This morning, I pulled a chair into the sun streaming through the kitchen windows, tearing apart the layers of a warmed croissant from Balthazar. Equally comforting, tonight, I made Orangette’s cream-braised brussel sprouts,

These taste a bit like braised artichoke hearts without the bother of peeling baby artichokes, and the soft brussel sprouts fall into layers like that croissant, napped in cream, an excellent side for those of you (Rosie and Faris) into the British tradition of Sunday roasts and new ways to cook sprouts. I like mine colorful, but the original recipe will lead you to paler brussel quarters.

Sprouts are a different sort of traditional fare than last night’s costumed outing for a Tulsa theme party—Solana and Eva acquiesced to another caliber of beer and embraced neon jewelry and denim,

and I pulled out the white leather for an event that screened “Rumblefish” and lasted until three in the morning, featured a wonderful venison chili, and was the sort of occasion appropriate for this record I found at yesterday’s Brooklyn Flea.

Who knows what the weekend adventures will mean for the week ahead…

This morning I felt like a deconstructed guacamole, sliding a slice of avocado next to seared flank steak, scrambling fresh eggs from the market this morning, scattering minced raw garlic, and squeezing lime over the spicy microgreens.

I contemplated what I will do with the green I bought at the market, a small square of wheatgrass,

and this afternoon, for a late lunch, I peeled shallots,

to sauté in a pan while pouring half a Tripel Ale in a saucier and adding a pound of steamers from Seatuck Fish, covering and letting the beer bubble for about seven minutes, then placing the soft-shell clams in a bowl, straining the liquid through a paper towel in a colander,

and adding it to the softened shallots, stirring in butter and salt. The emptied shells glistened, bright like the sun today and the raised hopes that spring will be here soon…

I meant to make jambalaya on Tuesday for Mardi Gras, but it was instead tonight that I made a risotto with tomato juice replacing stock, slices of andouille, onion, diced tomatoes, and sautéed shrimp.

Just like the city associated with the dish, it was warm, forgiving, not without a bit of a kick.

To make (Creole) jambalaya risotto for two:

Sauté half a diced onion in a little oil until translucent, add 1 cup of arborio rice, stir for 2 minutes to toast the grains, add 1 cup of sliced, cooked andouille sausage, one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes and their juice, 2 cups water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add more water if the risotto becomes dry. In a separate pan, sauté a few large shrimp for a few minutes, turning once, until pink and cooked through. Add the shrimp to the risotto. Plate, season, sprinkle with parsley. Stir in garlic, as you like, at the beginning or the end. (Apologies to traditionalists for the heretical rice choice and lack of peppers and gumbo file powder.)

Eating pancakes for dinner is always a good idea, I think, and one big puffed pancake an even better one.

Using a ratio of 1:1:1 of flour to whole milk to egg, I whisked an egg (with a dash of vanilla) into a cup of milk then both into a cup of flour, adding a little salt, then poured the mixture into a buttered saucier, sprinkled with berries, and placed in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees (begin a little warmer and then take the temperature down to 350 ten minutes in). Serve warm.

On this festival day, have your colors—purple (berries), gold (crunchy, buttered crust), and green (snip chives on top when cooling, along with a little goat cheese), to celebrate this last day before a more austere diet for the rest of the season—well, something like that…

Two weekends ago, Laura snapped this of me as we sped through the lights of Los Angeles on her birthday—like in these podcasts, I look at the colors directly in front and hope you’ll focus only how the music makes you feel. These are the songs that have dazzled me lately—

 

 fever until dawn: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“Heaven’s On Fire” The Radio Dept.

“Par Avion” FM Belfast

“Odessa” Caribou

“Wow and Flutter” April Smith and the Big Picture Show (Daytrotter session)

“Apple Pie Bed” Lawrence Arabia

“Poker Face” Lady Gaga cover by Leftover Cuties

“You Can’t Force a Dance Party” Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

“So Light is Her Footfall” (Breakbot remix) Air

“Dark Trance” Free Energy

“Ambling Alp” Yeasayer

“Billie Holiday” Miike Snow

“This Too Shall Pass” (Passion Pit remix) OK Go

“Twenty Years On” (Rewards remix) SAFE