Haute cuisine

July 2, 2020 - Haute cuisine

         Years ago on our first corporate move, we landed in Kansas City, Kansas imported from New England.

         The land was flat as far as the eye could see, the man-sized steaks hung over the edges of dinner plates and the new, fashionable artichokes were a-plenty in all the restaurants, having finally made their way from the West Coast.

         The Steak and Ale restaurant, a well-known chain at the time, was the hot spot in town and my husband’s boss took us out to dinner and made certain we partook of the new rage, steamed artichokes, recently added to the menu.

         Steaming globes of thistle arrived at the table with a bowl of butter for dipping.  Anything you have to dip in butter to eat is on my good-food list along with lobster, and crabs.  I was instructed to peel the leaf off, dip it in the incredible butter, then drag the fleshy leaf end over my lower front teeth.

         The boss and his wife were experts showing us how to properly eat them.  The first dozen leaves were tough and we progressed circling around the dull green globes, where the fleshy part on the leaves became tastier.  When we got toward the center, again we were instructed that we had to carve out the thistle part, the fuzzy spikey part, cautioned it was inedible. 

         Finally, slicing the delicate flesh of the artichoke heart in to wedges, we dipped them in butter and savored the nirvana.

         It didn’t take long for this corporate wife to find fresh artichokes in the market and after several attempts at cooking them, I found the secret. – SHSSSH - Don’t tell anyone. – When you get them boiling, drop a heavy plate on top of them to weigh them down under the lemon infused water and put the lid on for perfection.

         Several corporate moves later, this time, we were in New Jersey renting a little log cabin at Packanack Lake, which was close enough to invite family to visit.  My brother Ken and his wife came down with the kids, Stef and Jeff.

         In the one-person kitchen, I prepared a feast, mirroring many of the corporate dinner parties I’d given over the last several years.  I kept it simple, steaks on the grill, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, a tossed salad and steaming artichokes with drawn butter.

         We ate on the patio, having a perfect view of the lake across the street.

         Steamed artichokes were new to Ken and Peg so we showed them how to eat them.  They tried, exchanged funny looks between themselves and eventually we all got down to the artichoke hearts, the fleshy part.

         They weren’t impressed, and Ken finally blurted out, “You actually eat these because you like them, or, because they look, FANCY?”

        

The above was the June writing prompt for our writer's group.  It was my suggestion that we write something funny due to this COVID19 situation.  I hope I made you at least smile, but laugh preferably.