Twelfth Night in New Orleans
Last night we began 2011 on the right foot, we had a dinner party at a friend’s house and were surrounded by interesting conversation, delicious wines, and fabulous food. Suddenly I feel as if I can face this year boldly – Happy 12th Night, New Year! And Happy Epiphany and beginning of Mardi Gras, New Orleans! Driving home from our little soiree I realized the important things in life are that life has a way of giving you what you want.
In conversation earlier, I was speaking to a friend who had had a miscarriage early and never got pregnant again and she so very much wants to have a child. I told her that I had read something interesting recently where a woman had wanted children and everyone around her was getting pregnant left and right and a very thoughtful friend had the decency to send her a note in the mail that she was pregnant and knew that it might be painful to her friend and so she had sent the note ahead to give her friend time to process it. Ah, how kind. Kindness is all women want when they want a child and cannot have one. I remember a time like that for me, well a few times, but one in particular where the person (not the pregnant one) delivered the news so insensitively that I walked outside and stood by the pool and wanted to just jump in and drown myself. Kindness. I told my friend that I felt very blessed to have never been able to conceive a child because had I had one or adopted in my marriage, I would have never had Tin and I cannot imagine not being Tin’s mother. So life had a way of delivering me to my destiny, albeit a twisty turny one at that.
Earlier in the day I had spoken to the father of a client of mine who had committed suicide. We met by phone after this horrible incident. I think of his son often, a beautiful man. It has been years and we always touch base at the end of the year because his family set up a fund to offer a scholarship to an inner city child that I donate money to. I asked him how he is doing and he said he still cannot face the holidays. And he is still sad. He said he was sitting at a table near a woman who was familiar with what had happened and she said are you going to the holiday party and he said no, it makes me think of my son and I can’t go. And she turned to him and snapped, “Get over it.” He said, “I can’t.” And then he left the dinner, and became angry. He can’t get over his beautiful son taking his own life. How could he?
We gathered around the table last night and I was happy to see my friend laughing despite having spent the holidays sad and blue because her lover left her after years of a promise of family and a future. I wish her all the beauty and love she deserves in this New Year.
Our menu last night – Italian breads from Maple Street and olive oil from 300 year old trees, garlicky plump delicious Louisiana Gulf shrimp, a zucchini ribbon salad with the tenderest pale and dark green strips, risotto with white truffles from Istra (Croatia) and wild mushrooms from the Ferry Building forager in San Francisco, Croatian Plavic Mali wines, a beef tenderloin cooked to perfection, a sauce made from Moises (pronounced noise with an M) Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, now renamed Moises Sauce, Moises Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, a pistachio cake and last but not least, espresso and pistachio gelato from Sucré.
Beef Tenderloin with Moises Sauce
Ingredients
4 T butter
1 T flour
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 T tomato paste
1 1/4 cup Moises Dundee Hills Pinot Noir
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/4 cup beef broth
1 3.5 lb beef tenderloin
2 T cracked black pepper
Directions
Mix 2 T butter and flour in small bowl. Melt 1 T butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, sauté until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add tomato paste; stir until vegetables are coated.
Add wine; boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Add both broths, boil until liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.
Strain liquid, discarding solids. Return liquid to skillet.
Add butter/flour mixture to sauce, whisk over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with pepper. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Take meat out of fridge, one hour before cooking. Sprinkle beef with cracked pepper and salt.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Put a small bit of vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add beef and brown each side 4 minutes on top of stove.
Roast about 15-20 minutes (or until meat thermometer says 160 if thick – if thinner maybe less 140). Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Serves 4-6.
Enjoy!