“No plan survives contact with the enemy.”
I’m not really into war stories or military strategy. But boy, has that quote come to life this week. Everyone knows planning a wedding isn’t easy by design, but our situation has been … unique. Indulge me in a bit of wide-eyed bewilderment, and wonder upon what we’ve gotten through in order to get to Saturday:
A global pandemic forced us to downsize by 90%, and move to the outdoors; more specifically, our backyard.
A hurricane. An actual hurricane. That would turn that backyard into a full-on swamp.
So a scant 5 days before the wedding, we found our third, and final, wedding venue. As my dearest friend and ceremony officiant says: “Now let’s go attack and dethrone God.”
This is all to say: if all goes to plan, I will never have to do this again, right? We are lucky, we are privileged, we have our health. But if a complaint about ~wedding planning stress~ ever comes within my earshot? Ears are gonna get boxed.
In Good Taste will be on brief sabbatical, returning October 28 :)
READING MATERIAL FOR QUIETER MOMENTS OF REFLECTION
“Comfort is hard work and big business, and while it won’t save us, we need it all the same: the cozy soup and sandwich, the cocktail hour”: Queen Ina in quarantine.
A wonderful long read on lifestyle.
“Joyce Chen has not been rediscovered and celebrated like Julia Child. No one has made a movie about her.”
Community cookbooks and the joy of cooking other people’s recipes.
PASTA ALFREDO TO REALLY GET YOUR HEART PUMPING
I don’t need to sell you on pasta in cream sauce. But I feel I should let you know that I am not Italian, I have no heritage connection to Italian or Italian-American cooking, beyond a healthy appreciation for it.
So a traditional alfredo has nothing to do with heavy cream, and haters will say this recipe for alfredo is heresy because of it, but you know what? It’s 2020 and we are living for today and today only.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ cup, heavy cream
1 egg yolk
A box of long pasta
1 cup, grated Parmesan
Dash of nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
WHAT TO DO
Boil water for pasta.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk into cream until combined. Salt your pasta water, and get the noodles cooking.
In a separate saucepan, slowly melt butter over medium heat, then add garlic and let cook until sizzling and just about to brown. Pour in egg/cream mixture and stir around while hot, but not boiling. Add the dash of nutmeg -- you really only need a flick of the wrist, but it really makes a difference.
As you’re pouring your cooked pasta noodles into a colander, reserve about 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water. Combine the cream sauce with the noodles in their original pot with that reserved pasta water, then add Parmesan and stir on super low heat. When it’s glossy and looks like a heart attack, you’re ready. Top with fresh pepper and eat immediately (frozen peas would probably be a great addition, too).