Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk

Setting: Yesterday was a good day to cook. I had spent part of my day being frustrated with the unpatriotic attitudes of some Americans, so I was looking to do something that would be relaxing. I also began to realize yesterday, that I would need to come up with a more concrete schedule for Julia's recipes. Lori and I decided that we will eat French meals on two nights a week. That should set me on a good pace for my goal.

Task: Bitokes a la Russe (Hamburgers with Cream Sauce) and Crème Anglaise (Light Custard Sauce).

The hamburgers were very different from what we consider hamburgers to be in our country. As could be expected, they

had a much fancier feel. In fact, they reminded me a lot of the cube steak that my mom would fix for us growing up. The recipe called for a mixture of lean ground beef, 1 egg, butter, thyme, and pepper. I then formed the mixture into patties, rolled them in flour, and sautéed them in the skillet for about 4 minutes on each side. After that I mixed the remaining grease in the pan with beef broth and heavy whipping cream. Once the mixture was reduced, butter and freshly minced parsley were added. I then poured the sauce over the top of the hamburgers.

The custard sauce was a mixture of 4 egg yolks, sugar, boiling whipping cream, and vanilla extract. the yolks and su

gar were whisked together until well blended. Next the whipping cream was added and the entire sauce was put into a skillet on medium heat. Once the sauce thickened, I removed it from the heat and strained it. I poured the sauce into dishes and chilled it in the fridge.

*Side-note: I am beginning to realize that butter and I are going to get to know each other very well over the course of the next two years. I cannot even keep count of how many times I kept going back to the fridge to cut off another tb of butter. Usually I would protest in favor of my health, but I have learned that if Julia says do it, then you better do it.

Verdict: First of all, the hamburgers were delicious! They were also very easy to fix. I was afraid that I had cooked the meat too long and that it would be dry; however, it was not dry at all, and the sauce was a great touch. If anyone is interested in the complete recipe, I will be glad to pass it along. It is fairly economical and transforms a simple meal into something slightly fancy. Lori also made creamed corn and green bean casserole to accompany the meat, and it really tied the whole meal together.

And then there was the light custard sauce... It most definitely was a chore. Below, I will list the things that went wrong:

1. I attempted to make a variation of the recipe that was closer to crème brulée. Julia said all that I needed to do was use half the amount of sugar and whipping cream instead of milk. I substituted the whipping cream correctly but accidentally used twice the amount of sugar that i should have used. oops!

2. When boiling the whipping cream, I looked away for a brief moment, and it begain to boil rapidly, spilling all over the stovetop. When Julia says that a recipe is easy "if you concentrate on what you are doing", she REALLY means that you must NOT even blink for a second or disaster will ensue. Luckily, I was able to save most of the cream.

3. Julia also warned that if the sauce became too hot in the pan, it would turn into scrambled eggs. I think I was real close to making that mistake. One degrees hotter, and i am pretty sure those yolks would have scrambled.

Even though, I was certain the crème anglaise was a failure, it actually turned out to be really good. Lori's comment was, "We need to make more of this...I am savoring it." What a relief. I decided to serve the custard with fresh strawberries. The two flavors blended very nicely.