I sleep in again...which is getting to be a pleasurable habit. When I climb out of the camper, it's another beautiful day...warm and sunny.
I brew a fresh pot of coffee, read a little, listen to the news on CNN. I shower and shave...and put on clean clothes.
Around 11:30 or so, I head back into Seattle. There's a famous chef here, Tom Douglas, who has a whole "fleet" of good restaurants...one serves Asian Fusion cuisine, another cuisine of the Pacific Northwest, etc. Today, I'm having lunch at Etta's...his "seafood" restaurant.
Etta's is right across the street from the Pike Place Public Market and, while seated outside, I've got a great spot for people-watching. It's a leisurely three-hour lunch...eight or so local oysters on the half-shell with a nice glass of Chenin Blanc...two big Dungeness crab cakes served with tartar sauce and a small ramekin of tomatillo sauce...then there are crispy, hand-cut shoestring fries...all good with a few glasses of Pinot Gris. But the star of this meal, the jewel in the crown (so to speak) is the dessert...because Tom Douglas' "signature" dessert happens to be one of my favorite things...coconut cram pie. It is even better than the coconut cream pie that I make at home. The crust is flaky and the filling creamy with an intense flavor of coconut...and it's topped with pieces of toasted coconut and shaved white chocolate. I'm tempted to have a second helping, but I know that I'll have another chance tomorrow.
After a lunch of that magnitude, a walk is mandatory. So...I walk in and around the Market for the next few hours. There's a wine-tasting room, so I stop in there. I pick up the things that I'll need tonight to make dinner...some halibut cheeks, a fish carcass and some vegetables to make stock, some chanterelle and morel mushrooms, a pint of cream. I also buy a crispy baguette and some wedges of local camembert and cheddar cheeses.
Back at camp, I set about preparing what is probably my greatest "camp meal" ever. First, I make fish stock...the carcass, a few shallots, a carrot and a stalk of celery...add cold water, a splash of white wine and simmer for about 40 minutes...strain. Then, I saute some chopped shallots and the mushrooms in butter...add a half cup of white wine and a cup of fish stock...and in this, I cook the halibut cheeks. When they're cooked through, I take them out and reduce the pan juices to a glaze, add a half cup of cream and reduce to sauce consistency. It's a lot of work but, man, is it ever worth it. And, before I know it, I've consumed the whole of a large bottle of Gruner Veltliner left over from the Picnic...and I am completely stuffed.
By 9:30PM, I can hardly keep my eyes open...so it's an early night.
This has been a great day!
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