As you already have figured out, I’ve stopped posting each
dinner or our blog. It started looking
repetitious in terms of my descriptions and I couldn’t get another member to
write about our dinners.
We have a couple of new members who have added new ideas and
dimensions to our group. We are now 13!
To catch you up since my last post, we’ve been cooking from
some very interesting cookbooks:
June
4, 2016: Asian Flavors by Jean Georges Vongerichten
·
Soy Cured
Salmon; Asian Pear & Cilantro Creme Fraîche served with 2008 Prinz Riesling Kabinet Hullllgartener
Jungfer, Rheingau, Germany;
·
Chicken & Shrimp Eggrolls; Mango
Salad, Cherry Tomato, Long Bean & Tamarind, served with 2010 Berncasstelerm Doctor,
Kabinet Erben Thanisch Dr. Mosel,
Germany;
·
Shrimp & Bean Sprout Salad
served with 2012 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc
Estate Russian River Valley Sonoma;
·
Lime Noodles With Vegetables Basil &
Sesame served with Dr. Loosen 2003 Riesling
Spatlese Erdener Treppchen Mosel Germany;
·
Squab
L'orange With Crystallized Tamarind and Green Curry Vegetables
& White Rice, both served with
2013 Te Mat Sauvignon Blanc
"Cape Crest" Hawke's Bay New Zealand.
·
Passion Fruit Soufflé and Ovaltine
Kulfi with Spiced Milk Chocolate Sauce, both served with 2009 Chateau Rieussec
Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
December 12, 2016: Holiday Buffet
·
Date Candy and Cheese platter (Big
Small Plates)
·
Duck Terrine with Figs (My Paris Kitchen)
·
Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Loin Lollipops
(epicurious.com)
·
Mushrooms on Puff Pastry (selfie)
·
Green Couscous Salad (Plenty)
·
Caramelized Garlic Tart (Plenty)
·
Merveilleux (My Paris Kitchen)
·
Brownies (Dessert University)
·
Passion Fruit Ice Cream (Perfect Scoop)
March 11, 2017: Any Alan Wong cookbook
·
Goat
Cheese Mousse on Toast w Tomato Salad & Crispy Pipikaula served with 2008 Louise
Bronson Champagne Brut Cuvee Germaine Brulee France, magnum
·
“Pokey
Pines” Crispy Ahi Poke w Avocado, Wasabi Soy Sauce, Togarashi Aoli &
Tarragon-Tobiko Vinaigrette and Mungo
Mango Lemongrass-Skewered Chicken w Mango Salsa & Tortilla Salad both
served with Maximin Grunhauser 1997 Riesling Spatlese Abtsberg Mosel Germany
·
Island
Style Foie Gras w Pineapple & Li Hing um Chutney served with 2003 Quarts
De Chaume Chenin Blanc Domaine Baumard Loire France
·
Ginger-Crusted
Onaga served with Mt Eden &
Domaine Eden Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Cabernet, magnum
·
Chinatown
Roasted Duck Risotto served with 2012 Williams Selyem Hirsch Vineyard, magnum
·
Hoisin
Baby Back Ribs served with 2010 Palacios
Remondo 'La Montesa', Rioja
·
“The Coconut” served with 1999 Chateau de Malle Barsac Sauternes
Bordeaux France
·
Chocolate
Crunch Bars w Passion Fruit Sorbet served with Blandy’s 10-year Malmsey
June 10, 2016: Pintxos
by Gerald Hirogyen
·
Snapper
Ceviche served with 2016 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina,
Basque country, Spain
·
Tuna belly with Lemon Confit
2012 Clos
St Magdeline, France
·
Prawns with Garlic Chips & Preserved Lemons 2013 Nostre Pais, Michele Gassier,
France
·
Spicy & Sweet Chicken Wings served with 2011
Castello di Amorosa Riesling, Napa
·
Chicken Thighs with Spicy Basque Ketchup served with 1990 Marqués de
Cáceres Rioja Gran Reserva, Spain
·
Cold
Melon Shooters served with 2016
Avinyó Petillant Penedés, Spain
·
Calf's
Liver & Caramelized Shallot Brochettes served with Lustau Dry Amontillado "Los
Arcos" Solera Reserva, Spain
·
Oxtails braised in Red Wine and Fava Beans with Crème Fraîche & Mint served with 2015 Artero La Mancha Tempranillo, Spain
·
Flan and Almond Milk Strawberry Ice Cream served with 2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux "Le
Haut-Lieu" Premier, Loire France
October 29, 2017: Any Diane Rossen Worthington Cookbook
·
Crispy
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates served with Roederer
Estate Brut, and J, Russian River
Valley Vintage Brut, late disgorged.
·
Pear,
Pistachio and Chicken Liver Mousse served with Navarro Gewürtztraminer
·
Sweet Pea
and Avocado Vichyssoise
·
Kale
& Romaine Salad with Quinoa, Currants & Almonds served with Domaine Huet, le Mont sec, 2013
·
Scallops
with Balsamic Syrup served with two wines:
Domaine Reyane and Pascal Bouley,
Volnay, Clos de Chenese, 2009 and Mount
Eden Estate Pinot Noir, 2011.
·
Seared
Flank Steak with Red-wine Onion Marmalade served with Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999 and Mount Eden Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999
·
Baked
Pears in Burgundy and Port Glaze with Biscotti and Chocolate Truffle Brownies. Both
served with Doisy Vedrines, 2007 and Doise Daene 2007.
We are now caught up to our last
dinner, Sept. 2, 2017, coordinated by one of our new members, Bruce, and hosted by
Michelle and David. This dinner was to
be prepared from
Any Junior League cookbook.
We started the evening with Michelle’s
Eggplant
& Yellow Pepper Dip and Greek Salad Salsa with Toasted Pita Chips
(both recipes from Flavor, SF Jr.
League) served with Lauonois “Cuvee
Reserve” Blanc de Blancs. And, as I
remember, another champagne magically appeared from David’s cellar! I and several others like the Eggplant and Pepper Dip more than the Greek Salad Salsa.
A comment that was heard repeatedly throughout the very hot evening
(temperatures soared into the 100º’s so we dined al fresco for this dinner as
a result) was that the recipes were lacking adequate instructions, needed
tweaking, and were not stunning.
Spicy Melon Balls served
with 2011 Selbach-Oster, Zeltinger
Sonnenuhr Spaetlese was prepared by Bruce’s guest, Susan. It was presented in a fun oversized martini
glass and refreshing because of the oppressive heat. I don’t know where Susan got the recipe but
it was simple and just the right thing to have before moving on the next entré
which was a Salmon Mousse with Avocado Sauce (Private
Collection, Palo Alto Jr. League) that I made, served with 2000 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc Russian River
Valley Sonoma. I had to tweak the
Avocado Sauce because when I made it the first time, using a cup of sour cream
the sauce was too thick and too sour. I
couldn’t taste the avocado. I reduced the sour cream and added heavy cream to
give it more of a “saucy” consistency.
The mousse was made as directed but I changed the order in which things
were done because it made more sense to mix certain ingredients before adding the
whipped cream rather than adding them all at once as the recipe directed.
Annie tried the Cajun Shrimp (Encore, SF Jr. League) and was sorely disappointed in the recipe. Normally, Cajun shrimp is pan-fried before
adding the sauce but this recipe tosses the peeled shrimp in with the
sauce.
Annie reduced the Cajun spices
and hot pepper sauce so it would be more palatable and wine friendly. She and George did not like it but since
I’ve never eaten Cajun Shrimp before, I liked it. I guess I need to broaden my horizons!
Bill served it with 2008 Prinz Riesling Kabinet Hullgarener
Jungfer and David pulled a 2015 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel from his
cellar to see which would be better.
Sukie made the Texas White Chili (Charleston Jr. League) next. We were all expecting a “chili” that was
thick like a red chili but this was more of a chicken soup with a mild Mexican
overtones. We liked it but just wouldn’t
call it “chili.” My apologies but I can't find the photo that I took of the beautiful bowl of soup. Bill poured 1995 Teldeschi Petite Sirah, Dry Creek
Valley, Sonoma. For some of our
members it was the first Petite Sirah they’ve experienced. It wasn’t the best pairing for the chicken
chili because Bill was expecting more of a chili to pair a wine with but we all
enjoyed the Petit Sirah!
We are now down to our
desserts. Janis brought Lemon Mousse in Orange Cups (Dining by Fireflies, Charleston Jr.
League). It could have been the heat
wave but the mousse didn’t set solidly.
You can see from the photo that it turned out a bit runny. David made
the second dessert, a Peach Cobbler
(Southern Jr. League). He gave it an extra run
in a 400º oven to caramelize the sugars.
Unlike most peach cobblers, the batter is intermingled with the peaches
so it doesn’t have a topping that one would expect. It was pretty yummy topped with whipped
cream. Bill paired the desserts with 2001 Chateau Nairac and David pulled a 2004 Nairac out of his cellar for a
comparison tasting. I personally liked
the 2004 and thought it was fresher but then I like lighter styles. Neither handled the sweetness in these
desserts however.
Because we ate outside, no one got to appreciate the table that Michelle set for us. I include a photo of the beautiful floral arrangement that matched the table cloth for you to appreciate!!
We didn’t have our photographer
for this meal because we changed the date from Sept. 9 to Sept. 2 and Willie couldn’t make it so these photos are from my iphone and Bill’s camera. Bruce got a lot of flack from the group for
choosing Jr. League cookbooks because they weren’t well written and were sort
of “Betty Crocker-ish” but it was a fun dinner to go back in time to the 60’s!
HOLIDAY BUFFET will be
at Annie and George’s on Sunday, Dec. 17th.
We will start at 4:00 p.m. because a few of our members have to go to work the next
day. Please mark your calendars!
Remember that we have to make a dish that
doesn’t require a knife, from any of our previous cookbooks, preferably a
cookbook from this year.
You must also bring either a wrapped
“white elephant” for the kitchen or a wrapped gift for the kitchen that is less
than $15.
AND, we need cookbook ideas for
next year. One idea was to draw names
and you get to ask that person to bring a specific dish they’ve prepared at any
of our previous dinners or if they are new members, from a specific cookbook. I’ll bring the Crowing Coq Memory Album for
you to look over. Since we started 11
years ago, that’s a lot of options!
The Silver Palate, Four + Water pasta, Deep Run Root, A
Kitchen In France and a retro of Mourad are still options left over from this
year.
Cook on!!
Note: I don't know why the fonts are different on this page but no matter what I did, I couldn't figure out how to change them. I've given up!!