06.10.08
Who’s Cheating Who?…
It seems like a fair deal to me. And it seems like a fair deal to my uncle as well. I think that’s the cornerstone of all good deals. Each side thinks that they’re cheating the other.
 I honestly have no idea what these forms are for. Yet I feel that’s a good thing… |
Every year, my uncle does my taxes for me. I collect a folder full of documents that I feel are possibly important and hand them to him in no particular order. A few weeks later, he has a series of documents that look like tax forms that I’m told to sign and mail off. The IRS then sends off the refund check, and I sit back with some cold ones and wonder why people think tax time is such a pain.
However, the flip side of this deal is that I have to prepare a gourmet meal for my uncle in return for this service. No problem! It just so happens that I both enjoy cooking, and I happen to be pretty good at it. So while it may seem a bit like a busman’s holiday for me to spend a whole day cooking, when in fact I’m supposed to be recovering from cooking, I see it as an easy and enjoyable payment for avoiding what most people consider to be one of the most dreadful citizenly duty.
But in the interest of full disclosure, my uncle is in fact an accountant, and helps lots of people with their taxes, so it’s not that much more of a stretch for him to do one more set of 1040’s. Or W2’s… or whatever those things are…
 Before the wine, and more in focus… |
Seeing as how this is a food blog though, and not a discussion of the merits of our system of taxation (we’ll get plenty of that later on seeing as how this is an election year), I’ll now go into a description of what I made for my uncle yesterday, seeing as how I spent all day yesterday making his special meal.
The opening course, a sort of amuse bouche, was clams poached in coriander, pepper and bay topped with prosciutto, corn salsa and basil. It was simple, clean and bursting with all sorts of complimentary flavors. And I have to say, it looked pretty cute on the plate as well.
 The wine is flowing, and my ability to focus is going… |
The main course consisted of three dishes:
- Lamb chops with a salt and lavender crust
- Roasted red pepper, caramelized onion and goat cheese tart
- Asparagus with two sauces - Romesco and Bearnaise
 Yet more wine, and I flat out forget to take a photo… |
And for dessert, the perfect end to a hot summer’s day, a red wine granita layered with fresh oranges and ruby red grapefruit. It was served in a tall pilsner glass so the fruit layering could be seen, and the rich red color of the granite could be enjoyed by all the diners. You’ll have to take my word for it, it was beautiful, delicious and wonderfully refreshing given how hot it is outside right now.
So I pose this question to you all, my readers:
Now please don’t vote based on what you think of this meal in particular. I don’t serve the same thing every year. In fact, I always present him with new recipes I’ve come up with rather than play it safe. So there is an element of chance involved seeing as how I don’t know how it’s going to turn out myself. But I just want to know who is getting the raw end of this deal.
Though I do already know who the real winner is: My wife. She gets her taxes done, and enjoys a meal with no work. Damn she’s lucky!
Stumble it!
Eize said,
June 12, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I’m going to have to agree with you on this one: the missus wins! XD
ALTHOUGH–since I suck at math and anything to do with money, I voted for Chef Matt. I, at least, know how to cook.
Well, not as good as you, though.