Dinner Party Snapshots
Yes, I know that I ought to be posting about my Valentine's Day restaurant experience, but I thought I would be a little more belated on that score, since I just got in some fabulous photos from my dinner party last week.
The menu? Vegetarian, in deference to and celebration of my friend Celeste's veggie-ways.
An assortment of olives, cave-aged gruyere and crisp melba crackers were on the coffee table, for those who couldn't wait for the second course. Next, came Steamed Asparagus with a Sauternes Vinaigrette, topped with chopped hard-boiled egg and crunchy pistachio nuts.
Unfortunately, photo-taking had not yet begun - But, trust me, it was divine. Took an ENTIRE bottle of Sauternes and reduced it to a honey-sweet third of a cup. Combined with Dijon mustard, grapeseed oil and a few other sundry ingredients, it made for a lovely sweet-n-sour companion to the bright green stalks.
Next, came the main course - an Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna. (My first lasagna, in fact.) As for the recipe, I "fixed" a recipe I found on Bon Appetit's Web site, adding thyme to the veggies and layers of crushed San Marzano tomatoes with a sprinkling of oregano. The herbs and tomatoes added a much needed note of freshness and light to the Bechamel-heavy recipe.
As a side dish, I served Sauteed Greenbeans with an Almond-Basil Pesto. Crunchy and heady with basil, it was a beautiful compliment to the lasagna.
Needless, to say, not a bite was left of the lasagna and only a few of the beans remained.
Next, I tackled dessert. I attempted one of Nigella Lawson's recipes: Molten Chocolate Cakes. They sounded heavenly - if warm, oozing chocolate is your idea of heaven. Here they are looking pudding-like, before I slide them into the oven...
Unfortunately, these babies needed a bit more time in the oven, than Nigella had predicted. So, only one made it out of the souffle dish whole.
Still, once a dollop of Quark and a sprinkling of a few fresh raspberries were added, no one seemed to mind.
Oh yes, and then there was the wine. We started in with a bit of the bubbly, courtesy of Celeste and her paramour Tom. Then, we migrated to the red. First up was something special from Aaron - a bottle of his precious non-filtered wine from Tuscany (blue bottle on the left). It was a rich, deep ruby and filled my mouth with the flavor of dark cherries and a hint of licorice. After the bottle was downed, we quickly made "all gone" with two more bottles of red stuff, one brought by my neighbor Chris. Then, with the Molten Chocolate Cakes, we indulged in both a bottle of Braccheto d'Acqui, provided by yours truly, and an equally glorious Moscato d'Asti from my pal Maureen.
The evening's end? Let's just say that the rhythms of the Gipsy Kings and several pairs of dancing feet were involved. (OK - Swaying hips too - Just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.)
P.S. Apologies for the HUGE size of the JPEG images. Don't know how to get them to appear smaller. If anyone has any advice, please drop me a line or post instructions below.
P.S.S. Problem solved. Think these resized images look much better.