(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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You can’t see the portabello very well here (mostly in the foreground) or the blue cheese which covered it, but it’s there underneath the fillet. All of it drizzled with a Port wine, Zinfandel and shallot sauce.
One thing you always know about Phillis Carey’s recipes, they’re going to have an expansive title. She doesn’t want you to miss a single thing in the title in order to get your taste buds sizzling. When I go to cooking classes I always hope to learn something (I think in all the classes I’ve ever been to, only one was a complete dud). Phillis’ recipes are usually fairly simple, but very high on the good-taste-scale, which is why I keep going back to watch her demonstrate. And I wrote “fab” on the side of the recipe – my code for a terrific recipe. Yup, indeed. This recipe takes less time than many, and is worthy of an elegant dinner. The wine and port sauce was delicious served alongside the beef, and each bite of beef was accented with a bit of mushroom and blue cheese. A great combination. Just remember to take the steaks out of the refrigerator for 45 minutes or so before starting.
Filet Mignon with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, Blue Cheese & Red Wine Port Sauce
Recipe: Phillis Carey, cookbook author
Servings: 4
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled — Danish blue
24 ounces fillet mignon — 1 1/4 inch steaks, 6-8 ounces each
1 tablespoon olive oil — for browning steaks
2 tablespoons Italian parsley — chopped
WINE SAUCE:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large shallots — sliced Stems from portobello mushrooms (above)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup Zinfandel wine
1/2 cup Ruby port
1/2 cup beef broth
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove mushroom stems, finely chop and set aside. Scrape dark gills out from underside of each mushroom (discard) and season caps with salt and pepper. Arrange mushrooms on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, underside up and drizzle with some olive oil. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with blue cheese and return to oven to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for steaks, bring to room temperature (about 45 minutes), then heat 1 T. olive oil in a large (not nonstick) skillet over medium high heat. Season well with salt and pepper and sear beef until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes for medium rare to medium.
3. Cool pan slightly before continuing. Pour off any oil and fat from the skillet. Melt butter in the pan, add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the flour and cook until bubbly. Add the red wine, Port and broth. Boil until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Set hot blue cheese topped mushrooms on serving plates. Set a steak on each mushroom and spoon on the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Per Serving: 875 Calories; 65g Fat (72.4% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 160mg Cholesterol; 759mg Sodium.
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