chez pim

What's big and red and eats rocks?

still in Vegas, and quite desperate for good coffee

No, you won't find it at Illy. It's surprisingly disappointing. And I'm not even going to mention the pastries there. Anyone has a better idea?

Vegas, baby!

As soon as we stepped off the boat yesterday, we stepped onto a plane and headed out here to Vegas.  The fun's already begun last night with the Michelin party at the Wynn and then the after party at Blush.  More on that later.  I'm here through the weekend for the James Beard Foundation Taste America events.  It's going to be fun.  If you're here, be sure to say hi.

The Pig Roast: early morning

The day of our big pig roast.  Meet Rudolf (named in honor of Rudolf Steiner, the father of Biodynamics, if you want to know), a ninety-pound dressed pig who was the be the center of attention on this day. 

And here's David with his five o'clock shadow--five in the morning, in this case.

Sailing off to the sunset

No, not really.  Not quite yet, at least.  But if you are wondering where I've been, this picture should give you an idea.

This year, David gave me the most fabulously fabulous birthday present, ever, an 8-day sailing class package for the two of us to take together!  So that's where I've been in the past few days, busy learning how to tack and jibe and tie a lot of knots.  Not to mention figuring out how to cook on slightly dodgy, if fascinating, boat stove.  Yes, we're living on a boat as well--not the one in the picture but a larger one docked nearby!  My blog might be a bit slow for a few more days. 

For a more up to the moment stuff, you can follow me on Twitter and Plodt.  Or, you can just check on the middle column here on Chez Pim where I will be posting regular pictorial updates via my trusty--if also slightly dodgy--iPhone camera.

my Martha moment

Have you had a Martha Moment?  I had one just yesterday, in the happy chaos and maddening madness of throwing a party.  A great big pig roast, in our case. 

What's a Martha Moment, you asked?  Well, it's when a great party idea strikes you seemingly out of nowhere--a great, simple, elegant idea that's just so evident you wonder why no one else had thought of it before.  (Someone probably did--and quite likely Martha herself even--but they just didn't bother telling you about it.)

What am I up to?

Besides being a tardy blogger and juggling about a gazillion things at the moment?  Well, baking this stuff is one.  What are they?  Plum coffeecakes!  Tender crème fraîche batter, fragrant slices of plum, buttery crumb on top, baked into the cutest little loaf pans I brought home from Paris.

Reason to be happy or depressed?

Le Beurre Bordier, once hailed by many as the best artisanal butter in the world, found in "convenient" disposable plastic cups at a breakfast buffet.  It's a fancy buffet at an exclusive resort in the South of France, mind you, but a buffet line just the same.

The proverbial grape vine has it that he found a big investor and is now ramping up his production, which would explain the sudden and nearly omnipresence of said butter in practically every gourmet corner of France.

Is this reason to be rejoice or depressed?  I'm not entirely certain.  What do you think?