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Update - Wine Dinner "Turn the Tables On the Chef"

10 years ago

Whew! We had a wonderful exhausting day and evening even in this blasted heat. Fifth try on the corn cakes was a success. My son and my daughter's boyfriend helped me with the prep and clean up at home. I would have been lost without them. The Chef was surprised and overwhelmed by our gesture. A fabulous time was had by all. Below is the menu. Asterisked items are the ones I made. There were 7 accompanying wines and a martini finisher. We didn't starve or go thirsty! LOL

Passed Hors D'oeuvres:
*Fresh Spring Rolls with Wasabi Peanut Sauce
Chicken Satay
Watermelon Cubes with Balsamic Reduction

Amuse Buche:
Pineapple 2 Ways

Appetizer:
Shrimp and Scallop Cerviche

Soup:
*Cucumber Gazpacho

Salad:
Baby Greens with Pear, Candied Pecans and Gorgonzola with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Seafood Course:
*Citrus Scallops, Heirloom Tomato Salsa and Fresh Corn Cakes

Palate Cleanser:
Lemon Thyme Sorbet

Main Course:
Lollipop Lamb Chops with Quince Reduction, Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes and a Medley of Fresh Peas and Sauteed Cucumber

Dessert:
Chocolate Mousse in Filo Cups with Fresh Strawberries accompanied by a Dark Chocolate Martini

Comments (11)

melissaki5
10 years ago
I remember when you posted that you guys were doing this awhile back. The menu sounds fabulous and I'm so glad everything went so well. It had to be quite an undertaking. Can I ask what were the two ways that they prepared the pineapple?
moosemac
Original Author
10 years ago
Two ways pineapple was pineapple juice infused with herbs and a pineapple spear marinated in spiced rum. It was served in an aperitif glass. It was a nice pairing and a cool start to the meal.

The watermelon cube was amazing. It was a icy cold cube of watermelon with an indentation filled with reduced good aged balsamic vinegar mixed with watermelon juice. Simply but refreshing and delicious.
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I guess I was very frustrated the other day (and jealous, lol). Sorry. Everything looks good to me, but I have a huge notebook of good for me. Fish, bass, is okay in plain cornmeal, fried. Chicken in plain flour, fried. Steak if NO pink. Pork chops, grilled or fried. Plain hamburger. Onions and spices are okay in chili, spaghetti sauce, and dressing (as long as you cannot see anything green). No green onions. parsley, celery, chives, garlic, etc. Corn (if only has butter and salt), pinto beans, broccoli, and baby lima beans with only bacon or butter. Salad is okay if iceburg lettuce with carrots and tomato. French fries, but not baked potato. Mashed potatoes, sometimes, but not scalloped potatoes (they have onion). Baked beans with lots of brown sugar. No green beans. No grocery store frozen dinners. Two restaurants. One pizza and one TexMex. It is getting worse the older he is. He used to eat a lot more. To make it worse, he doesn't eat at a normal time. So I just cook and put in frig and he heats in the microwave. We are having boneless pork chops, corn, and mac and cheese tonight, with rolls. I haven't decided whether to fry or grill the pork chops. They won't have any seasoning at all. I do have some green beans and new potatoes for me. Thanks for listening.
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triciae
10 years ago
Oh, I remember you posting about this dinner. The menu looks amazing for this ridiculous heat wave. The fresh fruit and cukes sound so refreshing. What a fun event! Congratulations on job well done.

/tricia
Islay_Corbel
10 years ago
That sounds lovely and I feel bad about being the one to say it ..... but Buche is a log. Bouche is a mouth!
Linderhof1208
10 years ago
The menu sounds amazing!

Martha
moosemac
Original Author
10 years ago
Islay,
Ha! I grew up in a French Canadian home and I still made the error. I know better, just goofed. LOL
ruthanna_gw
10 years ago
I remember when you were planning this dinner. It sounds like a wonderful tribute to the chef!
ann_t
10 years ago
Wonderful menu. Glad the evening was a great success.

~Ann
foodonastump
10 years ago
Sounds impressive! I'd be interested in hearing more details about a lot of it, but I'm particularly curious about the corn cakes that ended up being to your satisfaction.
annie1992
10 years ago
That does sound delicious, and light enough for this heat that we've also been having here.

SautÃÂ©ed cucumbers? Now that's interesting, I don't think I've ever cooked a cucumber.

Annie
moosemac
Original Author
10 years ago
Foas,
I cheated on the corn cakes. I took fresh corn, mixed it with diced sweet red pepper, vidalia onion, salt and pepper. I made a Flannel Cake batter with half the sugar. Using mega muffins tins, I buttered the tins, added the corn mixture to the bottom of each tin and poured some batter over. Baked at 350 for 18 minutes. I cut the top off so they sat flat and served inverted side up. The corn flavor came through beautifully.

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