#70 - Happy (belated) New Year

End of the holidays
The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur.  Somewhere in the midst of many departures from the islands of those who migrated here temporarily to be with their families (and in some cases, to escape grim, gray and cold weather) and the occasional computer issue, I have fallen woefully behind.  Hopefully you have all had happy and safe holidays.

Back to the basics
New Year's eve was a relatively quiet affair, for which I thank the various children in attendance.  Who knew you could still be tired after sleeping for almost a week straight?  We had dinner chez sister and brother-in-law with several babies (tears at various points in the evening since it was past their bedtimes) and lots of parents.  As always in any Hawaiian gathering, there was obviously not enough to eat...most of the food was take out, but we did prepare a couple of things at home.


2012
Cooking still requires some careful handling of various utensils and a lot of time so I went back to the basics on NYE.  We went up the hill to see the fireworks.  Apparently the crackdown on aerials has worked - they have been illegal for at least 15 years, possibly 20 but that hasn't always deterred the naughty pyromaniacs from setting them off.  This usually resulted in a number of fires so the fire department was kept busy unless it was a rainy year.  Not so this year but the only ones we really saw were the official ones:  Ala Moana and Aloha Tower Marketplace.  We got a good view of both, then the diehards who were still present were served fruit salad.  Yes - that fruit salad from basic Patisserie.  Luckily this time it didn't take 2.5 hours to make and I didn't have to submit the fruits for inspection by the chef.

Sunday morning we managed to get ourselves up and down to the water.  Brunch time!  The usual chef at the made-to-order omelette station was promoted so he wasn't there.  However, I had fun chatting with the new chef and even better, I got to have my omelette the way I like it - most likely overcooked by LCB standards but perfect for me.

Beef roulades with Asian salad
Outrigger Canoe Club -
got a new chef a few months ago
and the menu has changed accordingly,
mostly for the better)

Then it was the last minute flurry of catch ups with friends before they left town.  It occurred to me that I was pretty busy for someone who didn't have to do anything.  I love catching up with all my friends but sometimes it seems like a year (or several) between catch ups is a long time.  Somehow communication loses a lot of its immediacy when reduced to emails or text messages.  I think this is especially true since writing leaves out a lot of nuance while allowing the reader's own moods to creep in, sometimes to the detriment of the communication.  But again, I digress.

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea was at the Kahala Hotel.  I liked the savory options and the flourless chocolate cake - the remainder of the tea left me rather uninspired and I can't tell if I am being extra critical because I don't like sweets or because they weren't executed well, which is entirely possible.  Strongly disapproved of the scones (I like mine fluffy) and the clotted cream (it wasn't clotted cream).  There was quite a lot of yuzu jelly / cream in the pastries - a nod to the Asian influence in using the citrus, although it tasted a bit strange to a palate only just getting used to it.  At present I still find it indescribable beyond the citrus tang with a bit of sourness/bitterness behind it.

Then more cooking - baby steps...
I tried poached eggs and Hollandaise again.  We have a friend who cannot have gluten or dairy so I made vegetables for her instead.  The quenelles were just for the presentation so she would have something pretty.  All bets were off for the second serve and everyone dug in - much better for family dining but it's nice to be able to place something pretty in front of your friends and family.  Poaching eggs was interesting - mainly because I got a request to have the yolks fully cooked through (success and no gray ring, but there was a moment of annoyance when I thought I had overcooked it).  No English muffins so we used toast instead.  As always, I held my breath as I brought the sauce back to temperature because this is usually when my sauce splits.

The week ended with sunset and dinner by the water with friends and family.

So until next time, may your holidays be as drama-free and happy as mine have been.