Blech, fennel - and something new to read

I finally made something that I'd been meaning to for ages: Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin, from Fine Cooking. We had pieces of a beef tenderloin from the meat CSA, and it seemed like a good idea. 

It was not. I have discovered that I do not enjoy fennel in such a dominant taste position in a dish, and even if it didn't bug me so much, I think the flavor combination was too much for the meat. Maybe with lamb, or something more assertive - but not beef tenderloin. I can't write about the meal, though, without mentioning my failure to properly cook the meat...I completely overcooked it. And while some people truly enjoy a gray piece of meat, I and P do not. He, being the wonderful man he is, soldiered through eating his meal; I forsook it for some cauliflower soup. 


On a more upbeat cooking note, I found another blog that I'm going to follow: Baker's Banter, from the King Arthur Flour company. Yes, they mention King Arthur products liberally.(Can you blame them? It's who pays their salary.) But seeing past this, there are some recipes on there that make me want to get in the kitchen and make some bread, and the step-by-step photos that accompany the recipes are fantastic for those trying a recipe for the first time. That's one of the things I found so good in my baking class last fall: we were shown what everything was supposed to look like at every stage. Most cookbooks don't have the space for this type of valuable instruction. Definitely check this blog out.