to 425 and put the fish in (Here's a hint folks: if you're cooking fish, especially one in a sauce, hot and fast is better than low and slow).
Bake this for about 15-20 minutes. You'll see the sauce brown slightly, and bubble at the end. The only issue you will have with this is finding the fillets in the sauce, since the color is so similar. But deal with it.

Now, putting aside my rant on friendship for the day, is that an easy recipe or what? For simple, make some potatoes or rice. For complex, make the risotto I'll post tomorrow.

As I think about this recipe, I keep on thinking that the shrimp and peas we used in the risotto could go into this preparation without a thought, and it would be great. What do you fellas think?

Jeremy once wrote "I make anywhere I am , home." Make t his place home Jeremy. Keith, you know by now the door is always open here. Come on by again, guys. Let's cook some more, or let's just sit around and talk, or do whatever the hell we want.

Welcome back, both of you. I missed you. And now, if you'll excuse me, I AM in fact going to go and do some jumping up and down