This Month’s Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Last night’s Indochine Vietnamese appetizers were a delight. I filled the Summer Rolls with crab, shrimp, julienned cucumber, shredded carrot and delicate baby lettuce leaves and served them with nuoc cham, a dipping sauce made with nuoc mam fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chili peppers. The beef skewers were marinatd in soy sauce, sugar and garlic, grilled and served with a dipping sauce of fresh lime juice, sugar and garlic. The meat was tender and juicy and the lime sauce was a novel complement for a hot summer evening.

As a bonus, just to round out the meal, I grilled the leftover shrimp from the summer rolls on skewers and served them with drawn butter. For the vegetable accompaniment, I made a batch of simple salt pickles, with baby carrots, cucumbers and radishes in a sweet rice-wine vinegar dressing. A light and lovely yet simple little meal.

And after many unrelenting days at the keyboard finishing up my two manuscripts, I finally consented to take the day off with Rene for a visit with his cousin Luisa and her husband Jose in Fairfield, about a half-hour’s drive east of Napa. When we arrived, we were invited on a tour of her beautiful Mexican-style home, tastefully appointed with terra cotta tile floors, Diego Rivera reproductions and classic portraits of the Madonna. Meanwhile, Jose was hard at work preparing a feast of grilled tequila-marinated prime rib, roasted corn, and a savory medley of mixed potatoes, pearl onions, and button mushrooms…And plenty of cold Corona Cerveza Mas Fina.

Afterwards, we went for a walk down to the lake with their two darling children Paulina and Emmanuel to feed the ducks. It was a lovely and much-needed respite for us both after many weeks of hard work. Thank you Luisa and Jose.

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