If you’re going to end it, do it before Thanksgiving
- Scott Daniels: We Ate Well and Cheaply
- September 18, 2019
- 1202
I’m going to let you in on a little secret, though I really shouldn’t, as it exposes the whole game. But you see, I have guilt. And guilt is a thing I’ve worked rigorously to eliminate from my life.
In the course of writing a few words about food and cooking every week, which is a remarkable privilege, I make it a practice to warehouse my favorite recipes within these pages.
Paella, crab cakes, Yorkshire pudding, cheesecake, mussels, chowder — My favorite recipes are all collected in an easily searchable database, right here.
Yes, there are apps and spreadsheets for that, but those are the domain of the guy with a Roman haircut, pressed khakis, a gym membership card, a fanny pack and a cell phone holster on his belt, not me. Dinner is usually planned while crossing the grocery store parking lot to get whatever we need, as creative sorts do.
Of course it is better to plan a meal at least a few hours in advance, especially if you’re having company or if it’s for a date. Some of you will start over with dating again soon, as we’re coming up to the deadline for ending relationships before you’re locked in until spring. There are two scenarios at work here.
In one scenario, often called the Turkey Drop, you have to decide whether a current relationship is worth continuing before mid-November. Once Thanksgiving rolls around, you are somewhat obligated to include your person in your plans, and then you can’t break up before Christmas because gifts have probably been purchased, and besides, it’s a jerk thing to do.
Miss that November deadline, and you have to stick it out for Christmas, and then for New Year’s Eve, followed by Valentine’s Day. So if you’re going to end it, you have to do it before Thanksgiving plans are in place or smile your way through March. What a cruel and heartless business is love.
The other scenario refers to Cuffing Season, in which couples decide they are indeed of a like mind in sticking things out for a long-term run, and they double down on their commitment before the holidays approach, ready to face them, with each other’s family in the mix, together and with joy, come what may.
I don’t mean to put undue pressure on the next couple of months, but if you’re sensing your person is on the fence, or atop the fence is where your own sentiments lie, maybe planning a great dinner, cooked at home with all the squishy love you can muster with candles and a tablecloth and plates without chips in the edges, may be a good idea in helping solidify whether to fall off the fence on the corn or cattle side.
Here’s a squishy love recipe for filet mignon in a dried cherry sauce.
FILET OF BEEF IN CHERRY SAUCE
2 4-6 ounce filet mignon steaks
freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dried cherries, soaked in hot water 30 minutes
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Press the salt and pepper into the steaks firmly. Film a heavy skillet with the oil and sear the steaks on each side over high heat, 3-4 minutes, turning only once, until they are done as you like. Remove and keep warm. Add shallots to the pan and cook until softened, then the wine, stock, drained cherries and parsley. Cook until reduced to sauce consistency. Add butter and cook over low heat. Add the steaks to coat for a moment and serve them with the sauce.