Cooking With Jim

COOKING WITH JIM                      

actually, with him in spirit, in the kitchen 
of his quaint brownstone on West 12th Street
in Manhattan, decades after his death.

And quite at home with him, I chop and slice;
bake, twice-baked potatoes — their skins crisping 
to perfection; roast, the prime tenderloin of beef 

he’d earlier instructed me to hand-rub with 
coarsely ground black pepper and kosher salt. 
(I used sea salt and that was ok with him.) 

Right now, he’s reminding me to stir my roux,
then I should add the crisp bacon bits, made earlier, 
to the finely chopped spinach I just finished sautéing. 

He says I should wait till the last minute 
to toss the mélange of local field greens with 
the lemongrette he had me make in lieu of 

vinaigrette, because, it seems that vinegar 
often spoils the taste of wine. As for the wines 
with dinner: for the salad, I’m chilling 

a 2011 Seyval Blanc from New York State; 
with the beef dish, a 10-year-old California 
Zinfandel; this followed by a 2010 Pinot Noir 

from Oregon, paired with artisanal cheeses 
from Vermont and Connecticut, plus 
crisp sourdough rolls and flatbread; 

and, in the frig, chilling, a late-harvest, Long Island 
Riesling to complement the secret confection hidden 
away on a silver tray till dessert-time.

According to Jim, red wine should be served at 
room temperature, and since older reds have a layer 
of sediment in the bottle, he said the Zin will need
 
to be decanted, and that, right before serving; 
he wants the Pinot to breathe 15 minutes, or so, 
in the glass before being drunk. 

(The aeration of younger reds will rid those wines of 
their chalky tasting tannins.) All this for my guests 
who’ll soon be sitting round my dining table akin to 

Jim’s 60 inch round green marble slab of a tabletop, 
where, before the first bite of the Jim-inspired, 
5-star meal, I’ll raise my glass to the big bald guy —

James Beard, “The Father of American Cuisine.”
Copyright © | Year Posted 2014


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Date: 7/31/2021 3:02:00 PM
Enjoyed reading your poem - a beautiful and tasty poem! I love cooking, probably that’s more reason to love your poem about fine dining. BW ~ Mala
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Date: 11/19/2020 1:42:00 AM
it's beautiful; fantastic poem
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Date: 2/27/2016 4:20:00 AM
Greetings Ruth. Congrats for having your wonderful poem featured in the Poetry Soup homepage!!!! ;-)
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Sabath Rosenthal Avatar
Ruth Sabath Rosenthal
Date: 2/27/2016 10:40:00 AM
Thanks Teddy! I appreciate your comments.
Date: 12/19/2015 6:58:00 PM
RUTH:) Congratulations on having your poem featured on the soups Home Page. I'm also sending an early Christmas Message with Hugs. May you have a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year.. Good luck in all you do, just in case I don't stop a second time before the 2015 ends ~SKAT LOVE~
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Date: 3/10/2015 1:15:00 PM
It's nice poem my beautiful poetess friend. Welcoming you with great thanks for writing this beautiful poem. All members are nice here. Loved always, my lovely friend,bl
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Date: 3/3/2015 6:00:00 PM
I have read some of your poems and have enjoyed them. Because a couple of my children are chefs and my son owned a restaurant ,He went on to his new place of dining two year ago(heaven).( he also is probably working in a "mouth has not tasted" such deliciousness----- He could give the new chefs some scrumptious recipes... My daughter has now replaced him. Before he "retired" he passed on his famous taste to her for others to enjoy.. Thank you Ruth for your tasty poem, "Cooking With Jim."
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Date: 1/1/2014 9:43:00 PM
Ruth, , Hope you are enjoying the new year 2014, Your first poem on the soup is excellent for the readers, This is deep!! Stopping by with a nice, sweet Welcome to Poetry Soup. Wishing you the best when it comes to your poems. I hope you get to meet all the nice poets around here. Starting with me. SKAT :-) Please drop a hello and tell me a little about yourself if you like. I would like to be your newest poetry soup "FRIEND". Hugs* SKAT
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Date: 1/1/2014 1:53:00 PM
- Welcome to P-Soup, Ruth ! Like your first poem, well written. - :)) - Hope you will have much pleasure to be with us. - Wishing you good luck !! - (Comment on the poetry of others and they will comment on yours). - My first greeting to you from Norway. - I will come back to read more .... another day :) - All the best for the year 2014 ! - oxox // Anne-Lise :)
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Date: 1/1/2014 1:38:00 PM
a nice way in toasting your accomplishments. Ruth, , A nice warm WELCOME to poetry soup. Dropping by to invite you to my latest contest. You will find the contest page on the top left hand side* -Looking forward in following and reading your poetry. Hope to hear from you soon. You will enjoy the community, we are one big happy family. (Drama & Love. LOL) ~ Take Care!! From: your new poet friend @-> LINDA <-@"
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