Palindrome

Location:

Jim Orr

Best meal I ever ate:

My grandmother's roast duck, back in the 1950s. That was so long ago, ducks have evolved into a different species, so I'll never have that again.... My cousin Jewell, though, tells me "Grandma used to cook the living daylights out of it." Perhaps that was her secret.

My current drink of choice:

Eggnog, with or without alcohol. Not store bought, simply crème anglaise with added nutmeg (during the cooking) and a quarter cup of Jack Daniels per quart of crème, possibly with a cup of heavy cream whipped to chantilly stage folded in.

I really wish I could:

Get in a time machine and visit some of the great late 19th century French restaurants (and taste the legendary wines of that period, also).

My "Go-to" dinner party dish:

Julia Child has a recipe for a flank steak marinated in soy, lemon, thyme, and olive oil. It's fast, light, and foolproof. (I know, Ann Landers said, "Nothing is foolproof in the hands of a fool.") Finish either with a made-ahead pie (Pear Pie or Melissa Clark's Pecan Anise Pie) or a souffle.

My favorite comfort food:

French toast, the way my mother made it. I reconstructed the recipe from memory and made it for her once. She got a funny look on her face and asked, "Where did you learn to make this?" I said to myself "Aha! She knows I've discovered her secret." I said, "This is the way you made it when I was a kid." She replied, "Cook any way you want, but please don't blame it on me."

My top 5 favorite restaurants:

Moto, Chicago; The Original Pancake House, Portland, OR

My most tattered cookbooks:

Good Cheap Food - Miriam Ungerer