Sunday Dinner at Le Cottage

Guest Editor Jack
We went to Grand Case for dinner which was originally a sleepy fishing village which has become the major dining destination for St. Martin. The majority of the restaurants are French or at least are French-influenced. We went to Le Cottage (http://www.restaurantlecottage.com) for dinner on Sunday and it was probably the best dinner that both of us had since we have arrived on St Martin. Dinner started with a bottle of Château Lagrave-Martillac, 2nd vin du Gd cru 2005 being decanted by the sommelier. We shared an appetizer called "Taste of Quail" which included roasted quail stuffed with foie gras, lentil salad and bacon sauce which was excellent. For main course I had beef tenderloin with cabbage and potato cooked in butter, beef cheek raviolis, vegetable kebab and red wine sauce. Christine had “Taste of Duck” which was sauteed duck breast, red cabbage cooked in port wine, truffle oil on mashed potato, and duck tartar with pear in a glass. For dessert the restaurant is known for their soufflés so we shared a caramel soufflé. We were very pleased with the dinner and off to sleep we went to prepare for a day of scuba diving.

Day 2 - Sunday

Guest Editor Jack
After a lazy morning we headed over to Orient Beach, which is one of the most famous beaches in Saint Martin. We found a restaurant near the beach and ordered breakfast. I ordered a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs with a baguette and jam. Christine ordered an omelet with ham and cheese. Since we both enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning we ordered cappuccinos. We were both very pleased with the breakfast and off to the beach we went. At the beach we walked along the water and viewed the sites. Eventually we ended up at the infamous rocky outcropping (this marks the start of the nude beach- but I forgot to tell Christine about this minor detail). As we got closer to the rocks Christine quickly noticed 2 figures in the distance without clothing and quickly turned around. So then the rest of the time at the beach was spent walking away from the nude beach.

First evening.

Saturday night we were exhausted from being sleep deprived. We had dinner close to our room at Sol e Luna. Highlights were scallops carpaccio in a lemon cream sauce and Chilean sea bass in a mango ginger sauce. The housemade rum at the end in ginger and passionfruit flavors was a nice way to end the night.

Christine found a friend on the way to dinner.

First day, continued...

We picked up groceries on the Dutch side at a well-stocked supermarket. There was everything from lait cru camenbert to salt 'n vinegar kettle chips there. We drove to our inn on the French side and made lunch with prosciutto, baguette, butter, camenbert, hummus and olives.

Arriving

We got here on Saturday. The view from the plane showed the crowded Dutch side.

This morning

This morning began with waking up late and walking down the street for breakfast.

St. Martin

I'll be posting some pictures with guest editor Jack Buckley of our vacation in St Martin. Stay tuned.

A new way to stay connected?

I haven't been that inspired to blog in the last month, despite making some killer butternut squash gnocchi in a butter sage sauce, decent homemade sushi rolls, and having some fun small plates at a local restaurant, Bardo. The endless barrage of tests has attenuated my creative drive. Yesterday, though, I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon to various replies in the computer lab, ranging from "I hate Twitter" to "What is Twitter" to "Why are you following me?" My user name is nguyenct, and I hope to be able to post more there, given that I only get 140 characters a post. I'm still blogging though--just when the mood strikes.

It's that time of year again...

...when every channel shows the same thing, from "The Biggest Loser" to "True Life: I'm on a Diet." If you have made it out of the holiday period unscathed, congratulations. For those who have indulged too often in triple creme cheese, Acme baguettes and little chocolates from New York, here are the top five foods for the new year.

1. Fage 0% yogurt. While I have extolled the virtues of this before, it makes a wonderful, creamy and filling breakfast when topped with blueberries.

2. Kiwis. Instead of reaching for that chocolate or buying a Pinkberry, take a kiwi and use a spoon to scoop out the tart, luscious fruit. Add a glass of cold nonfat milk for a snack.

3. Chicken breast. Grilled on a skillet with some lemon, salt, rosemary, and brushed lightly with low-fat salad dressing, it adds nicely to a salad of mesclun greens with salsa.

4. Egg whites. Whether scrambled or boiled (with the yolks discarded), this is an excellent source of protein.

5. Clementines. Apart from being a source of vitamin C, these have a stronger flavor than many oranges and can be quite juicy.

A Healthier Thanksgiving

In the airport I noticed a blurb in a magazine stating that the average American eats 4000-something calories over Thanksgiving. This is much more than my daily caloric requirements. I began to recall the Thanksgivings where I felt overstuffed. Disturbed and inspired, I decided to add some healthier options to the table this Thanksgiving.

For appetizers, I cut cucumber rounds, topped them with tomato basil hummus, and sprinkled dill and capers on top. I also sliced peppers and celery and stuffed them with a mixture of blue cheese and fat-free greek yogurt, drizzling balsamic vinegar and crushed pepper on top. Finally, I boiled some asparagus and wrapped prosciutto around the stalks.

For side dishes, I made a wild rice and celery salad, cutting the amount of oil in the recipe in half. For a little more green, I boiled a bunch of chopped broccoli in chicken broth. I also made a spinach salad, using dressing sparingly.

For dessert, I washed some fresh strawberries to have with pie.

Overall, I enjoyed the usual Thanksgiving trimmings--turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Adding some healthier options certainly helped me to avoid that gross overstuffed feeling.

My next task? Planning some seasonal items to serve at dinner with friends tomorrow night. I'm also starting to think of the healthy dishes I could make at Christmas...