October 17, 2011 | By Adam Roberts | 0 Comments
On Saturday night, with 45 minutes left to go before our friend Dara was due to drop by for drinks, I made a drastic decision. I decided to make gougères.
This seemed like a drastic decision because: (a) I didn’t have the right cheese in my refrigerator and (b) I’d have to dirty the kitchen and a bunch of dishes just before the arrival of a guest. Things would be messy, things might burn. This was dangerous drink-hosting and I was living right on the edge. That’s what made it all so exciting.
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July 28, 2009 | By spainblogger | 0 Comments
[Hey, this is Adam The Amateur Gourmet. I'm on vacation in Barcelona, Spain and while I'm gone I've asked some awesome people to fill in for me. Today we continue talented female filmmaker day with another talented female filmmaker, Ms. Dara Bratt. (Check out her film, "In Vivid Detail.") Dara isn't just a talented filmmaker, she's also an excellent cook--see here--but this post, I have to confess, has me a little worried. Take it away, Dara!]
What I’m about to share may shock you, some will be repulsed, others curious or even amused. Nothing beats a hot summer day like frozen pickle juice.
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January 22, 2009 | By Adam Roberts | 20 Comments
Dinner parties are rarely life changing events. Usually, you sit around a table with friends, drink wine, eat cheese, and talk about light subjects like abortion and torture and then you all head home. At least, that’s always how it’s been for me until this past weekend when our friends Dara and Kieran–who’ve kindly hosted us before– invited us to dinner.
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October 8, 2008 | By Adam Roberts | 4 Comments
My friend Dara, who I met because she went to film school with Craig, cooked me not one, but TWO fantastic meals over the past two weeks. The first was an intimate dinner with her, her husband Kieran, Craig and myself; the second was a Rosh Hashanah dinner for a small group of mostly non-Jews (Dara asked me to do the prayer for the bread, and I forgot it!)
So this is just a quick (public) note to thank Dara for her wonderful food. At the first meal, there was a barley risotto that Dara fretted over because it took a long while to become tender–but the work paid off: it was extraordinarily flavorful, and a great base for the scallops (perfectly cooked) that she served on top with a piece of pancetta.
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