Oshkosh B'gosh! (Fletcher Appreciation Post)

This spring break I splurged on some tickets to go see my best friend/gay ex-husband Fletcher. Fletcher and I have been best friends since 2004 thanks to the magic of the internet, which has also placed us at the disadvantage of not being able to meet throughout our entire correspondence. So 2 weeks ago, my best friend in the whole world and I met for the first time in 9 years. Fletcher is pictured above on the left, and on the right is his female husband counterpart heather. They have a beautiful gay-lesbian relationship that would make every single couple jealous. I know I am.

Fletcher, apart from being my soulmate, is also a food fanatic like I am. Not only is he an excellent cook, but he has a far more varied palate than I do and has a deep-seated respect for Asian cuisine. Needless to say, that makes him my perfect companion in the kitchen. So this was the aspect I most exploited in my week-long stay at his flat in Oshkosh.

On top of everything, Fletcher and I also share an unwavering love for Studio Ghibli, British television (Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who... etc.), wine, and opera. This was what filled our time in between the hours of wining and dining, and we did a whole lot of all the above activities. He also imparted upon me the wisdoms of eating big healthy salads and doing yoga. To be fair, I would have been much more resistant to the yoga if it weren't a session which drunkenly occurred at 5am, but I did find myself enjoying it more than I would have. My chakras feel more open already.

Apologies if you guys are disappointed in the lack of recipes in this post, but I figured I should at least do an overall introduction post and space out later posts to compensate for the lack of updating I've done in the past month or so. There WILL be recipe posts and mini-posts coming up. I will also be putting up some instructional blogs regarding how to take apart an entire duck! Wah! Yes, it was slightly terrifying, but no I did not quail.

And no, I didn't intend for that to be a fowl pun, but since it's there now...

Here's a finished shot of Taiwanese braised beef that I made for lunch one day. Yes, this will be a blog post. I couldn't find the right ligament-filled tenderloin cut I wanted, but the chuck steak worked perfectly fine for the dish. Nestled behind this plate was a bottle of red wine that we swiftly tucked away in the daylight on a Wednesday. That was a good day.

We then watched a few Studio Ghibli films and some episodes of "Spooks" whereupon Fletcher was suddenly possessed by the desire to make cookies.

So we made cookies. We also used a delicious vegan butter which made me feel less bad about eating about 2 dozen cookies within two days. But only slightly. No, I lied. I didn't feel bad about eating those cookies at all. I mean, hey, I was eating salads and doing drunk yoga, I earned it.

One day the two of us also suddenly got cravings for gyoza and dumplings, so we decided that we were going to just dedicate a whole day to wrapping dumplings and then a whole night to eating them. I whipped up some Taiwanese "pickles" and he whipped up some carrot kinpira to go with this beautiful feast. 

We made a vegetarian option and a meat option for gyoza, and I also boiled some for a simple dumpling option. It's surprising how much variety you can get out of such simple pleasures in life. Another pleasure in life? Drinking your favorite beer that you've hardly been able to find since you left France: Grimbergen. My favorite is of the blanche variety, and so far I've only been able to locate blondes, so I guess I'll have to go back to France to rediscover my true hops passion.

The last night I had in Oshkosh, Fletcher and I threw a small dinner party for a few close friends of his. Heather sadly couldn't make it, but we still managed to have a pretty good time without her. Sorry, darling. You know it would've been better if you were there.

I cooked duck with mushroom risotto, and achieved this by buying a whole frozen duckling and then taking it apart to maximize all utility. Fletcher walked into the kitchen at one point to witness me having an existential crisis over duck carcass slaughtering, and I was standing there with both hands firmly on the skeleton screaming: "I'M GOING TO BREAK THE SPINE!" Yup, I'm super sane and attractive. But then I got over it and the carcass went to make a stock while the skin went to render fat. All components went into the dinner and it was delicious.

Here's another Fletcher appreciation photo. I mean, look at that beautiful human being. If he were straight I'd marry him in a heartbeat. That poor shirt got completely drenched in duck fat splatter later, but Fletch being the dedicated cook that he is, powered through the process without so much as wincing. The darling hadn't even tasted, let alone cooked, duck yet, but he was that determined to make it good.

And boy was it good.

Voilà! Seared duck breast with bits of thigh on top of bed of mushroom risotto. There was also a delicious side of a pecan salad with homemade honey vinaigrette. Don't worry, this will all be a recipe post too. In due time, darlings.

Now, I sit lonely and dejected in my dorm room back in New York, wistfully wishing that I were still in Fletcher's apartment. Until that chance arises, however, I will have to make do with these blog posts. I hope you're all looking forward to the recipe blogs, for I am greatly looking forward to posting them.

Happy St. Patrick's!