a night well spent
Nov. 9th, 2008 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verbicideSo, despite the last minute crazies, things went really well.
This meal was largely inspired by the amazing dinner![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
str8ontilmornin and serenity_valley hosted last weekend. One of the most amazing culinary nights of my life, I must say. And while good food is good, I think great food inspires. Originally, I was just going to make Beef Wellington, because it is a favorite of both John and Jeff B. Then I thought it would be fun to make the brioche bread pudding again. And then, after last weekend's dinner, I decided I wanted to go nuts and have some crazy ass cooking fun.
My menu:
Amuse: bite-sized quiches with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and Gruyère; crackers with Cotswold cheese
Soup: roasted tomato basil with black pepper Parmesan crisps
Salad: field greens, garlicky balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, brunoise of roasted beet, and dried sour cherries*
Intermezzo: pomegranate yogurt sorbet with pomegranate syrup and seeds
Main: individual Wellingtons with Gorgonzola, potatoes mashed with crème fraîche and chives, and roasted asparagus; Parmesan cheese rolls
Dessert: brioche bread pudding with caramel sauce and Frangelico whipped cream
It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Mostly it didn't feel very stressful because I did different things throughout the week to make today relatively easy. Normally the dinners I make are not like this --with individual courses plated and served. And I don't know that it's something I can handle too often because it is a lot of work. My style is usually family-style on the table. But this was a fun challenge. There were a lot of lessons learned from previous events that helped. I think the three that were most useful tonight were:
- After mashing the potatoes, put them in a bowl, saran-wrapped, over simmering water to keep them warm and moist
- Set up a mise en place for everything, to assemble the dishes quickly and evenly
- Complete everything that can be done before and assemble at the last minute
I was also particularly happy with my timing on everything tonight. Usually that's my big Achilles heel.
Lessons for next time:
- I would pan sear the filets instead of roasting them. They were perfectly done, actually, but I think searing would produce a better crust and even if it's hidden by the pastry, it would improve the texture and flavor.
- Cook the Wellingtons on a rack to get the bottom extra crispy. It wasn't really soggy, but I think a rack would improve it.
- Be more patient with the puff pastry and let it thaw on the counter, and not just in the fridge. That was a nuisance to work with initially.
- I cheated and used a pre-made organic pastry shell, and man do I not regret that! Lesson: some cheating is totally awesome!
- I think I overcooked the Parmesan crisps because the parchment paper was tan and while they were okay, they could have been better.
* While the whole meal was inspired by our Portland dinner, the salad was particularly a mimic of the glorious onestr8ontilmornin made for us; I was going to caramelize some figs (as he did), but they were out at the market.
Anyhow. It was a really fun night. Judy and John brought a gorgeous bouquet of orange flowers (since orange is my favorite color) and Ellie and Jeff supplied a really nice red wine. Everything went remarkably smooth. And everyone seemed to really enjoy it, which made me very happy!
This meal was largely inspired by the amazing dinner
str8ontilmornin and serenity_valley hosted last weekend. One of the most amazing culinary nights of my life, I must say. And while good food is good, I think great food inspires. Originally, I was just going to make Beef Wellington, because it is a favorite of both John and Jeff B. Then I thought it would be fun to make the brioche bread pudding again. And then, after last weekend's dinner, I decided I wanted to go nuts and have some crazy ass cooking fun.My menu:
Amuse: bite-sized quiches with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and Gruyère; crackers with Cotswold cheese
Soup: roasted tomato basil with black pepper Parmesan crisps
Salad: field greens, garlicky balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, brunoise of roasted beet, and dried sour cherries*
Intermezzo: pomegranate yogurt sorbet with pomegranate syrup and seeds
Main: individual Wellingtons with Gorgonzola, potatoes mashed with crème fraîche and chives, and roasted asparagus; Parmesan cheese rolls
Dessert: brioche bread pudding with caramel sauce and Frangelico whipped cream
It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Mostly it didn't feel very stressful because I did different things throughout the week to make today relatively easy. Normally the dinners I make are not like this --with individual courses plated and served. And I don't know that it's something I can handle too often because it is a lot of work. My style is usually family-style on the table. But this was a fun challenge. There were a lot of lessons learned from previous events that helped. I think the three that were most useful tonight were:
- After mashing the potatoes, put them in a bowl, saran-wrapped, over simmering water to keep them warm and moist
- Set up a mise en place for everything, to assemble the dishes quickly and evenly
- Complete everything that can be done before and assemble at the last minute
I was also particularly happy with my timing on everything tonight. Usually that's my big Achilles heel.
Lessons for next time:
- I would pan sear the filets instead of roasting them. They were perfectly done, actually, but I think searing would produce a better crust and even if it's hidden by the pastry, it would improve the texture and flavor.
- Cook the Wellingtons on a rack to get the bottom extra crispy. It wasn't really soggy, but I think a rack would improve it.
- Be more patient with the puff pastry and let it thaw on the counter, and not just in the fridge. That was a nuisance to work with initially.
- I cheated and used a pre-made organic pastry shell, and man do I not regret that! Lesson: some cheating is totally awesome!
- I think I overcooked the Parmesan crisps because the parchment paper was tan and while they were okay, they could have been better.
* While the whole meal was inspired by our Portland dinner, the salad was particularly a mimic of the glorious one
str8ontilmornin made for us; I was going to caramelize some figs (as he did), but they were out at the market. Anyhow. It was a really fun night. Judy and John brought a gorgeous bouquet of orange flowers (since orange is my favorite color) and Ellie and Jeff supplied a really nice red wine. Everything went remarkably smooth. And everyone seemed to really enjoy it, which made me very happy!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 06:38 am (UTC)Thank you for the sweet compliment. Very organized and on point with your lessons for next time. Many times, people do not know their ingredients. It seems you are definitely focused and aware of what could be improved and of course, the food geek that I am, well, I was geeking out on your use of "mise en place".
I look forward to our next gathering.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 07:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 04:41 pm (UTC)Does cooking ever feel like a video game to you? Something like Final Fantasy Tactics, where you totally have to plot your battle strategy well in advance for any hope of success?
And thank you for the compliment, too--I think the more I cook the more I understand ingredients. And what's nice is that it lets me make last minute adjustments or decisions based on what's best for the dish, vs what's written in a recipe.
All of this is of course just practice for when you guys come to Seattle! :D
no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 05:13 pm (UTC)You should know that this post had
no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 05:24 pm (UTC)And I am really glad that made him smile, because I think he may now be my culinary hero!!