Asparagus with Tarragon Sherry Vinaigrette (Page 520)

• Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2007 -- 8:30pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: My Apartment
• Fellow Chefs: Ronen and Tim
• Dining Companions: Vero, Mike, and Marco
• Recipe Rating: B

Mike picked this recipe to go with dinner on Wednesday. This dish was pretty good. The tarragon sherry vinaigrette had a really nice flavor. I was skeptical about the hard boiled egg on top, but actually it was a good addition to the dish. I prefer roasted or steamed asparagus to boiled asparagus, but I still enjoyed the recipe. Opinions were definitely mixed -- Vero, for example, thought this recipe was terrible. Most people were pretty neutral about it though. There was some discussion about how the dish might need more salt, and I agree that a little bit more salt might have been an improvement. Overall, it was a pretty good recipe though.

My weekend was nice and relaxing. On Friday evening I went to the climbing wall at MIT for the first time. It was fun and a great workout. I had never climbed before, but the more experienced people there were really nice and gave me some helpful advice. Climbing seems like a fun new way to work towards my pull-up goal!

Yesterday it was 68 degrees outside! Who would have guessed that January in Boston would bring such weather. I wore flip-flops all day and opened the windows in my apartment. It was amazing! Last night Veronique made me dinner. The food was excellent, and it was such a treat to have someone cook for me! Then we watched an imitation Bollywood movie which was really entertaining -- lots of singing and dancing!

Tonight I am leaving the cat alone at Matt's and enjoying a night in my own bed! Mike promised me that Issy will be ok for one night by herself. She was disruptive last night, so tonight I really want to get a lot of sleep!