We only had 4 courses this evening with 7 entrés. We began the evening with Cheese Crostinis that Sharon selected to prepare. The key ingredient is the tomato and it’s the right season for finding ripe and sweet ones. Our cool summer is not producing great tomatoes in our backyards yet but in the hotter areas like Grass Valley, they can be found! The slice of baguette is topped with a slice of tomato and Gruyere cheese, popped into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese and served immediately. Easy peasy and yummy. Bill brought a bottle of Giavi nonvintage Prosecco Superiore, Prima Volta Brut from Italy to bring out the fruitiness of the tomatoes but with enough acid to accent the gruyere cheese. The little bite of sparkle to this wine added to the festivity of the evening.
Sandi prepared Jacques' Smoked Trout Salad with Horseradish Cream. Again, some chopping/slicing but basically assembling ingredients and preparing the horseradish cream. The saltiness of the smoked trout was contrasted with sweet tomatoes and the creamy bite of the horseradish cream. Very delish! This dish was enhanced with a serving of Bourgogne 2009 White Burgundy, Michel Bouzereau Et Fills from Cote D’Or, France. The buttery flavors from the wine added a nice creaminess to the trout salad while standing up to the saltiness of the smoked trout.
Bravo Bill!
We served the next 3 dishes together. Sandy prepared Baked Salmon topped with bread crumbs and chopped hazelnut. The hardest part for her was to get her oven to get down to 200º but at this temperature, the salmon cooks for about 40-45 minutes and stays moist and tender. The Sun-Dried Tomato and Salsa Mayonnaise sauce combines fresh salsa that one can purchase from gourmet grocery stores with, what else? Mayonnaise and sun-dried tomatoes….duhhh! She chose a mild salsa to use for her sauce. The great thing about this dish is not only is it fast and simple to make but she made it ahead of time since it can be served at room temperature. This preparation and serving method makes it easier for the host/hostess to visit with their company rather than slave in the kitchen all evening.
Janis chose Pépin’s Broccoli Rabe and Pea Fricassee. Janis is the vegetable queen of our group and always chooses recipes that I don’t initially select to try. But, once I taste her dish, I end up adding them to my repertoire of vegetable sides. She did not disappoint for this dinner either! The bite of the rabe is nicely contrasted with the sweetness of the young petite pois. And as with the other dishes, few ingredients and easy to prepare.
I made Cubed Potatoes with Garlic and Sage because I loved it when I tried this recipe a few weeks ago. This time I followed his recipe and used whole garlic cloves instead of chopping them. I think I prefer the roughly chopped garlic to the whole cloves because the garlic is more evenly dispersed with each bite. The other change I made to his recipe is, although it does add one more step, I deep fried the sage leaves instead of the chiffonade of fresh sage he recommends. I like the crispy texture it gives the dish. This dish is generally made at the last minute but because I was transporting it, I sautéed the potatoes for 10 minutes at home and then did the last 10 minutes of sautéing the garlic cloves and potato cubes at the dinner. The exterior is definitely crispier when doing it at the last minute but for bringing the dish to a "not-so-pot-luck dinner," doing it in two steps worked. Just make sure to dry the sautéed cubes with paper towels and lay single layered on a jelly roll pan lined with paper towels to transport the potatoes.
Bill selected an Etude, 2004 Pinot Noir from the Carneros region of Napa. This wine was paired beautifully with this course. The salsa on the salmon as well as the bitter background tastes from the broccoli rabe and the garlic from the potatoes called for a wine that shows some fruit, a bit of tannins and spiciness without overwhelming the salmon. Etudes did the trick…amazing!
And, of course, we always have the final sweet bites (or two) to our dinners. Willie prepared the Vanilla Praline for our first dessert. Using Bryer Vanilla Ice Cream, Pepperidge Farm Cookies (although he and Sandi think that Trader Joe’s Shortbread cookies is a better choice when they tried this recipe the first time) and softened Chocolate Nutella. He and Jacques created a simple but delicious dessert. His dish was made even more appealing but serving them in Sandy’s ice cream sundae dishes, don’t you agree?
Our last sweet bite were Crepes with Banana-rum Filling that Marianne chose to bring. Crepes were so popular for a while (remember Crepes Suzettes?) and then they disappeared for years and have been back in vogue, especially at Farmer’s Markets. Crepes do take some time to prepare but they are so worth the effort. These were enhanced with slices of banana in a rum laced buttery sauce….what’s not to like?
Bill chose a French Barsac from Sauternes to go with both dishes: Chateau Coutet, 2005. He continues to amaze us with his wine choices that both compliment the flavors of the dishes while the taste from each entré enhances the wines.
I usually don't show much of the home or table of the host but this table was beautifully set and Willie took such a great photo of it, I have to share it with you! They have such a beautiful home and a warm setting for our dinner. Sandy's kitchen was once featured in the Sunset Magazine so you know I am not being biased with this praise!
Our next dinner should prove to be very interesting! We are to bring a dish we have created from scratch using a recipe we created, using the 3-point balance that we learned from Josiah Slone OR a redux of an old favorite dish into a new dish. Bring copies of the recipe to share or send it to me in electronic form and I will distribute it after the dinner. The recipe does not have to have exact ingredients (unless it’s a dessert) but a list of ingredients and ratios. This dinner is not designed to intimidate you but to let loose your creative side and have fun with new ingredients or new combinations. Our hosts for this evening will be Sandi & Willie.
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