french cooking and horror shorts

this week just flew by and i can't even blame it on non-stop wedding video editing in the evenings. there just seemed to be something urgent and important to do every night.

for instance, on tuesday night, rob and i had over H who can never make it our parties because she works every weekend evening. but she's been such a positive light in our lives that we wanted to do something extra special for her.

so i cooked up 3 recipes from the cookbook she gave us for christmas. the cookbook is a tome of actual dishes you can order from the premier french bistro restaurant in vancouver. well, actually the restaurant is located in west vancouver.

here's what i made in 2 hours:
1/ french onion soup
2/ lemon confit with chicken
3/ lamb ragout with dried apricots and pistachios
4/ couscous

it's no wonder that our little condo smelled delicious that night. i was pretty happy with the outcome considering i had never before cooked french cuisine or lamb.

THEN, on thursday night, we were summoned by special request by terry m (of yumi) to attend his cast & crew screening of his first horror short shot a mere 6 days prior. i was really impressed by the cinematography, the acting and the direction.

terry made a 3 min version for a website. you can check it out here:
http://www.filmaka.com/watchvideo.asp?id=241

SO, i've made it to another weekend and i'm back at the wedding video editing. i'm gonna get it 90% done this weekend. so help me god.

.... .... ....
here's the recipe for the french onion soup. i was suprised by how easy it was to make. use the best ingredients and you can't go wrong. also, i accidently bought smoked gouda but it tasted awesome anyways.

AKED FRENCH ONION SOUP (GRATINEE A L'OIGNON)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 large yellow onions, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 stale baguette
24 fine slices Gruyere cheese
Makes 6 servings

In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter at medium-low heat and saute the onions for 15 minutes or until they're lightly coloured. Pour the stock over the onions, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch slices and grill on both sides under the broiler until golden.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the croutons in individual ovenproof soup crocks and cover with 2 slices of cheese. Ladle the soup on top and add the remaining croutons and 2 slices of cheese on top. Place the crocks on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese on top is crispy.