After a full weekend of events in the L.A. area, it was nice to wake up in my own bed. I enjoyed doing my morning exercises before meeting up with my producer and his wife and my assistant for breakfast. Eggs and crisp bacon, fresh orange juice, coffee, and toast—what more could anyone want? We discussed the details of an upcoming event, which I am looking forward to because they are going to serve some of my favorite desserts—Apples Rosie With Crème Anglaise, Mousse au Chocolat, and Hazelnut Cornucopia With Chantilly Cream. It will be a gathering of about 50 people and should be festive and enjoyable indeed.
We finished breakfast and headed into town to visit with a chef and meeting planner for yet another upcoming event. It will be a busy month! We have decided to do a demonstration about sauces. People seem to be afraid to make them, and that’s silly because they aren’t that difficult to do, and they add so much to the dish. We will prepare a hollandaise and several of its variations, and then we will show everyone what to do when the sauce breaks so that they can bring it back. Chef David and I think it will be interesting and fun—let’s hope so!
With the day’s business obligations done, I finally had a chance to settle back into my winter digs. A new resort and hotel has opened in the area, and I was eager to see it. So, we piled into the car and drove out into what used to be a completely undeveloped area. It is now filled with new homes, an enormous golf course, and a lovely resort. The grounds were attractive and the scenery beautiful. We took a little tour of the facilities and then had a nice lunch in one of the three restaurants. Actually, one of the restaurants is not open for lunch, and one is connected with the spa—serving only health food—so there was really only one obvious choice for me! The staff was efficient, professional, and very pleasant. And how nice it was to be able to look out over the ocean. The chef sent out an antipasto of cheeses, olives, prosciutto, garlic hummus, and delicious breads. Having just returned from four days of endless banquet meals, it was nice to be able to just order a salad. No one wanted dessert, so we headed out to the grocery store.
I like to shop! It is fun to go down the aisles and see all the different fruits, vegetables, and cuts of meat. The lamb looked particularly good, so I bought a rack to cook tomorrow. I also picked up a few staples to have on hand—some potatoes, white sandwich bread, eggs, milk, and oranges. The trees in my garden have not yet adjusted to their environment, and aside from the lemon tree, which is producing grapefruit-sized lemons, there is little to no fruit at all. I hope that by next year I shall be picking figs, oranges, and apples. Meanwhile, it is nice to have them available in the market. Since I shall be leaving the day after tomorrow for a PR trip to Dallas, I didn’t buy a lot. I will shop at the farmer’s market next Saturday, when we return from Texas.
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