Tablier Bleu

Translation: 

As I’ve teased for a while, I finally get a chance to walk you through this (at excruciating detail) ..

A friend of mine who tried this service was able to “give” somebody a “free meal” (no such thing, right?) and I was asked if I would like to try it.  I always have had the little “Gee, that sounds intriguing” about Blue Apron in the back of my mind, but have (as usual) never acted.  So, this pushed me over the edge and I said.. Sure.  You have to go to their website to accept the offer.  And, not unexpectedly, here’s where the “no such thing” kicks in.   Yes, your (first) delivery is no charge, but to avail yourself of their largess, you have to sign up for the program, with the caveat that you “can cancel at any time”.    Figured what the hell, so I went for it.

For those unfamiliar with their program, the overall deal is:

·       The cost is $69 for a weekly delivery on Friday

·       The box contains three meals for two people

·       The website specifies the dishes you will receive.

·       You have (limited) options to change the menu, as long as you do it over a week in advance of delivery

·       You may decline that week’s delivery if you wish (over a week away)

So, sure enough on Friday I arrive home to see (fiercely defended by our attack squirrel):

I bring the box into the house and after figuring out how to open it you are greeted with

I must admit the thing is very well packed, the three recipes on top with overall insulation and two of those ice packs.  Peeling back the insulation reveals the “refrigerated” ingredients, which sets atop one of the ice packs

Below the first ice pack is the frozen proteins and under that is the second ice pack.   Don’t know how long the squirrel guarded box sat on the porch, but everything was cold and frozen.  I unpacked the complete shipment

All the ingredients for the three meals are labeled and individually packaged, including a single carrot or green onion.   If more than one recipe calls for green onions, you get more than one package of them.  Each recipe is complete.   Notice the little paper bags (to the left above)? They are what they call Knick Knacks and contain dry ingredients or little tubs of sauce or special spices.

The three meals in our first shipment were: Seared Catfish with Udon Noodles with Mushrooms and Carrots; Za’atar – Spiced Chicken with Pink Lemon Pan Sauce and Pearl Couscous; and Spaghetti Bolognese with Butter Lettuce Salad and Creamy Italian Dressing:   

Being our first attempt, we selected the Catfish.   The two-sided recipe card is quite complete, showing a picture of the finished dish and pictures of ingredients needed,

and on the back is step by step instructions (complete with cooking times) with a picture of each step

So we set out the ingredients for the Catfish

And began the prep

Our division of labor was that the Feeder did the heavy chopping and dicing and MFO handled the more delicate stuff (like the mushrooms above). 

And finally all the mise en place was complete

(Hey Boomer!  If you’re out there, look at the salt container!! Remember that?)

And then we marched down the recipe steps

Then we committed the catfish to the non-stick pan to sear, while adding the Udon noodles to the aromatics,

(another side note, if you can see the recipe card images, note that all the cookware is All-Clad, as are the Feeder’s inventory – great stuff)

Finally, the dish was plated

And voilà! it bore a good resemblance to the model on the recipe card.   Although they recommended a 2016 Brick and Mortar Vin Blanc (amazingly available at blue apron dot com), we substituted a bottle of 2013 Talbott's Kali Hart Chardonnay (courtesy of FOTJTE).  Sweet! A nice dinner, but the kitchen staff left dirty pans without cleaning them for us.

Conclusions/Thoughts/Recommendations

This is not formed from the “one off” of the seared catfish.  We have had eleven more meals

I find that many recipes lean toward the (trendy) hot and spicy: Spicy Tomato and Olive Pasta; Cumin-Szechuan Shrimp Fried Rice; Spicy Chicken Sandwiches; Mole-Spiced Beef Chili.  And to be fair they do say things about if you prefer a less spicy dish, do…..

Anyway, Thoughts:

·       Pluses:

o   Packaging is professional

o   The ingredients are excellent.  Proteins are very      tasty, better than I expected

o   All the produce is fresh (garlic is tight, root ends on scallions, potatoes sprout, etc.)

o   There are interesting dishes, new esoteric spices, etc., something that you would (or cannot) not do yourself

o   Instructions and directions are clear, and easy to follow

o   They do allow room for modification

·       Other:

o   Very dependent on your personal preferences and life style

o   Since the ingredients are fresh, they tend to “age” quickly in the refrigerator if not used, creating a “Oh, God, we have to use them Tonight!”  tyranny.

o   If you enjoy “cooking together”, this is for you, if not, you may wind end up yelling at each other. Plan on making the prep and cooking your evening (with a clear delineation of duties).

o   If you’re a relatively accomplished chef, you may consider their step by step insulting and just use recipe as a guideline

o   Creates a lot of pans and containers which remain after you enjoy the meal

o   Managing the menus require attention.

So if you want fun and a chance to cook something with new and interesting ingredients and spices, give it a try.  You can opt out..I'd recommend, realizing there are now other options out there..

And, after all that stuff, before you consume the product of your efforts, you must

DFD