Week 6 - cherries and chevre

Since making desert for these meals sometimes takes twice as long as the rest of the menu I tend to get carried away. This week I adapted the New York Cheese cake recipe from the Joy of Cooking by replacing 8oz of cream cheese with chevre. We will see if that was enough to make a difference. Unfortunately chevre is roughly double the price of cream cheese so I was hesitant to increase the ratio. Never-the-less, it's a cheese cake complete with a lemon-shortbread crust. I've been marinading cherries in a dash of balsamic vinegar, sugar and brandy overnight and they will go on top (to hide the annoying little crack that reared its head right in the centre of the cake - I admit, that since it finished baking at around midnight I rushed the cooling process a little).

The menu for tonight follows:

Wine: Don David Torrentes (Argentina) - White, Highly Recommended at $14/bottle
Pasta: Fettuccine with roasted eggplant cilantro cream sauce, roasted red bell pepper, zucchini and fresh mango.
Salad: Tomatoes, Red Onion and Feta in Balsamic vinegar and Fresh Basil.
Dessert: New York Cheese Cake
Coffee: Espresso
Tea: Mango Roibos

Basil, Strawberries and Chocolate...and Week 6

These three ingredients have formed a bit of a theme over the past weeks of good food and good company - and good wine I might add. I will be posting a list of the wines we've partaken of - shortly. I also have a mind to photograph the labels but my flash-less camera makes that more of a challenge.

Last week was the first 2-meal week. I kept the menu the same and that worked well. I was able to tweak things a little for the second meal on Friday afternoon. On Friday I used larger tomatoes (ably stuffed by one of my guests) and served them in with the pasta to be eaten along with the pasta - broiled tomato and chevre goodness. The Asparagus (or is the Asparagii) went over well. And I must (be the millionth person to) recommend Romano cheese shredded coarsely on almost any pasta dish.

I have also had recent offers to help with dishes. I guess I'll count those as tips:)

Next up is a birthday supper. I think I'll make a cheese cake infused with goat cheese and topped with fresh cherries. The rest of the menu will follow before Friday.

You can't go wrong...

Some recipes are impressive simply because they incorporate great ingredients. The "chef" need only throw them together with a bit of flare and there you have it - little finesse or mastery of technique needed. So it was with the fabulous, aforementioned (last post), pasta recipe I served up last night. As long as you have more or less the right quantities, who's going to question sun-dried tomatoes, capers, toasted pine nuts, fresh basil and Romano cheese tossed with fresh pasta and olive oil. Believe me - anyone can do it.

Likewise, stuff fresh tomatoes with a mixture of chevre, fresh basil and olive oil - sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and broil for 10 minutes and you have a treat verging on candy - no work, no great skill, just great thinks put together.

I'm doing it all again on Friday - same menu, different people - works for me.

Decadence

And dessert for this week (June 4-8) will be...

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with single origin Cuban chocolate ganache and raspberry-basil puree.

Week 5

So the food continues.

Recently I was looking for inspiration and found this blog and a fine looking recipe, which I plan to use this week.

Menu:
Wine: Something I bought yesterday - Chilean, recommended by JE my personal sommelier.
Pasta: Fettuccine with zucchini, capers, lemon, pine nuts and fresh herbs.
Salad: Something delightful with fresh tomatoes, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar.
Dessert: Surprise (ie, wish I knew :)
Coffee: espressos (on the rise in terms of quality of coffee and more consistent foam)
Tea: if you must... (just kidding :)
Open Seats: None

I'm upping the price per person to $10 for two reasons: 1. it's more convenient for me and for you and, 2. it's more realistic.

That's all for now.

Cheers,

Week 4 - Strawberries and Porcini

In keeping with my 100,000 mile diet (believe me, I have not deviated from this diet my entire life) we dined on Porcini mushrooms (from who knows where) and Californian strawberries (which were probably picked, flown to China for packaging and then returned to North America in a refrigerated container via Cape Town and London - because it's cheaper that way...or perhaps I exaggerate).

The mushrooms, cooked in red wine (Argentine Malbec) with a bit of lemon zest were...okay (ie, room for improvement). The pasta was not home-made as I seem to have broken my pasta maker-but locally produced and quite excellent (Nature's Pasta, Steinbach, MB).

Salad was fresh vegetables (Peaches, Cherry Tomatoes, Yellow Tomatoes, Anise and Baby Carrots) with olive oil, basil and garlic.

For dessert we made up for the relatively hear-health entree and vegetables by consuming Strawberry shortcake. Strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar and black pepper (thanks Rachel!).

And, finally, I have some pictures of the event courtesy of my sister recently arrived back from South Asia (travelling not quite as far as the Strawberries to reach my table).

Plating Pasta.

Ahh...Crema!