Today we discuss the newest Named Night: Bistro Night! We chat about molding fancy people, sad birthday realizations and unwelcome third hosts as we devour these menus with gusto. We propose that Bistro Night is a state of mind and can be planned or accidental so have at it!
The Art of the Tart by Tamasin Day-Lewis
Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells
Parisian Home Cooking by Michael Roberts
Bistro Cooking at Home by Gordon Hamersley
Matthew's Now but Wow! - King Stingray
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:00
Hi I'm Matthew and I'm Molly and this is spilled note this show where we cook something delicious eat it all and you can't have any
Molly 0:10
today's episode I'm really excited about it is bistro night. Yes
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:14
you you requested this episode because I wouldn't stop talking about bistro
Molly 0:18
nine. That's right. So teenager of the show December recently graduated from high school. Yeah, and you mentioned that you guys were celebrating with bistro night. Yeah, and I had heard you mentioned it before, but there was just something about it this time. I was like, oh, bistro night. This is an actual like thing. Oh, you guys you guys like plan and you call it bistro night? We don't have any like, named nights at our house.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:47
You should get some name nights like what are some of the best name nights at night? There's Movie Night. There's
Molly 0:51
pizza night.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:53
It's taco night. There's gaudy night. There's Oh, right
Molly 0:58
now we're having under the banner of Heaven night. Okay. Yeah, that's watching that. And let's see what other nights if we had
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:07
Firefox night? Is
Molly 1:08
that a thing? Yeah. Yeah, in Scotland. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:12
I'm sure I'm sure some listeners have opinions on that.
Molly 1:14
Is it in Scotland? I'm pretty sure it's in Scotland. Okay. Okay. Anyway, so we're talking tonight about bistro we're talking today about bistro just it just became night and Matthew is going to lead this one off because bistro night is a tradition in his family and soon to be in the rest of
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:31
our tradition going back generations as far as 2020 Okay, so here's what bistro night is in in 2020 teenager the show December was and still is very much into lame is and some other French stuff like Phantom of the Opera. I guess it's sort of French, but has almost never in their life into a French restaurant. I think they went to cafe comm pioneer once and maybe Cafe press once.
Molly 1:56
You guys haven't gone to like, well, I guess this is pandemic you're you're talking about. But I was gonna say what about loopy che?
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:03
They've never been to Luppi che Okay, yeah, okay, I have. But you know, it was it was 2020 and we were gonna go to a French restaurant. So, why for the show, Laurie Weitzel came up with the idea of bistro night and it first happened in December of 2020. Okay, was that for December's birthday? Yes. Okay, so their 17th birthday. Okay, so the rules of bistro night are? Wait, wait, wait,
Molly 2:27
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just have to interrupt. My 17th birthday. I don't really remember what happened. But I remember it was the first birthday where I felt disappointed by birthdays. Do you remember when you crossed that threshold? Ah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:41
not really, because I think I kind of went straight from like, I want everybody to recognize my birthday and give me everything I want to like, I don't care about my birthday anymore. Like I became a curmudgeon pretty young. Okay.
Molly 2:53
Yeah, no, I think that 17 was the first birthday, where it stopped feeling like big, exciting, good things happened on my birthday. Like it wasn't that bad things happened. It was just I think all of a sudden, I realized, Oh, these birthdays are going to keep happening. And it's not always going to be like driver's licenses. And oh, sure. And balloons. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:15
I mean, I got my driver's license last week. I have a sock start.
Molly 3:20
Okay, let's go on. Okay, so
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:21
here are the rules of bistro night, you have to write up a fancy menu and it should be in French and printed on cardstock if possible. Here this is I couldn't find the actual like file for the menu from 2020. But Laurie had a picture of it and printed the photo. Okay. And I will, the French does not have to be like correct. So you don't have to translate, okay, you don't have to spend time like fact checking. You don't have to spend time learning French. If you've never studied French, you'd like to you can have bistro night without signing up for a couple of years of college French, but if you want to you should okay. Like I love studying French. I'll include in the show notes like in your podcast player a link to a PDF example. But we'll also like walk through a couple of them on this episode. The first one we called we called it beast flow, visco CF beta, which is possibly French for Cerberus.
Molly 4:10
You guys didn't even look up what's French for server? I
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:12
think I probably did. Okay, and so then this year for for high school graduation, we did bistro night last week, and that was visco Gavotte, which is a minor character in Leamas.
Molly 4:23
Okay, excellent. And so when you guys came up with this, Were there particular dishes that December requested?
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:32
Interestingly, no, they were just kind of like generally into French stuff. And but like I do the cooking around here like they weren't going out to restaurants so so like they haven't really had much French food at all. Okay, and so like you got to mold that mold that this is my this is like my last chance to mold my child into a fancy purse. Oh, yeah. You've given it your all. No. So Lori and I talked about like, what things do we like that we know that they would like and So we knew there was gonna be duck comfy okay which like I bought bought like the frozen Maple Leaf farms duck comfy they have it at a lodge Amaya or metropolitan market okay there we there's this recipe from fine cooking which will also link to for a potato Colette I think it's a Suzy Middleton recipe and it is made with like thin sliced like yukon gold or you know some kind of smaller potato layered with gruyere cheese and Parmesan and like a shallot shallot oil
Molly 5:32
Do you remember when we were growing up and potatoes Oh Groton I thought
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:36
it was Oh Groton was the funniest name when I was a kid because I thought it sounded like potatoes all rotten.
Molly 5:42
It does Yeah, but so when we were kids I feel like fancy food was potatoes Groton absolute did you How would you say that this galette is different
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:52
is potatoes. Oh Groton is that sliced potatoes or
Molly 5:56
potatoes? And I mean it's like a creamy kind of sometimes slightly curdled. Yeah, going on between the potato This
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:03
is not creamy. It's like you know, made with hard cheeses and olive oil. Okay, so like a little maybe a little elevated from American style potatoes all Groton.
Molly 6:14
So you said galette, but it doesn't have a crust, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:16
guess it doesn't have a crust. It's really you make it in a tart pan, but it's literally just a bunch of layers of thinly sliced potatoes with shallot oil and, and lots of cheese and so ulica and so
Molly 6:29
do you serve this so Okay, when you say duck coffee, do you serve like, is this served like, you know, a duck leg here, wedge of this potato galette and like a green salad. Yeah, okay. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:46
so the first let's let's go through the first myth bistro a nightmare. I have the historical dock, where you hold it so I can see it when you were a kid. Did the Magna Carta ever come through Oklahoma City? I feel like Sorry.
Molly 6:59
Do you mean the document? Yeah. Like like the bodies exhibition came through? Yeah, like like that? No, I don't think
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:08
so. And I recently had this conversation that we both vividly remember that we were when we were in like third grade or something. The Magna Carta or like some, you know, fancy asked Magna Carta replica. Like, it's hard to believe it was the actual document from 1215. But like, you know, some Magna Carta in like a glass case in like low lighting, lighting. We all went to see it and like marvel at like the birth of democracy or something. I don't even remember like what the Magna Carta was the
Molly 7:35
birth of democracy, the Magna Carta, did that have to do with God? Why am I thinking of like, the beginning of the the Anglican Church?
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:45
Um, no, it's different because I think it had something to do with, like, renouncing the Divine Right of Kings saying, okay, so really, other than the king might have some rights. Okay, so, I mean, not all people obviously, but some people. Great. Okay, so this is VSCO Southbay out from Oh, no, I just realized you should read this because it's all in French and My French is bad.
Molly 8:07
Okay, so this was lottoland de som, this was the 30th of December as this 2020 Yeah. And so you've got you've got it centered. And there are you know, there's a title for each each each course yeah, we have Liz on teh lapply Zhu Li they say a labasa. Anyway, the entre which in French is not the main course like it is in English. It's the first course is Alia de cana or yet the Canada so Deke red Yeah, baguette long CN. Oh, like a like a rustic old fashioned bag
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:47
maybe yeah, I bought like a Grand Central bakery baguette Nice. Okay, then the
Molly 8:51
plaid who was comfy the kana so comfy galette upon the tear so potato galette salad the whole kit. So that's an arugula salad. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:01
right. Which at the time and maybe still was December's favorite salad green? Okay, meaning like probably I've just had like the only salad greens
Molly 9:09
like you've done a really good job raising a fancy person. Yeah, yeah. Okay, and then this was talk to shockula avec sack him. Shanti Yi. Matthew, a chocolate tart with whipped cream. Yeah, of course.
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:24
With the show Laurie may made that it's from the book art of the tart by tamis and Day Lewis and Simon Hopkinson is chocolate tart it fantastic rest. Really? Yeah, I don't have art of the tart. Oh, yeah. This is like I don't know if we've made anything else from that book. But this is such a great recipe.
Molly 9:41
Oh, this sounds great. Okay, and then Lavoie song. It has a title the special drink for the occasion is love fully the day made. Demeter
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:52
Yeah, Demeter is folly. It's sparkling pomegranate juice.
Molly 9:56
Get I get it. Wow. I love how you wove in the Greek mythos leji with the Yeah cuz they're all you got Cerberus isn't really into Greek mythology. Oh my god this is fantastic. June would love this. Although I don't know that I'm ever gonna I have never gotten excited about ordering duck comfy like my dad would order duck coffee I think of it as dad food. Yeah, I think I would love it if you served it to me but I don't think I would ever go out of my way to purchase it and like I wouldn't think to put it on a menu
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:27
right but the thing about bistro night is like the food can be kind of whatever you want as long as you weren't like plausibly say that it's fancy or like French related in some way. So
Molly 10:37
what were other Did you consider any other like main meats? Other
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:42
than touch remember like I mean, I love like a like a beef organ young and I don't make it very often because it's a big production. Yeah, I'll probably do that for bistro night sometime. Bistro II.
Molly 10:54
You know, it occurs to me. I was trying to figure out when we were thinking about bistro night, I was trying to figure out whether or not to mention this because I feel like this is not a dish that so veal, veal shows up a lot of extras and I don't know what to make of this because veal generally is not raised in in ethical
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:13
ways. So one of my most memorable we will we haven't even done Memory Lane yet. Okay, so shall we. Let's wait your memory. Okay.
Molly 11:20
Okay, fine. Okay, let's do memory lane. All right. I'm gonna start though. Yeah. Okay. So my dad, I now realize in retrospect, loved French bistro food. Sure, in general. And, you know, growing up in Oklahoma, I think I was very aware of this not because there was a lot of it available on like, oh, there wasn't there wasn't like a big Bistro. Boom. But because when he would encounter something he would get so excited about it. You know, our it with gusto. with gusto. Yes. So there was when I was growing up, there was a restaurant called La baguette, which is still still there in Oklahoma. And I have to say, we didn't go there very often, but I think of it as like the French restaurant in Oklahoma City, and I think it is still wildly popular. But I think the first thing that ever occurred to me as a kid as being kind of bistro food was like mussels. Yes. So mussels cooked maybe and like white wine and shallots.
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:18
We talked about that on last week's cooking with wine f
Molly 12:21
we did I remember I think like the few times that I've gone to to lob I get I've had like muscles in french fries which is what
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:29
what would the American equivalent of a restaurant called La baguette be like if there was an American restaurant home and love the the Wonder Bread Yeah, they did a reboot of that show the Wonder Bread
Molly 12:48
savage Yeah. My dad also loved re yet
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:53
and can we describe in case anyone doesn't know like what Riyadh are? Yeah.
Molly 12:58
So it's Is it pork shoulder? Yeah, we're
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:01
like, they when we did for a first beast, right? Like it's not something we made. It's like something you buy or you certainly could bake it. But we did duck react the first time and pork react the second and third time.
Molly 13:11
It's generally like like a meat that is cooked in its own fat so that it falls apart.
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:19
Yep. And it's usually seasoned with like spices. Yeah, like this was the one we had some today like Olympia provisions. Spice warm spices, like definitely some cloves in there. Yes.
Molly 13:28
And it's spreadable. You would it's like a pate but it's much softer. Usually would come in like a little pot or something with a little knife. Yeah, and it's delicious. It almost looks like tuna salad.
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:41
It totally does. Yeah.
Molly 13:42
Okay. All right. But hold on. I want to do one more memory. Yeah. So when I was when I was living and teaching in Paris, there were so many places where you could like go get a like a 25 year old menu right? Yeah. Which you know, was not an insignificant amount of money. Like it would have been you know, 32 bucks or something which would have felt like a lot for a meal. However, it felt very much doable at that time in my life when I was only paying for myself and cooking mostly at home and I remember one place that I read what year would this have been? This would have been 2001
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:24
Okay, so this around the same time I have my actual Paris bistro memories okay.
Molly 14:29
I remember reading about bistro polar bear which is spelled bistro Paul Bert I don't remember what around the smell Linton I've now been there many times it is absolutely so fantastic. And what I remember having there and and again like I don't know what how to think about this ethically. What I remember really loving there was like a veal chop. That was like pan cooked and served with a morel cream sauce.
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:58
Oh yes. and like,
Molly 15:00
oh my god, absolutely so delicious. What other things do I remember having their leeks? Vinagrette oh yes of course, like a salad or chef show so like a salad with like a little like almost like a Melba made from a baguette. Yeah, with like half of a goat cheese caught on like an aged small little goat cheese on top of it and it would have been like put under the broiler put in an oven so that the goat cheese would be warm and like slightly melty. And there might be like two little like coats like this on top of your salad and include. You would cut it up and eat it with your salad with this like vinegary, set vinegary lettuce. So, so yeah, that and then of course there was always or if you were really lucky there was going to be a cheese course. Yes. So there was another bistro I remember going to called sta a s t i e r. It also had, I think a 25 year old menu that included like a fucking cheese chariot. It was I mean, this place was famous for the abundance of cheeses that it offered. And you could usually either have cheese or dessert, but I think you could pay like seven Euro extra and half both or something that sounds right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway. Yeah. Okay, go on.
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:20
Okay, so we we went to Paris, I've only been to France once. It was in 2000. Like the end of 2000. And we we kind of went bistro crazy. Like we I went to like the same kind of places like yeah, it was always a 25 or 30. Euro menu. Like the choices were pretty minimal. Like, I think maybe there would be like two options for each each course. Yep.
Molly 16:42
Yep. And one of them is like pretty much always duck comfy. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:46
And things. So I remember we went to lippie Dupin, which I don't think exists anymore. We had to love it a lot, which I think still exists. But maybe like not the same chef as back then. And so some things we went to La Casa de los amo El.
Molly 17:02
Oh, yeah. famous one. So,
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:05
uh, some of the things I remember eating our beer. There's always there was always like, some kind of good soup like, like a squash soup or,
Molly 17:11
or that would have been offered as your entree. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:14
And like you know, salads. I remember I think I had a love hate Gallade which was like I'm gonna order something I would never order otherwise and I ordered the veal kidneys and they were okay
Molly 17:26
yes, there is it is. I would say very typical for one of the main dishes to be like to be awful Yeah, probably not awful. Oh FF
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:37
al probably not going to feature on my bistro night at home but I'm glad I ordered it I had at what place a gingerbread crusted swag raw. No, yes No.
Molly 17:48
Yes. But that does seem like like a like a fancy bistro
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:54
vibe. But yeah, but like the place wasn't fancy. No Yeah,
Molly 17:58
no. And I think that the line at least for me I'm sure that someone who is who is more knowledgeable in French cuisine than I am but the line between like just sort of an ordinary French restaurant where you could go in and you know get kind of just like a like green lettuce salad and like duck coffee and some fries like the line between kind of a place you could just go grab that and and wolf it down and head back to work or whatever the line between that and like a quote unquote nice bistro where you could get you know your veal with morels was very thin yeah to me like they're a very fine line. Like there's there's a lot of fluidity there like bistro food is I think, pretty ordinary food in France that is sometimes served in more like elevated setting. And of
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:55
course there's always like inexpensive wine that you're that you're probably going to drink with this. Like we almost never drink wine at home and like but I feel like maybe next time we do bistro night I want to make an exception because oh my god. Yes.
Molly 19:06
Oh, yeah, wine would be so delicious with this food.
Let's backtrack for a second and talk about like what a bistro is. Yeah. All right. So
Matthew Amster-Burton 19:21
according to Wikipedia, a bistro is in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve French homestyle cooking and slow cooked foods like cassava lay a bean stew are typical. So
Molly 19:37
I think of B Stroz as a Parisian thing. And then have you heard the phrase Bushong like for a restaurant in in Lyon. So in Lyon, there are a lot of restaurants where you can go and have like a very similar kind of meal, like home cooking, modest setting. Super modest setting. Yeah, if anything like a kind have abundance of food you get a lot of food for your money. But in Lyon, what these restaurants are known for is more like grandmother cooking so a lot of kind of really economical cuts of meat so a lot of ofall but the same kind of you know, you're gonna you're gonna get a starter that is maybe some kind of like, graded vegetable in vinegar red or a couple of different graded vegetables in vinegar, or the grade there's always like a cat hot happy like grated carrots. There's always like cubed beats sometimes even a grant there's some times OH, MY OWN is like, hard boiled down.
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:42
I would eat but I but I recognize it as a bistro classic.
Molly 20:45
Yes. Yeah. Anyway, okay, so so be stars are typically Parisian.
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:51
Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Although, it seems like yeah, there must be like similar restaurants under under other names in other parts of France. The Etymology According to Wikipedia, again, is unclear and is presumed to come from a regional word bistro B score with a t be stingo. Beast, Tao be Stewie or beastly.
Molly 21:10
Wow, they literally make you work for it there at the end.
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:13
The first recorded use of the word appears in 1884. And like one one thing that I feel like really defines a bistro is that there will usually be like the menu will usually be written out on a blackboard outside maybe like as like a, you know, a frame like sandwich board. And probably the leading English language authority on Bistro is a person that I haven't thought about in a while, even though someone I knew back in the egullet era, because he posted on egullet is a great food writer is John Whiting, who lives in England, but I think it's American originally, and I think is still with us. I couldn't find any evidence otherwise, but it must be well into his 80s by now. And his website whiting's writings, which looks like a website from the year 2000 has, like, wonderfully written reviews of dozens of Paris Bistro is because they are his favorite thing. And we'll we'll link to that in the show notes. Also,
Molly 22:05
I mean, I imagine are these reviews still current? No. Okay, but still at the same time, it can be really fun to read them and get ideas for.
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:13
If you want ideas, unlimited ideas for like what to make for bistro diet, you should just like go to John whiting's website. And I want to specify that there are a bunch of people named John Whiting and he's not the founder of bulletproof coffee. And he's also not an English actor who died in 1963.
Molly 22:29
I'm glad for that clarification. So Matthew, when I think of bistro cooking, well for one thing, I just don't tend to think of home cooking as master cooking even though like bistro food is defined as French homestyle Right, right. And the things that you that we're here on the visco second bath menu are are quite easy to make.
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:51
Oh yeah, this was not a difficult menu to put together like this. We've made this this this potato Colette a bunch of times over the years and it's it is easiest if you have a mandolin or that we have like you know the cheap plastic Japanese and then Rainer man mandolin which, you know, we've had for years and years and is a great piece of equipment. So the whole thing comes together in like 1520 minutes, it's very easy to assemble, and then bakes for 45 minutes and then you eat it. And let's see, yeah, what else was maybe the duck coffee like you know, you just bake it. It's already it's already fully cooked and seasoned. The react someone else made them the baguette someone else made it throw together a little salad you know, the chocolate tart is pretty straightforward.
Molly 23:35
Yeah. So when I think of this food like if I were thinking of what to make at home for bistro night I think I would look at do you have Patricia wells bistro cooking that
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:47
I was going to ask you like what do you recommend for like bistro cookbooks? Because no I don't but I should what Patricia wise be straightaway. New Patricia Wells's name was gonna come up.
Molly 23:57
It's got to it's got to Patricia wells book bistro cooking is I mean, you know, an old classic, I think of it as being in the like, stylistically. In terms of like the the actual look of the book. It reminds me a lot of the the silver palette cookbooks Oh, sure, in that it has kind of some goofy illustrations. Yeah, the cover has like a like a checkerboard table cars kind of vibe and like a waiter with like, you know, pull it up. I'm doing a terrible job of describing No, no,
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:29
I think you're doing a great job. But now I want to see it for myself.
Molly 24:31
It doesn't have any photographs. So it's the text heavy. Anyway, it's a classic, really good reference book. It has actually I would say the thing that that has really had legs from that particular cookbook is the duck legs is a lentil salad. She's kind of sounds good basic lentil salad in there. Guy. I know. Look at the cover of this book.
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:51
You described it perfectly. And yet it's so much more than than what you said.
Molly 24:56
Yes, it is. So when did the waiter like night 290
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:01
That sounds right. If you imagine a cartoon of a French waiter, this is that times 1000 book details. 1989.
Molly 25:09
Okay, yep. The other book that I'm thinking of, I mean, of course we have like more contemporary English language writers on French food. David Leibovitz. Sure story Greenspan, they come to mind immediately.
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:22
Yeah. So like, I'm kind of wondering is like when we when I was in Paris in 2000, which was already now a long time ago, like, I felt like some of the places we went really like stuck to like the classics, and some, you know, got a little bit creative. And so I have no sense of like, what bistro cooking of 2022
Molly 25:40
Sure. I mean, I think whether I should care, I think that, you know, around the time that you and I were both there eating and Bistro was I think there was a real wave of like the nouveau Bistro, you know, where you would go get your like, ginger bread crusted Whopper, I thought. I mean, I did love that. Anyway, another book that I think of is not strictly a bistro book, but I've mentioned it before on the underappreciated cookbooks episode. Yeah, I was hoping you would, man. It's Michael Roberts. Parisian home cooking. Yes. And it is just a fantastic book and does have like all kinds of you know, there's like, there's a morel sauce in there. You know, you could I mean, actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it would not be difficult. It would be very enjoyable to have like a braised chicken with a morel sauce. Oh, yeah. You don't need the veal.
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:29
Right? No. And I was thinking like, I'm glad. I'm glad we're getting into this because like our bistro nights have really been very meat heavy. And I wouldn't I would love to like find a like less meat focused bistro menu.
Molly 26:39
I think that's I think that's emblematic of bistro food. You know? Yeah. Those are the two cookbooks that come to mind for me.
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:45
Yeah. Okay, that sounds great. There's a book called bistro cooking at home by Gordon hammers. Lee. I
Molly 26:50
think, Oh, my God. Gordon Hamersley? I haven't thought of that. Right. Yeah, at times. Also, it's
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:54
from like, like the early 2000s. Okay, I think okay, so not. So maybe like 10 years after the Patricia wells book. So like, has more of like a 2000s Publisher style, like color photo of a stew or something on the cover? I think it's a good book.
Molly 27:10
Another book actually that could be interesting to look at is one of the Thomas Keller books like blue Shang or something like that. Because isn't Wu Shan like his bistro and
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:19
I think the food is like very fancied up. And like, you know, not not even fancied up. But like, you know, that the recipes are going to be very Sheffy like, every every element made from scratch, but as like a source of inspiration. I think that book would be great.
Molly 27:32
Okay, you know, I don't know now I'm veering off of Bistro, but I was gonna say just to mention, like a contemporary female and queer food writer who's writing about French food. I'd love to mention Rebecca Hepler Okay, so she got her start writing mostly about drinks. She wrote a book called aperitif. But her first cookbook with you know, with with more of a food focus was called atop her books are fantastic. Very much like Parisian home cooking right now. So not fancy, I would say they are like, inflected by like, like a West Coast American sensibility but very definite. So it's great French in spirit, and her recipes are really good. They work really?
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:18
Yeah, no. Okay, I'm excited to like you know, have some more bistro inspiration like I would say like for me and I'm gonna I'm gonna use this word like very intentionally like part of what I enjoy about bistro night is that I cook you know Japanese Chinese or Korean food most nights and for me bistro night is exotic.
Molly 28:38
Yeah, yeah. No, I love I love that this is how it is for you. Well, and it feels that way to me too because I think that especially having like spent my my formative years of like, like my late teens and and my young adulthood on the West Coast. I think that I have definitely been influenced by French cooking and Italian cooking and stuff but there's a certain like California vibe I think that runs through my cooking mixed with things that I've learned in particular about Japanese cooking and some Sichuan cooking from you so yeah, no, this feels very exotic to me. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:17
Okay, so let's talk about the the bistro night menu that we served last week because it had a surprise hit that is now like one of December's favorite things okay, they said they're gonna like make it their pick of the week. Okay, okay, so a lot of it so first this was beach Vogue golf wash and this was June 14 And we did the poor create from Olympia provisions which are very good. And for the for the on toy we did fleas A Oh noctel which is a freeze a lettuce salad with like bacon, lard doll and poached eggs. Okay, and a very tart vinegar brat. And I don't think December had ever had freeze a before I had to like go downtown to socios Every market to find freezes serious. Oh my god that's really surprised they didn't have it at Broadway QFC they certainly didn't have it at Safeway. Yeah, um, but yeah said I think I spent $10 on lettuce. And I was nervous about it because I don't think I've poached an egg since we did our poached egg episode, which was years ago, right? Yeah. Came out so good.
Molly 30:24
Did you do the thing where you strain out the thinner parts in the tiny like tea strainer? Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:29
which really helped and then just like you know, get the water the right temperature like don't don't like mess with it.
Molly 30:34
Just lower the egg and yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:37
is that what you did poached three eggs at once they came out perfectly cooked. Oh my god. And yeah, this was this was really the highlight of the meal like Singapore's had thick sliced bacon to make the lard all so good. And yeah, so December's like, next time, can you make the same thing but with pancetta. And I'm like, yes, thank you. Wow, that sounds good. I love the thought if that we did the potato. Colette, of course. We had some Martin, Ellie's hard cider, no varnelli Sparkling Cider. And then for dessert, Laurie made poEdit chocolate poEdit crab. Which which was like, like that was when I was a kid. Yes. I thought was like the fanciest possible dessert. Oh, God, I fucking love these things. They're so good.
Molly 31:19
They're so good. I know. It's like very surprising. Yeah. So this one I do notice is less meat heavy, right? A little bit. Yeah, I mean, this one starts with three yet but then the main course is really like a salad that just uses meat as a season. That's true. Right? Okay, so you were looking for ways to do a less Yeah, Ed Bistro. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:37
this was this was such a good meal. Oh,
Molly 31:39
God, this totally makes me want to go home and do this. Yeah, it really
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:43
like except for except for like buying some fancy lettuce, which like certainly could have been substituted with less fancy lettuce. Like it wasn't it wasn't like super expensive. No,
Molly 31:53
no. I mean, in fact, because, you know, I imagined the liegt were a bit expensive, but the truth is, is potatoes I mean, you probably bought a lot of potatoes. That's not a lot of money. It's
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:05
not even that much. It's like a pound and a half of Yukon gold potatoes. So it was like $3 where the potatoes are last. And I guess I guess put some fancy cheese in there.
Molly 32:15
I am. I was gonna say I am surprised that there has been no cheese course in Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:20
I think the reason is that like as far as as teenager the show December has come since they're, they're picky eating years as a young child like they cheese like unmelted cheese is still not something they like.
Molly 32:35
Okay. Okay, fair enough. Okay, I'm gonna take pictures of these menus before I go home because my mouth is literally watering and I'm trying to figure out what part of these menus my family would be into.
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:46
Yeah, it seems like they would enjoy the potato Colette. Right?
Molly 32:49
I would think so. Yeah, I would. I would for sure. Thanks. So I got such a good rest. I think June would love the yet. Yeah, you know it when Ash is almost a bit pickier than June. I gotta say. So
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:05
I've like realized over the years that like there is there's a like, fair amount of overlap and stuff that that why for the show, Laurie and I both like but like it's a it's a classic Venn diagram. Like there's a big section of stuff I like that she doesn't like and vice versa.
Molly 33:21
The other night oh my god, I can't remember where we had been. I can't remember we were have we been weekly, like figuratively speaking we came home it was Saturday night. We had kind of been out and about a lot during the day. We had run some errands we were eating dinner late. And anyway, I anyway, on the way home from running errands, we passed by a like a cannabis store that we have often gone to and Canada Bistro, I can't Bistro. And I was like you know what? I want to go in and get these gummies that I've been wanting to try. And so
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:58
the new in the world of cannabis gummies
Molly 34:01
No, okay, no, it's my friend Sarah recommends pioneer squares, okay, which is a like a local Seattle based brand of gummies and I had had a you know, part of one with her like a year ago and it was good and you could still feel the effects. I had finally come down and I was ready to have another one. No, I wanted I wanted to get them so I went in and before we even left the parking lot Ash was driving before we even left the parking lot where we had parked I went ahead and ate half the gummy and so by the time we got home from running our various errands I was I was feeling pretty nice just like kind of mellowed out and we were having kind of a mishmash dinner and so let me tell you about the dinner I assembled my please. Which I am now realizing was very much a bistro dinner. Yes. Okay. All right. So we had some baguette that was like two days old. But you know you did the thing where you get your hands a little wet and you rub the outside of the baguette with no
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:57
this is a wait and then and then like pop it in the oven.
Molly 35:00
oh sorry Yeah, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:00
thought I thought you were gonna like just the big No, no no no
Molly 35:04
then you pop it in the in the toaster oven or the oven. Anyway so I kind of reinvigorated this baguette. I had two different types of cheese at home. I had double cream Gouda, which you know, I really like and then
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:16
back Ed mu Yeah.
Molly 35:19
Huh. Okay. Then I also had mount Tam, which is from what is that? I can't remember what the company is in California. That makes it so two different cheeses. I put them on my special little cutting board. Yeah, of course. And then I had a while we were out running errands. I had picked up a little Olympia provisions, tiny little salami.
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:42
Oh, yeah, they're they're classic type TLS tiny little salami, a little salami.
Molly 35:46
So I cut myself some like thin slices of that also on a tiny little cutting board. And then we had some CSA lettuces that like really needed to get used. Sure. And I had my like, super mustardy vinaigrette on the counter. So I made myself a little salad which I ate straight out of the salad bowl. And that was my dinner and a glass of wine. So I had my like two different types of cheese bistro night my like salami, my salad, my wine, and I was mildly high and it was great. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:18
I mean so good. When it comes down to it bistro night is a state of mind Bistro is a state of needs a little bit of affordable luxury. Like Celeste for one.
Molly 36:27
Yes, exactly. Celeste for one that you literally we did that episode like a decade ago.
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:35
Are you serious?
Molly 36:38
Long time was really like we should look it up was that like our like was the like frozen pizza episode or something? Anyway, so So yeah, that was my my impromptu bistro night. God. It was so good. I mean, I like moaned through it. Yes.
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:54
Like a Celeste No. Moaning and a celestial one first. I always think us. Yeah, Calgary, Calgary. Last for one. Yeah.
Molly 37:04
But anyway, yeah. And ash ate leftover burrito. So we were very much on brand for ourselves.
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:10
Leftover barista Pro.
Molly 37:12
Okay, Matthew, do we have some segments today?
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:17
We are as segmented as an orange two. Oh, wow. Okay, or as segmented as an insect. Okay, let's start with spilled mail.
Molly 37:31
Oh my god, I just read this and I'm so excited. Okay, Matthew, you read it. I'll
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:35
read it. This is from listener Marielle. Who writes in the underappreciated cookbook episode Matthew scoffed at Molly when she said some people have a five burner stove. I do have a five burner stove and it's above two ovens. Yeah. All right. So Mia culpa. One is a regular sized oven and the other is tiny. About six inches wide on the inside. We never use the tiny one because none of our pans or dishes fit inside. What can I cook in the tiny oven? breadsticks? What? A couple of two breadsticks? Yeah,
Molly 38:03
it sounds like you can't even fit like a quarter sheet pan. Yeah, six inches is very small. Wow, that's wild. Seems like oh, you know what you need to do? You need to stock up on a lot of loaf pans.
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:15
Right? That's what I was gonna say. We have like long skinny loaf, like a tea loaf pan.
Molly 38:20
I think it was called even like a standard loaf pan is what five by nine roughly?
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:24
Yes. I know. Yeah. Molly would just like have a banana bread in there at
Molly 38:29
all times. No, but I was thinking for instance, whenever we go out to a restaurant that we really like where we get fried chicken. I kind of like to I know cold fried chicken is a thing but I like to warm up the fried chicken the next day and I always warm it up on on some sort of heat proof thing in a toaster oven. And I think you could do that in your little
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:51
toaster oven but but down lower.
Molly 38:53
Yeah. Why don't but why don't you get some loaf pans and you could rewarm stuff in loaf pans like you could totally chuck some cold fried chicken in a loaf pan?
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:01
Yeah. Like the wings and the drumsticks would fit in there but maybe the the brass would be like too wide.
Molly 39:10
What else could you put in there? Um
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:12
Oh, I'm sorry. I think I think of a six millimeter wide.
Molly 39:17
Anyway, listen, listen are Marielle I am so grateful to you for writing in to let me know that you have a five burner stove because I was so surprised by Matthews scarf.
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:28
I yeah, I really scoffed. Like, yeah, I
Molly 39:31
mean, I really felt that I was just speaking a fact. And at least you and me know that it's a fact. Even if nobody
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:39
else or you're like just part of a vast conspiracy. Maybe if you want to if you want to debunk something I said contact at Spielberg podcast.com
Molly 39:48
Yeah, or if you want to debunk something I said you can
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:51
just like send it directly to the trashcan.
Molly 39:55
Okay, Matthew, it's your weak friend now but wow.
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:05
This is a new band that I'm very excited about that I as of like this recording their album their first album isn't even out yet but it will be out by the time you hear this it was the self titled debut album by King Stingray, who are a band from Northern Australia. I am loving they're single, let's go. And what makes this band special is they are they are an indie rock band, like most of the bands I listen to, but they have a some of the band members are Aboriginal Australians and some are not their lead singer and lyricist. Is is an Aboriginal person and uses uses elements like some some like Aboriginal language in in his songs and like you know issues that touch on like the Aboriginal experience in Australia, but like within a rock'n'roll framework that is very easy for me to get into. And I've been really enjoying that a lot.
Molly 40:56
Okay, so that's Kingston re Yeah, what's the debut album called? It's
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:00
just called Kingston right.
Molly 41:02
Okay, and the single is let's go Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:04
Okay, can I get anywhere songs are played.
Molly 41:07
Our producer is Abby, sir. Catella.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:09
Please rate and review us anywhere podcasts are played. And you can
Molly 41:13
chat with other spilled milk listeners on Reddit. That's at reddit.com/are/everything Spilled Milk
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:20
and until next time, let the bistro come out bistro mode so you had bistro mode you were going into bistro based row we're going beast Roma. I'm Matthew Amster-Burton. Wow, I'm
Molly 41:34
Molly Weissenberg.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:36
You're Molly wise and Bistro
All right. Okay. Oh, I thought I thought the dishwasher was going to be our third third host today
Molly 41:51
is it not? Is it officially Dinesh is not going to come back.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:54
I don't know you never know what these things they can they can ambush you. You know, I my dishwasher
Molly 41:58
tends to be like Depeche Mode. Enjoy the silence. Where like, fades away for a while and then comes back.
Matthew Amster-Burton 42:05
Yeah, yeah, it could like yeah, I will let my guard down. And I don't think you the listener should either. But let's enjoy the silence. Let's enjoy the silence. Yeah, I started the dishwasher at like, 830 thinking it's gotta be done before Molly comes over. But then now now it's like 950 and it may never 10 And it may or may not be No, this seems right. This is how dishwashers are. All right. Okay. All right, everybody. This
Molly 42:27
is our dish. No, it's not our dishwasher episode. Episode, right? Oh, that's right. Because I begged someone to send me a dishwasher not and nobody did. Like what is up with that? Yeah, anyway. No, we haven't done our intro yet. Matthew.