Tom yum(my) in my tummy.

 

Hard to believe the summer is almost over: farm share veggies start transitioning, the morning commute is suddenly dense with school traffic, and all the Oktoberfest beers appear on shelves. That and our two months of nonstop travel and hosting come to a close. We've been cooking up a storm as usual (backlog of summer posts to come), but last weekend, we did something we rarely do: ordered food in. I had to text my sister to ask for a good Thai takeout place in our area, and then I was unsure of how to handle the payment ("Do you have cash? Do you tip the driver??"). But after weeks of nonexistent Friday evenings to relax, we figured we had earned the right to lay low.

The Similans: authentic Thai with a delivery radius that includes our address. We ordered

• Scallion pancakes: order again for sure (crispy and fulfilling)
• Spicy ravioli: will try fried next time (the wrapper was a little thick for my taste)
• Tom Yum noodle soup (which I spotted on the lunch menu and they were willing to do for dinner - very spicy, chock full of seafood)
• Country style Pad Thai: I would tell you about it firsthand, but Nick devoured it all (always a good sign, I suppose)...he said it was delicious

We opened a bottle of wine and spent the evening cuddled up with Ryan, Marissa, Summer and Seth. It was perfect.

Back to School

Faithful readers -- it's been way too long.

My apartment is partially unpacked, partially painted, and a complete mess -- the last few weeks have been slightly crazy, with the usual moving struggles but also some unexpected challenges (a newly discovered severe dust mite allergy, industrial-strength primer and paint to cover a smoky smell in the new place). Fortunately, I've had plenty of help from friends and family, and it's finally starting to feel like home.

I'm settling in nicely at the new job, and my evenings and weekends are kept busy visiting old friends still in the area, going to a college friend's wedding (enjoying a short reunion with a few former roommates), and meeting my parents for a weekend in New York.

Between all the work and play, I've even found a couple opportunities to go back to my alma mater for a superb public lecture series: Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter. This semester-long course brings in famous chefs such as Wylie Dufresne and David Chang, covering topics ranging from molecular gastronomy to the art of sous-vide. Each chef describes his/her craft and passion for cooking, and together with the course faculty perform live demos to teach basic chemistry and physics concepts involved in cooking and baking. Basically, it's truly optimal entertainment for Nick (the scientist) and me (the amateur chef). We've attended two lectures: the first by Jose Andres, particularly appropriate considering he owns several restaurants in the DC area; and the second by Joanne Chang, owner of one of my very favorite restaurant/bakeries in town (previously featured on the blog), Flour.

Chef Andres introduced us to his organization, the Think Food Group, which includes his restaurants as well as an innovative food and beverage R&D team, and a philanthropy group. He showed us how he experiments with forms and phases of matter for a playful take on traditional dishes (a gorgeous, Chihuly-inspired clear sugar dessert filled with olive oil), shared a new restaurant concept (coming soon), and described his team's great work in Haiti.

Chef Chang talked all about the science of baking ("bakistry"), focusing on the key ingredients that make cake cake (there were highly successful samples distributed throughout the lecture hall). It was fascinating to learn about the role of leavening agents, fats, acids (who knew chocolate was acidic??), sugar, and flour, and how each one contributes to velvety, tender cake. She explained the science behind much of the kitchen knowledge which we experienced cake lovers take for granted (don't overmix batter (to keep from developing gluten, making the cake chewy), use buttermilk with baking soda together (the acid reacts and generates bubbles which give the cake lift)).

While the science in the evening lectures is light and fairly digestible (haha), the full-time class gets into much more difficult concepts. Let me tell you, if it had been offered when I was an undergrad, I would have fought tooth and nail to get on the roster. Boston locals, I highly recommend attending any one of the (free!) lectures left in the series...they're fun, educational, and quite tasty.

New life, in pictures.

My first week here in Boston has been -- like the rest of the summer -- quite a whirlwind. Between starting a new job and installing myself temporarily in my sister's apartment (until mine opens up in October), I've seen old friends and made new ones. A quick recap:


Restaurant Week (surprise!), pt. I at Upstairs on the Square: reunited with a good friend/former roommate and her sister, at the first "fancy" restaurant I ate at in Boston (age 16, visiting sisters in college) with my good friend/former roommate (corn veloute with a seared Diver scallop, soupe au pistou with black bass and Sweet 100 tomatoes, dark chocolate mousse with Port-poached cherries).

Restaurant Week, pt. II at T.W. Food: a new spot for Nick and me, with an adventurous take on classic dishes (charcuterie, duck heart ragu over pasta with a miso-cured duck egg, fruit ile flottante).

First Family Dinner: chicken with lemon-arugula spaghetti

Barbecue and sailing on the Charles: grilled peaches, burgers, hot dogs, s'mores.

Drinks at the Liberty Hotel: perfect evening weather for a Hendrick's G&T.

Birthday lunch and shopping with another good friend/former roommate: my first trip back to the 'burbs to the ENORMOUS Natick mall and the delicious Nordstrom restaurant.

BASTA. PASTA. My old college favorite and sensational Italian spot. I finished my mountain of legendary bolognese, of course.

Tonight's Family Dinner: seared bay scallops in a lemon-herb cream sauce over fresh fettuccine, with local ratatouille (Cait's CSA box had some gorgeous corn, so we added that. Cait's CSA box also had fresh mint, so we made mojitos, of course.)

More posts as the dust settles!