Blueberry Amandine Tart

Blueberry Amandine Tart

A little over a week ago, the vegetarian turned 30. In his honor, I wanted to bake something. Now, as you know, I'm not much of a baker, so I needed something reliable and easy. But muffins are boring (and the only thing I bake with any frequency) so I wanted to find something more fun. And that would feel at least semi-seasonal. Something that, for better or for worse, I could feature here.


Searching for inspiration, my first stop was the freezer where I found some frozen blueberries from our frozen farm share. Great, I thought, I'll use blueberries. The next stop was the cookbook shelf, where I saw Clotilde's book, Chocolate & Zucchini. Like many, Chocolate & Zucchini was the first food blog I discovered. I was living alone in Paris, in a garret apartment in the 15th arrondissement. I was a student, studying abroad, and it was my first time living alone and being responsible for all my own meals. While I had neither the funds nor the resources to sample most of Clotilde's creations, I used to sit at my computer, reading about her delicacies while savoring my homemade eggs, lentils or pasta -- my three most regular meals in those days. This was, of course, before I moved to a real apartment in the 1st arrondissement, experimented in the kitchen and started my own blog. Six years and six apartments later (how time flies), cooking for someone who's never seen my Paris (though he was there many moons before we met) and is slowly being introduced into the world of food and expanding tastebuds, it seemed only fitting to return to Clotilde for advice.


The recipe I ultimately settled on was a Blueberry Amandine Tart. Since I don't trust myself as a baker enough to potchke with a tart recipe (and because I couldn't imagine what I would change), I left it exactly as printed in the book. Exact that I used a store-bought pate sablee.


So how was it? Delicious. My only complaint was that the center never quite firmed up. Perhaps this was because my crust was 9-inches, perhaps because my blueberries were frozen. Or maybe that's the way it was supposed to be. Anyway, the almonds were the perfect antidote to keep the tart from becoming too sweet (I thoroughly recommend buying them already blanched rather than doing it yourself. You can find the recipe on page. 188-189 of Chocolate and Zuccini. Enjoy!


Make it a meal: Whenever I make dessert, I want to ensure my diners save room for it! So I make a one-pot meal, usually pasta, to go with it. In this case, I made Spaghetti with Cheesy Tomato Sauce (tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella). And to drink, Champagne Cocktail for me and Electric Lemonade for the vegetarian. Bon appetit!


Links to other blueberry amandine tart noshes:

• Blueberry Amandine Tart from Baked Alaska
• Blueberry Amandine Tart from The Casual Baker
• A Bit of a C&Z Weekend from Chocolate & Zucchini Forums
• Blueberry Kuchen from Lady Gouda
• Seven Questions with Marty Curtis (with a picture of a blueberry muffin) from seven spoons
• Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie from The Kitchen Sink
• Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies from Dinner with Julie
• Blueberry Boy Bait from Blue Jean Gourmet

MLLA 32: French-Style Lentil Soup

French-Style Lentil Soup

Lentilles Verte du Puy

One of the goodies I brought back from Paris for the Vegetarian and me to enjoy was a box of French green lentils, an AOC-protected variety that many consider to be the best lentils in the world. Blue-green when uncooked, they are quite beautiful and certainly not "peasant food." I often think of lentils as a winter food and, with all the snow we've been having in New York, a lentil soup was exactly what we've been craving.


As I slowly adapt myself to a (mostly) vegetarian diet, I have a new-found appreciation for legumes. High in protein, they're an excellent main dish and alternative to tofu. Lentils are probably my favorite variety. One such reason is simply time commitment--unlike most legumes, lentils don't need to be soaked. They can just be rinsed, sorted (to make sure no small stones sneaked in) and cooked. They also only need about 45 minutes to cook, unlike many beans which require several hours. This all means that I can still get dinner on the table, even when I come home late and don't plan ahead.


Because I used French lentils, I decided to make the flavorings of this soup reflect French cuisine as well. Wanting a meal that really stuck to our ribs (and knowing the Vegetarian craves starches as much as I do protein), we had this over Mashed Celery Potatoes. Not traditional, I know, but delicious all the same.


And, because this is a legume dish, it's my first entry into the 32nd installment of My Legume Love Affair. Enjoy!


French-Style Lentil Soup
adapted from a recipe for French Lentil Soup from Epicurious and one for Egyptian-Style Lentil Soup from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen.

• 1 red onion, sliced into very thin rings
• 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 baby carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I recommend Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth)
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon French sea salt
• 1 lemon, quartered

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place red onion in a pie plate and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover tightly with tin foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add yellow 

Simmering Lentil Soup

onions, carrots, celery, garlic, cumin and fennel seeds, reduce heat to medium-low and saute until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add vegetable broth, water, lentils, tomatoes, kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil then lower heat immediately, cover partially, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, until lentils are very tender and the broth has thickened.

Remove from heat, stir in reserved red onion and its olive oil, as well as balsamic vinegar. Season with French sea salt and additional 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Serve, over mashed celery potatoes if desired, with lemon wedges. Enjoy!


Update: check out Sandhya's beautiful round-up and congratulations to all the winners!

Links to other French Lentil Soup noshes:

• French Green Lentil Soup from Kiss My Spatula
• Kabocha French Lentil Soup from 101 Cookbooks
• French Green Lentil and Spinach Soup from Former Chef
• Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup from 101 Cookbooks
• Barefoot Contessa's French Lentil Soup from Tales from a Veggie Kitchen
• French-Style Lentil Soup with Spinach from Cheap Healthy Good

Paris

Place Vendome

Well, I'm finally home after an absolutely spectacular week in Paris. Mom and I ate, drank and explored. It was wonderful to be back in my old home and to discover new haunts and visit old ones. Also, now that I'm so attuned to vegetarianism, it was certainly heartening to see how many more meatless options there were, even at bistros! This means it'll be even more fun to introduce the Vegetarian to my "other home."


There's something about Paris that, as Mom says, makes the whole place feel like a museum, so that just walking around is fulfilling. And even though it was January, the weather was unseasonable warm, 40-55F, so we were never tempted to hibernate. 


Since I know I won't have the time to write more than one post about the trip, I'm going to leave you with highlights, links and (unfortunately few) pictures. The lack of pictures compared to how busy we were is due to the fact that it took me almost the whole week to remember to charge my camera. Oops!


So without further ado, I present... Paris.


Day 1:

Breakfast

We stayed at a lovely hotel in the Marais, Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais, which I cannot recommend enough. Definitely a place to remember. So after showering and changing, we went off in search of food. Galettes, savory crepes, to be exact. We decided to return to Breizh Cafe, in the 3rd. We then wandered around the Marais for a bit, getting reacquainted with the area, before finally heading back to the hotel for a quick nap. A few hours later, we woke up and headed off the Saint Germain des Pres for dinner at Le Bistrot d'Henri, my favorite restaurant in Paris and one that I visited often when living there. Mom began her meal with a salade de roquette while I had chevre et pesto on toast sur une salade verte. For main courses, Mom went with magret de canard while I had foie de veau. Both our plats came with the amazing gratin dauphinoise for which Bistrot d'Henri is famous. We also shared a pot de vin.


Day 2:


We headed down to the Village Saint-Paul for an antiques fair, where I bought a decorative knife and Mom found a necklace and green snakeskin handbag from the '40's. We then walked through the Ile St-Louis, stopping at a Laguiole store, then checking out the line in front of Berthillon before finally winding our way to the 6th, where we stopped at Da Rosa (where I finally tasted the famous Bellota ham--worthy of all the hype) for lunch. We then continued meandering, this time around the left bank, finally ending up at Monoprix to invest in stockings, socks, Labello lip products and walnut vinegar. We stumbled out, now laden down with packages, dropped everything off at the hotel, changed and freshened up quickly before heading all the way up to the 17th for a fantastic dinner at L'entredgeu (absolutely worth the trek!), where we enjoyed a pumpkin soup with chestnuts and coquilles saint-jacques for appetizers and an extremely thick piece of cod and pigeonnau au foie gras for main dishes. For dessert, we each went with a hunk of chevre, drizzled with olive oil and accompanied by a green salad. We shared a bottle of wine.


Day 3:


It being Sunday, we headed straight up to the 12th to tour the Richard Lenoir Market. We ogled all the produce, fish and meat, wishing we were staying somewhere with a kitchenette. Not being able to resist, we ended up with a picnic of cheese, raspberries, tomatoes, jus de pomme biologique and 1/2 a boiled Brittany lobster (!). Needless to say, this was one of the best lunches I've ever had and what made it even better was that it was over 50 F in January and we ate outside. Considering how much I hate cold weather, few things make me happier. We then wandered back to the Ile St-Louis, where Mom bought a gorgeous embroidered jacket at Banon, a store with clothing designed by an Italian, made from Indian fabrics and produced in France. Whew! Berthillon was, as usual, incredibly crowded, so instead we took a walk along the Seine (back on the left bank), stopping to admire the vendors' used books, magazines and posters, then up to Cahiers de Colette in the 1st for some reading material to last until the next trip. After such an exhausting day, we stopped at the hotel to freshen up, then off to the 15th for a delicious Vietnamese dinner at Kim Anh, where we had a delicious half-bottle of Sancerre. And for someone who normally prefers red wine, that's a winning endorsement indeed!


Day 4:


This was really our left bank shopping day. We started off at Heimstone, a clothing boutique in the 6th where I picked up a very French skirt. Then we wandered around more, faisant du leche-vitrines. (window-shopping; literally licking the windows). We finally stopped at La grande epicerie for lunch and to pick out the goodies we'd bring home to our men. Then onto Le bon marche's fantastic lingerie department which was filled with all the -50% soldes that abound in January. Finally, thoroughly exhausted, we went off to the 14th for dinner at La regalade, where we enjoyed more coquilles saint-jacques, pate, wild duck, st-nectaire, riz au lait and cotes de rhone. Delicieux!


Day 5:


After walking around the 3rd a bit, we wandered into the Jewish Quarter, the Rue des Rosiers and found, much to our surprise, that there was no line in front of L'as du falafel, what I (and many others) believe is the best falafel joint! We took a table and devoured our lunch (a messy sandwich for me and a plat for Mom). It began drizzling, so we then continued on our way, meandering up to the Musee Carnavalet where we spent several hours enjoying a delightful exhibit: Voyage en Capitale: Louis Vuitton et Paris, learning all about how the designer changed luggage and travel and seeing some truly fantastic picnic baskets and trunks. It certainly enhanced our appreciation for him! We stopped off at Cafes Amazone for an espresso, then went to the movies in the 9th where we saw a delightful romantic comedy-mystery, Poupoupidou, about a starlet, a novelist and Marilyn Monroe. If you have the chance, I highly recommend it! Finally, a light vegetarian dinner in the Marais and off to bed.


Day 6:

Louvre brulant

Galerie Valois

Cafe Verlet

Our last full day, we walked over to the 1st, stopping off at Spring Boutique for a popote (a stew) and a chat with the delightful, American chef-owner. Next time we'll be sure to come back for a wine tasting and a cheese plate. Then it was off to Astier de Villatte to look at beautiful porcelain and buy a small, decorative plate (which, unfortunately, broke during transit and which the Vegetarian and I are now working to repair). Next we headed over to Place Vendome, one of the ritziest areas, where we continued to lecher les vitrines, and even stopped off at Charvet to pick up some ties for Dad (and took the picture of the sky that's at the beginning of this post). 

Chocolat Verlet

Needing to refuel, we had a snack, coffee and tea at Verlet before heading back towards the Louvre, stopping off to admire more windows and architecture in the Galerie de Valois. And, finally, we spent the evening at the Louvre, first a video installation in the basement, the louvre medieval, then a beautiful exhibit, L'antiquite revee, which has inspired us to purchase some more artwork for the apartment. A quick stop at the Cour Marly to see some of my favorite sculptures and across the Seine to Gaya for a delicious seafood dinner with delightfully attentive waitstaff.


Day 7:


Our flight was late enough that we were able to have a nice half-day, so, upon discovering the Musee Picasso is currently undergoing renovation(!), we took the opportunity to wander through the northern reaches of the Marais, which Mom had never done. We stopped for couscous at Chez Omar, then

Marais graffiti

 meandered back to the hotel and off the Charles de Gaulle and then home. A Bientot, Paris!


Some addresses. If I haven't listed an address you'd like, just ask!


Astier de Villatte
173, Rue St-Honore
75001


Verlet
256, Rue St-Honore
75001


Cafes Amazone
11, Rue Rambuteau
75004


Da Rosa
62, Rue de Seine
75006


Heimstone
23, Rue Cherche-Midi
75006


Richard Lenoir Market
Place de la Bastille
75012


L'entredgeu
83, Rue Laugier
75017

A Paris...

I'm spending the week in Paris with Mom, eating, drinking, shopping and having a wonderful time. I promise a full report upon my return.

A bientot!

Back in NYC

My profound apologies for this enormous silence. We've been travelling France and Italy and internet cafes were sparse, so there just wasn't time for blogging! But we took notes and will slowly do write-ups of the places we visited, so please stay tuned for that.

The other news is that I'm back in New York, having arrived yesterday afternoon. It's strange being back in an English-speaking country and living with my parents, but nice to have a stocked kitchen and all the wonderful stores and the Union Square Greenmarket. There are also new restaurants to try, old ones to visit and the new enormous Whole Foods in Union Square. So there will be many write-ups and such.

Sadly, though, the nature of this blog must now change. After living in France, my cooking has definitely been influenced, both because of the ingredients and what I ate in restaurants. I'm excited to see where it leads now I'm in the States and I'll have to try and adapt everything to pounds, ounces, cups, etc. So, we'll always love Paris...

...but onto New York!

Moving Day

We're moving! We moved out of our beautiful Paris apartment and are now traveling around France and Italy for the next month-and-a-half before we head back to the States. I have my camera and will take notes on all our delicious experiences, though I don't know how often I'll be able to write them up. Blogging will be sporadic for the next couple of months, but be patient. We've really enjoyed our Paris adventure--stay tuned for the rest!

I'll Always Love You

Yarzheit from the Rue des Rosiers

A year ago today, my dog, Blueberry, died. It was a month before his seventeenth birthday and I loved him very much. Today, walking around the Rue des Rosiers, I was hit by the fact that this weekend was the first anniversary of his death and I had done nothing to commemorate it. So I bought a yarzheit, the candle lit to commemorate a death, and recited a prayer for him tonight. Blueberry was like a brother to me and, needless to say, I miss him very much.

He was in Paris several times, so I like to think that woandering streets he had been down today, he was there with me in some way. I passed by Sacha Finkelstajn's, closed on Tuesdays, and remembered their delicious chopped liver and how Blue ate his fair share of it one afternoon when we were out sight-seeing, I believe at Giverny, and he was stuck in the car with the chopped liver. My dad says Blue liked Paris so much because so many dogs here looked like him. Maybe. I like to think it was because he enjoyed food as much as the rest of us. He joined us in a French restaurant one night and must have thought he had gone to Heaven. Well, he's there now and I only hope there are wonderful restaurants there for him, or whatever it is that he desires.

If you have a pet, hug him. Cuddle with her. Play with her. Tell him you love him.

Blueberry, I will always love you.

Queen of Cuisine: Chez la Vieille-Adrienne

Chez la Vieille. Is the stop sign referring to the restaurant?

Mom's last full day with me, we decided to treat ourselves to a special lunch. Thinking ahead to this week, I remembered Dine and Dish #2: Queen of Cuisine, hosted by Sarah at The Delicious Life. Mom and I had both read a lot about Chez la Vieille-Adrienne in Patricia Wells' tome on food in Paris. It also got a great review in Time Out Paris (which I've decided hates virtually everything), so we decided it would be great. It was run by Adrienne, but she has since retired and been replaced by the Corsican Marie-José Cervoni. Both Mom and I are quite fond of Corsican food, so we were really looking forward to the new influence.

I don't know if it was an off-day or what, but Chez la Vieille did not live up to any of our expectations. First, we walked into a deliciously smelling room downstairs and were quickly herded upstairs to what Mom referred to as "La Salle Americaine" as the only other diners there were an American couple. This room felt colder and more formal, though maybe that was just my imagination.


Chariot d'entrees et un farci

Of the three starters offered, the only one that appealed to us was the chariot, a general selection. Mom doesn't eat mammals, so we asked what was on the chariot. "Fish and pate," the waitress quickly responded. She brought us each a plate, mine with two kinds of fish and two pates, Mom's with just the fish--not more fish than I had, mind you.

The Pates were both pork-based and smoky tasting. The First was good, if a little salty, and large sprigs of thyme were placed on it. The Second was also smoky tasting, but placed in gelatin--not my favorite ingredient. In fact, I wasn't able to finish it.

The first of the fish was a Squid and Calamari salad with red peppers. It was a little oily for Mom's tastes, but I liked it. Rather plain tasting, but not bad. The second was Herring with Red Onions. This was also swimming in oil and so salty I couldn't finish it either.

Normally in France when someone doesn't clean their plate, the server is concerned and asks if everything was OK. Our server didn't even appear to notice. In fact, she came over several times while we were still eating to take our plates away!

Cannelloni au brocciu

Main dishes were better. Mom ordered the celebrated Cannelloni au Brocciu. Brocciu is a delicious Corsican cheese. The cannelloni also contained spinach and mint. They were very reminiscent of manicotti and were in a spicy tomato sauce with parmesan grated on top. The sauce wasn't so spicy it over-powered the cannelloni but rather enhanced the fresh taste of the mint and spinach. Mom find it slightly salty, but I liked it.


Poisson suivant le marche--Cod

For my main dish, I ordered the Fish of the Day, which was cod. It was lightly breaded and sprinkled with a healthy amount of parsley. It tasted fresh and simple and I liked it a lot. It was adorned with a light Butter and Black Pepper sauce. Nothing spectacular, but good, fresh food.


Puree de Pommes de terre, the best part of the meal

My fish came with a dish of Potato puree that was delicious though a little salty (notice a trend?). There was so much butter in the potatoes, though, that how could they not be good?


Flan a la chataigne--take as much (or as little) as you want

For dessert, we decided to split the Chestnut Flan. We both love chestnuts and something custardy seemed like a good end. We were presented with a giant dish of flan. I assume we could have had as much as we wanted, but we were content with two small slices each. It was heavy, quite sweet and a little too alcoholic tasting. One piece was certainly enough.

I don't know what happened when we went to La Vieille, but it was nothing like the reviews we had read. We tried our best to like it, but just couldn't. I must say we were quite disappointed and will most likely not return.

Chez la Vieille-Adrienne
1, rue de Bailleul
Metro: Louvre-Palais Royal.

Le Bistrot d'Henri

Piece de Boucher aux echalottes with the famous Gratin Dauphinois

Before moving out to Paris, I already had a favorite restaurant: Le Bistrot d'Henri. Whenever I would come here with my parents, we always made sure we left one night to come here, as much for the charming service as for the massive portions and the best potatoes gratin ever.

Before he moved out here, while I was still living in a chambre de bonne on the outskirts of Paris, the Boy visited me and I took him to Le Bistrot d'Henri. He enjoyed his steak so much that, only a few days later when we were back in the St-Germain area, we returned for dinner on a Saturday night. We didn't really expect to get in, but Julian, who's the main waiter as well as the one who seems to run everything, told us to return in a half-hour. We did...and waited. But he brought us free glasses of wine and a plate of sausages and olives and we were eventually seated and had a wonderful meal. After that time, Julian knows us and whenever we returns he greets us enthusiastically, even beriding me for being late, which I often am.

This past year we even celebrated New Year's Eve at Le Bistrot d'Henri and had a fantastic time, toasting Julian at midnight. It is the epitome of a French bistro in our mind. When we leave Paris, we know we will always return here.

Last week, Mom was out here visiting again and overlapped with Davey her first night, so we all went out to Le Bistrot d'Henri, where I had the Piece de Boucher with a Shallot sauce and, of course, the Potatoes. This was actually off the regular menu although there's a big blackboard menu of specials that is bigger than the menu of most restaurants. Normally I only order off the blackboard, but I had never had the Piece de Boucher and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Asperges Blancs, my entree

Entrecote aux herbes de provence...and potatoes, bien sur--Davey's main


The food may not be the most inventive, but it's always reliable and the service is excellent. Oh, and the Potatoes alone are worth the trip...

Le Bistrot d'Henri
8, rue Princesse
Metro: Mabillon.


Update:


I returned to Le Bistrot d'Henri and it's still as good as I remembered!

Les dessous de la robe

After having cooked the past several nights, we decided to go out for dinner Thursday night and last night. Unfortunately, last night was not terribly memorable. However, Thursday's dinner, at our favorite neighborhood bistro/wine bar, was, as per usual, divine. We first read about Les dessous de la robe in a Michelin guide and have since returned there four times. What first attracted our attention was that the menu changes according to what's available at market, though there always seems to be a special fish, a pasta, a tuna, soup, foie gras and steak.

Thursday night, we both started with Soupe du moment, which was cauliflower, actually more of a creamy puree than a soup, generously sprinkled with Piment d'Espellette, our current favorite hot pepper. It was warming and delicious. Our only complaint was that it was a healthy portion and surprisingly filling, so we had no room for dessert!

I followed the soup with the Entrecote de Salers. Salers beef is said to be the best in the world, coming from a breed of cow native to the Auvergne region in the south of France. This was possibly the best piece of plain beef I've ever had, accompanied by crispy oven-cooked potato chips. The boy had Axoa de veau au piment d'espellette, a veal stew with sesame seeds, hot pepper and a wonderful mystery vegetable which I think was a kumquat (I know, not a vegetable) and which the boy thinks might be something related to a potato.

This was all accompanied by a fantastic bottle of wine, Causse Marines--a spicy, rich, slightly fruity red wine perfectly recommended by our waitress.

As usual, the service was marvelous, the food delightful and the wine worth a trip in itself.

Les dessous de la robe
4, rue Bertin Poiree
75001
M: Chatelet

Couscous gratuit!

I was in the midst of deciding what to make for dinner, which proved more difficult than normal as my biggest pot is in the fridge with my left-over Jarret de veau. I decided I wanted something spicy, perhaps Middle-Eastern or Indian, so I was all prepared to head down to an awesome spice shop near home when I got a Texto on my phone from Kym, a Canadian friend from my acting classes (which start again on Monday!). "Couscous gratuit ce soir," it read. Free couscous? On a Friday night? With friends? That satisfied all my requirements and more (except that I couldn't go to the spice store, but ah, well).

After many more Texto's, we agreed to meet two other girls and Kym's sister at a Metro Station where Marie (who actually told us about the couscous in the first place) would lead us all to Free Food. Kym, her sister and I were late, then Marie, the only Parisienne, got us lost (it was in the 11e, which is a quite confusing area). Finally we saw a bar with a small blackboard outside reading "Couscous gratuit, vendredi et samedi soirs." We went in, waited for a half hour and then finally, after much shuffling around, settled down at two small tables pushed together. We ordered drinks (necessary for free couscous, apparently) and waited for a food.

While not the best couscous I've ever had, and without serving the superfluous amounts of grain the Boy and I are used to, it was surprisingly good. It came with a big ceramic bowl of vegetable stew and a plate of stewed mutton--a little stringy, but I liked it. Needless to say, we cleaned our plates. I actually wouldn't have minded a little more food, but, for couscous gratuit, it was perfect.

There was live music behind us and a not-bad bottle of wine. Also, The Mummy (the new one) was being projected onto a wall, mute with French subtitles. In general drinks at this bar are cheap (2,50 for a kir although by 22h00 last night they had run out of white wine) and there are fun faintly Middle Eastern lamps hanging from the ceiling (which Kym kept banging her head against). All in all, a very enjoyable evening.