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Thursday, October 18, 2007

here it comes

We had our first little snow yesterday. Winter is on the way before the leaves have finished changing. Yikes! Not sure I'm ready for this, but I guess winter isn't exactly optional except for the rich folks who can just go someplace else if they don't care for the weather.

This should be our last winter in Taos, so I plan to snuggle in and enjoy all the things I like about it. We had our first fires yesterday, which always seems lovely and romantic until we remember that the first time you fire up the wood stove each year, all the dust burns off, and it's just a stinky mess. Well at least that's over with, so we'll be ready when the real cold hits. It's just practicing now, and as long as the sun is out, like today, this little house stays nice and warm until dark, thanks to the entire south side of the house being glass. The studio has it's own wood stove, and the torch and kiln do the rest of the heating when I forget to put wood on the fire... it happens often.

So we're set for heat, and the soup recipes are coming out of hiding. Last night Rick made an amazing seafood bisque. One of the best things I've ever eaten. Ever. We found the recipe on cooks.com. Here it is for you to try...

SEAFOOD BISQUE

6-8 oz. shellfish chunks and liquid
1/4 c. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. half and half
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2-3 tbsp. sherry
1/3-1/2 can tomato soup

Some heavy cream may be used for a richer bisque.

Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and blend well. Slowly add milks and cream, stirring constantly. Place over medium heat and continue to stir until thickened and smooth. Add seasonings, tomato soup and sherry. Blend well. Add seafood and heat slowly for 20 minutes. Yield: 4 servings.



We didn't have mace, so skipped that, and used vodka instead of sherry... who has sherry anymore? Ick. We also went a little light on the cream, and added some regular milk, and used lots more seafood than they recommend. Too much crab? Not possible! Serve it up with some great bread and nice wine... man, if this is what winter is going to taste like, I say, bring it on!

2 comments:

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

well, I DID have soup. !!! fi rth e500th time this week! This sounds lovely. There are certain things that make me want to quite being a vegetarian. I am nt even a big fish lover, but this seem so cosy and reallly nice !!! and chic!

Anonymous said...

There must be someting magical about soup and glass. I discovered Seeker's Gallery and Robins Nest Restaurant in Cambria several years ago. After I had my fill of gorgeous hand blown, fine quality glass sculpture of all sizes, I went down the street to Robins and had their Salmon Bisque. Just salmon - and like Jean, salmon is not my favorite food or fish, but this was yummy stuff, elegantly presented with several chevrons of salmon floating on the top. If you order it, be cautioned - the bowl is mixing bowl size and you won't want anything else. Oh happy groans. Norine