December 2008 6 Course Dinner

This was probably our hardest dinner (up to this point), and possibly our easiest and smoothest. The key to a dinner of 6 courses, is planning and being super, super organized. Usually 2 to 3 weeks before a dinner like this, I will sit down with my cookbooks and spend 2-3 hours paging through and looking and thinking. We consider color and taste; texture and temperature. When I have a rough idea, I'll call Care and we"ll hash over the ideas. Sometimes she likes what I've come up with, but more than likely, something gets axed. Then I sit down and rethink, or quite often, she'll have an idea of something to take the place of the exiled dish. Once the menu is settled, I will sit down again and comb through every recipe and make a grocery list. We serve 10 at the table, and 4-6 servers, so this has been tricky at times. You don't want to find out at eleven at night, that you don't have enough cream, and have to abort the cooking because you are utterly too exhausted to run to town. Not good. So I do my best and hope I've calculated correctly. Once I have that settled, I begin at the top again and make a plan for the acual cooking. This takes more hours. Many more hours. I now have 2 stoves, but at the time, we were working with one stove and a grill (which was great as long as it didn't rain...). So really, the only way to pull this dinner off, was complete control over every dish. Sometimes my schedule would begin a week out. We would make chicken broth, or pasta, or items we could freeze. Then the schedule would focus on the days, listing everything we needed to accomplish 3 days out; then 2 days out. The day of, the prep work would be scheduled by hours, and then minutes. When plates needed to go to the freezer to be cold in time. When a dish needed to be pulled out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature in time. When the oven needed to be turned on, and what was being cooked. How long a dish cooked for. How long something simmered for. When a pan of water needed to be put on the stove to come to a boil in time. Every minute throughout the evening. Every detail. Care and I sat at the table with each course, so we had to have a plan. And this was our first dinner of printing menus! So nice! Our guests were able to see the description of what they were eating, and what was yet to come.

1

SALMON TARTARE WITH SWEET RED ONION CREME FRAICHE

a cornet filled with smoked salmon and creamy red onion

2

CREAM OF PARSNIP AND PUMPKIN SOUP WITH PARSNIP CHIPS

a soup of contrasts where the velvety, silky quality of the pumpkin

works well with the subtle spiciness of the parsnips

3

SAUTEED WHITE ASPARAGUS IN PARMESAN TUILE WITH SUMMER GREENS

a parmesan cookie cradling butter herb sauteed white asparagus

with a drizzle of garlic-lemon aioli

4

LEMON-MINT SORBET WITH RED PEPPERCORNS

a palate cleanser able to make your eyes pop!

5

MEDALLIONS OF PORK IN BLACK CHERRY-PEPPER SAUCE

WITH SPATZLE-BRAISED FENNEL

grilled pork tenderloin topped with sweet black cherries served with

lightly sauteed spatzle and delicately flavored fennel

6

CREME de FARINE WITH POACHED APPLES AND ICE CREAM

a satisfying blend of poached apples, candied apple ice cream, cream of wheat

and puff pastry cinnamon twist cookies...whew

We didn't have the fancy molds needed to make the shaping of these cornets so much easier. I researched, but came up empty handed. So we fashioned molds out of foil. We spread our dough out on a silpat and baked it ever so carefully. These little disks burned when you weren't looking. Then we'd open the oven and lay the cookie sheet on the door, and quickly roll the baked disk around the cornet mold before it cooled and cracked. And in so doing, burned our fingers. We also didn't have the fancy holders to serve these tasty morsels in, so we became creative and served them nestled in peppercorns in mismatched china teacups. These were soooo goooood! Thank you Thomas Keller.

The soup.

Have you ever peeled white asparagus?!? Oh my gosh! I think I'd rather clean my refrigerator than peel white asparagus. If you're not ever-so-careful, it snaps. Then the asparagus is not uniform in size. But looking beyond that, this salad was fabulous. The parmesan crisps were made by grating parmesan on a silpat in a circle, baking, and then draping it over a form to cool. 

Refreshing

Now this dish has a story. One I chuckle at and Care groans at. The black cherry sauce was the culprit. It's been so long ago, I hope I'm remembering correctly. The sauce didn't work the first time. It had to do with caramelizing the sugar. Ah yes, now I'm remembering. My pans gave Carrie a difficult time. Normally she could caramelize sugar with her eyes closed, well... anyway. But my pans were giving her a time. She ruined the mixture twice, and I was out of sugar. So a boy was fetched, and ran to town for more sugar. She located a useful (!) pan, and hallelujah! success. (the clock was nearing 11:00 pm) About this time, a boy was passing through the kitchen, who was grabbed and given the job of grinding pepper (for the sauce...). My mind was getting a little fuzzy (long day), and I remember, kind of thinking, that's a lot of pepper. But I worked on my tasks. Then Care asked me if I could put the pepper in the sauce (already containing the cheeries). Now there's a tiny lesson to be learned here. Many times with these dishes, we had to double or triple the ingredients to have the right amounts. This works for most ingredients. NOT SALT AND PEPPER. Have you ever noticed the little guys by our "about us"? They're there for a reason. So I picked up the measuring cup with the pepper, and begin dumping it into the sauce. As the pepper is cascading into the pan, I'm thinking, "gosh, that's a lot of pepper". By the time I came to my senses, it was too late, I realized what had happened. Carrie increased the pepper by too much, I believe. A quick taste confirmed that the sauce had to be dumped again. You couldn't even swallow this stuff. The throat refused!  And we, at this point, were rolling on the floor in hysterics! Once the laughter (by all) subsided and we dried our tears, we realized we had to begin again. And we were out of cherries! A boy was sent again to town. (love my boys!)

The crowing touch of the night. Sorry it's a little blurred. Homemade puff pastry. Homemade apple ice cream. A poached (in such good things) apple ring. Would love to include the recipe, but the night is turning into morning, and my alarm sounds early. Recipe in the French Laundry by Thomas Keller.

June 2008 5 Course Dinner

It's hard to believe that we cooked two 5 course dinners a month apart, but we did. We must have had an abundance of time and energy! Again, I have no pictures of this dinner. So I am sharing a picture of our front field. This is where our guests pull up and come up to the house.
This dinner was a huge success. We once again overfed everyone. You will be glad to know though, that this was the last time. Even when our dinners incorporated more courses, we kept our portions very small. I believe it was after this night, that Carrie and I sat down and had a good discussion about plating. We wanted our guests to experience new flavors exploding in their mouths; just a hand full of bites, and then the dish would be done. Then they would sit in anticipation waiting for the next course. Ha ha. Well these were our thoughts. And our hopes. Whether or not there was any anticipating going on, I'm not sure. I do know we always had very enjoyable evenings, and everyone loved the food. Well...there may have been a dish here or there....
This was also a night of mishaps. Or, putting it a little better, a night of Carrie mishaps. Yes Carrie, I'm grinning. Carrie began the prep work by tackling the dessert, which was a Banana Cream Pie. My notes tell me that she spent three to four hours on this pie alone. In a kitchen with many tasks stretched out before you, that is a lot of time on something that's not working. It just would not come together right. We ended up putting the pudding in a glass and adding raspberry jam and whipping cream and....whatever worked at the moment. We needed to move on. The soup boiled over as we were eating, and made quite a mess. At the same time, the sausage wouldn't cook. The direct result of turning on the wrong burner....

1

Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad

2

Cream of Poblano Soup

Rosemary-Salmon Pillows

3

Fruit Cups with Mint

4

Grilled Prime Rib Roast with Garlic and Rosemary

Chevre Zucchini Gratin

Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

5

Chocolate Balls

Lily Rose's White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie...kind of....

May 2008 5 Course Dinner

SPECIAL DINNER #2

This was our 2nd large dinner together.  A five course dinner.  Carrie and I had a lot to learn about serving a multi course dinner.  We kind of feel bad for our dear friends who were on the receiving end of these first attempts at fine dining. It was during this meal that a light began to shine upon our understanding of the quantity of the food we were serving for each course. It was just a small light. Unfortunately we erred in this respect with our following five course dinner, but we were waking up to the realization that we were severely over feeding our guests.  After course number three, we could have walked away from the table quite satisfied.  And yet, we had not even served the entree, which filled the entire plate. Sigh.

1

  LIME-CILANTRO SALAD

2

    FRENCH ONION SOUP

PACKAGES OF THE SOUTHWEST

3

    ICED LEMON SOUFFLE

4

     GRILLED CORNISH HENS

MACARONI AND CHEESE

JEANNIE'S CARROTS

5

     CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITH GLACE AND FRUIT

There is one recipe I'd like to leave you with from this menu. In my notes, I have written,"These are killer-I could eat these all day long-". And yes, if it were possible. Which it is not. Unless the idea of a stomach ache appeals to you.

Packages of the Southwest

serves 8-10

Salsa Fresca:

3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tomato juice (I had V-8 on hand, and used it)

salt

Packages:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 oz. mild green chilies, drained and chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

2 tablespoons flour

1 lb. frozen phyllo sheets, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted--I always seem to use more....

2 tablespoons chili powder

Salsa Fresca--The easiest way to peel a tomato, is to blanch it first. Score your tomatoes (cut an X on the bottom of each). Bring water to a boil, and drop your tomatoes in. I know there is a precise amount of time to leave them in the water. Carrie would know. As long as you don't actually cook the tomato, in my opinion, you're good. I believe I gave them 2-3 minutes. 

Combine tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onion, cilantro and juice. Season with salt. Cover and chill. Bring to room temp before serving.

Packages:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Actually, instead of mincing garlic, a better way to get it into the pan is to grate it! Works like a charm. Add chilies, salt, cayenne and cumin. (Fresh is the best-cooked a little in a pan and then ground). Cook until liquid has evaporated. Cool to room temperature. Add eggs to cooled onion mixture. Toss cheese and flour together in a small bowl. Add to onion mixture. Combine well.

Unwrap phyllo sheets and cover with a damp towel. (if you happen to get phyllo that is not fresh, you may be reduced to tears. Very frustrating) I take 2 sheets and fold them in half, long wise. Brush each sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with chili powder. Place 2 tablespoons of filling at one end and fold. I fold into triangles. Brush again with the melted butter. Keep packages covered with a damp towel. Sealed with plastic wrap, you can refrigerate up to 1 day-great if you're making a lot of other dishes!

When ready to bake, bring to room temp. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 until lightly brown. Serve with Salsa Fresca.

adapted from: Stop and Smell the Rosemary (love this cookbook!)

A NIGHT WITH FRIENDS

Last Saturday night, Carrie and I made a 3 course dinner for friends.  Taking our schedules into consideration, and the fact that we were a little rusty in the art of entertaining, we chose a menu that could be more simply prepared.  Simple though, does not mean tasteless.  Taste and color and texture are all very important to us.

1st COURSE

SALAD OF PETITE SUMMER TOMATOES WITH VINE-RIPE TOMATO SORBET

2nd COURSE

OPEN-FACED SANDWICH OF FLANK STEAK, SPINACH, CARAMELIZED ONIONS,

AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS

SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

FRESH FRUIT

3rd COURSE

PLUM AND MASCARPONE PIE

And we are still smiling by the end of the night!  The dinner was a great success.  We only had one mishap (or was it two?), while preparing this meal.  When I made the garlic tuiles, I made them to thick and didn't bake them quite long enough.  So a couple of hours before guests arrived, I was making them again.  Just as a side note, if you enjoy cooking, a great cookbook is The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller.  Be for-warned though, this is not for the faint of heart.  Keller will send you in four or five different directions within one recipe to complete a dish. We have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge using this book, and it is a joy to use.  The Salad of Petite Summer Tomatoes came from Keller's book.  Starting at the bottom of the dish, the red sauce on the plate was a tomato coulis.  The green, basil oil.  The bread was brioche croutons (ahhh-so good Carrie! who is our exceptional bread maker!).  Layered on the crouton, were the tomatoes.  Next, which is hard to see, is a tomato sorbet. This dissolves in your mouth leaving a satisfying flavor to savor.  And finally came the garlic tuile.  This is garlicky, crisp and salty. The perfect bite to finish this dish.  Thank you Keller!

SPECIAL DINNERS

Carrie and I to date have cooked around 40 meals together. It has been a very enjoyable journey.  We have learned tons about food, about planning, about recipes, about cooking, and about each other.  I have been wondering today about how all of this began.  I had been cooking for friends long before cooking with Carrie, and she also had been cooking long before cooking with me.  I would imagine it all began after having Natalie.  Entertaining became a little bit harder to pull off with the addition of a baby, and everything else I was juggling at the time.  When Carrie had been working for us for a bit, and we discovered how much we had in common, and that we enjoyed doing things together, it just seems to have taken off quite naturally.  We've had some very fun times in the kitchen!  We've put in some very long hours too.  We have discovered, that after midnight, we are utterly useless.  We've had moments of complete failure, and times of great success.  But I would say the greatest joy, the greatest reward for all the work and time and money, would be the joy we've brought to those we've fed and nourished.  Nothing compares!  It warms our hearts to think back on our times with family and friends.  So this is what we will share with you, our readers.  Not a great deal of note taking and picture taking were happening at the beginning, but as we moved forward, we documented better, and seemingly the dinners became more entertaining (behind the scenes!).  So little by little, we will pull these stories from our notebook pages, and bring them to light!  Enjoy!!

October 2006

DINNER PARTY FOR 10

5 COURSES

1

DELICATE SESAME CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

2

OVEN-ROASTED TOMATO AND AVOCADO SOUP

3 DIFFERENT HOMEMADE CHEESE BALLS AND ASSORTED CRACKERS

3

SALAD OF GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND CORN WITH CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE

4

GRILLED AND BRAISED SHORT RIBS OVER POLENTA 

GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

5

RAINBOW ICE CREAM TORTE

LEMON CHEESECAKE

Carrie and I planned, shopped and cooked this meal together.  It was really a lot of fun.  It took us about 16  total hours to cook.  We had prepared most of the meal the day before, on Friday, and finished up on Saturday.  We served the dinner on Saturday evening.  We learned some things as we went along, and if we repeated this menu again, it would go smoother. ( Never have we repeated a menu, sometimes we have repeated a dish.)  Every part of this meal was a huge hit.  One of my sons, Michael, and two of his friends, helped in the kitchen.  They soon petered out on us though, as the dishing began to mount!  *Just for the record-Michael and his friends (later adding girls), became excellent helpers! Couldn't have done these nights without them!