Building Blocks

Okay. Back from the store. I asked Matt to come along. Of course the first thing he asked was “What kind of beer?” The recipes had not been too specific on that point, but one had mentioned porter. Matt was skeptical. He opened his laptop as he said “Alton Brown won’t let us down.” A few clicks and Alton had indeed confirmed porter as the beer of choice. But even more than his beer expertise, I knew Matt would have a calming influence on my natural tendency to head for the island of imported cheeses in the deli section. In the end we decided Tillamook sharp cheddar was good enough for us. But I did get a fancy loaf of bread, which may have been a mistake. It may call too much attention to itself. We'll see.