sunday was a really good day
Jan. 19th, 2009 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verbicideIt started in the kitchen, and that's usually a good thing. Sarah stopped by in the early afternoon with a random awesome present (!). She saw this gorgeous photograph of a kitchen in Avignon, France, and decided to get it for me. The photographer is someone whose work Sarah (and I) love at a local shop in Ballard. We visited for awhile, I forced her to try random food bits, and then it was back to the kitchen for me and she left for home.
Jeff and I were lucky enough to have![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
serenity_valley and str8ontilmornin come to visit us for dinner. While I didn't post about it (because I wanted to surprise them) there were months of Fantasy Menu Planning and obsessing. Because they are both such lovely foodies and because str8ontilmornin is a chef (and instructor at a culinary institute), I really wanted to do something special for them.
There were no full blown panic attacks, but I was a little, um, focused at points and I almost threw out the amuse 30 minutes before they were due to arrive because I wasn't sure it was going to work (Jeff convinced me to keep it). It was the only dish that I felt slightly obsessed about creating instead of stealing from a cookbook. The salad was also my own creation, but loosely based on this terrific salad Jeff once had at Crave. There was a second dessert course that flopped, so I eliminated it. And Jeff also obviously knows me a little too well, because when I'm preparing for a party, I tend to forget to eat all day. So when he went out to pick up a few things for me, he brought us back some lunch because he didn't want me to pass out before they arrived. I thought that was very sweet.
I was feeling extra bashful and becauseserenity_valley and str8ontilmornin are such dear people who instantly make you comfortable, I forget that we've only had the chance to hang out a couple of times and that I am basically intensely shy. But the minute they walked through the door, I remembered why I like them so damn much. They are just wonderfulness personified. They came bearing gifts--three amazing loaves of homemade bread as well as a beautiful jar of finishing salt from The Meadow.
Amuse: chipotle-mashed sweet potato croquettes with creme fraiche and chives
Salad: baby spinach, carmelized shallots, Marcona almonds, supremed oranges and a raspberry orange vinaigrette
Palate cleanser: pomegranate granita
Entree: pan seared Ahi tuna with shiitake mushroom ginger cream sauce; rice; roasted asparagus
Dessert: tres leches cake
Jeff bought a lovely Beaujolais for us to drink. (Which along with Pinot grigio are apparently the only wines not repulsive with asparagus. I really loved it.)
Mostly things went well. I wish I could have found a way to keep the croquettes crispier without having to fry them and immediately hurl them at people. (I kept them warm in the oven, and they softened a bit.) I also kept the tuna and asparagus warming in the oven. The tuna should have been just seared and rare in the middle, but it was mostly cooked through. I don't mind it that way, so it was no tragedy. The asparagus unfortunately met a hot, nasty death. I threw them out and just re-roasted another set I had in the fridge as backup and served it midway through that course.
Everyone was so nice about everything. There was so much praise, I think we're all lucky I didn't start twirling around the room and fluttering my eyelashes. They took such pains to notice details ("Are these Marcona almonds?" *beam* Yes! Did you supreme the oranges yourself?" *preeeeeen* Yes!) which made everything worth it x2 million. And it was a good reminder to me why I love to cook for people. It's the most sincere expression of my affection. "Here, eat this. I like you."
It was so much fun! We discussed the foolish engineering of bike chains, our jobs, the food industry, civil rights in the U.S., hilarious stories about our friends, family craziness, and what NOT to do at a job interview. And I'm sure many more topics I"m forgetting. Jeff lit a fire and it was so comfortable and cozy. I didn't want the night to end.
Eventually, all good things do end. And we said our goodbyes for now. Jeff gave them a jar of the much coveted pomegranate jelly he made. I really can't wait for the next visit! Can it be now? How about now? Or now? NOW??!
Jeff and I were lucky enough to have
serenity_valley and str8ontilmornin come to visit us for dinner. While I didn't post about it (because I wanted to surprise them) there were months of Fantasy Menu Planning and obsessing. Because they are both such lovely foodies and because str8ontilmornin is a chef (and instructor at a culinary institute), I really wanted to do something special for them. There were no full blown panic attacks, but I was a little, um, focused at points and I almost threw out the amuse 30 minutes before they were due to arrive because I wasn't sure it was going to work (Jeff convinced me to keep it). It was the only dish that I felt slightly obsessed about creating instead of stealing from a cookbook. The salad was also my own creation, but loosely based on this terrific salad Jeff once had at Crave. There was a second dessert course that flopped, so I eliminated it. And Jeff also obviously knows me a little too well, because when I'm preparing for a party, I tend to forget to eat all day. So when he went out to pick up a few things for me, he brought us back some lunch because he didn't want me to pass out before they arrived. I thought that was very sweet.
I was feeling extra bashful and because
serenity_valley and str8ontilmornin are such dear people who instantly make you comfortable, I forget that we've only had the chance to hang out a couple of times and that I am basically intensely shy. But the minute they walked through the door, I remembered why I like them so damn much. They are just wonderfulness personified. They came bearing gifts--three amazing loaves of homemade bread as well as a beautiful jar of finishing salt from The Meadow. Amuse: chipotle-mashed sweet potato croquettes with creme fraiche and chives
Salad: baby spinach, carmelized shallots, Marcona almonds, supremed oranges and a raspberry orange vinaigrette
Palate cleanser: pomegranate granita
Entree: pan seared Ahi tuna with shiitake mushroom ginger cream sauce; rice; roasted asparagus
Dessert: tres leches cake
Jeff bought a lovely Beaujolais for us to drink. (Which along with Pinot grigio are apparently the only wines not repulsive with asparagus. I really loved it.)
Mostly things went well. I wish I could have found a way to keep the croquettes crispier without having to fry them and immediately hurl them at people. (I kept them warm in the oven, and they softened a bit.) I also kept the tuna and asparagus warming in the oven. The tuna should have been just seared and rare in the middle, but it was mostly cooked through. I don't mind it that way, so it was no tragedy. The asparagus unfortunately met a hot, nasty death. I threw them out and just re-roasted another set I had in the fridge as backup and served it midway through that course.
Everyone was so nice about everything. There was so much praise, I think we're all lucky I didn't start twirling around the room and fluttering my eyelashes. They took such pains to notice details ("Are these Marcona almonds?" *beam* Yes! Did you supreme the oranges yourself?" *preeeeeen* Yes!) which made everything worth it x2 million. And it was a good reminder to me why I love to cook for people. It's the most sincere expression of my affection. "Here, eat this. I like you."
It was so much fun! We discussed the foolish engineering of bike chains, our jobs, the food industry, civil rights in the U.S., hilarious stories about our friends, family craziness, and what NOT to do at a job interview. And I'm sure many more topics I"m forgetting. Jeff lit a fire and it was so comfortable and cozy. I didn't want the night to end.
Eventually, all good things do end. And we said our goodbyes for now. Jeff gave them a jar of the much coveted pomegranate jelly he made. I really can't wait for the next visit! Can it be now? How about now? Or now? NOW??!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 07:12 am (UTC)I think you did great with the croquettes. Timing is so important with those and you pulled it off.
The granita was made up of the most perfect little jewels.
That salad was a perfect combination of textures and flavors, dressed just enough.
The ahi can be tough to time; any fish really. However it was flaky and moist even without the sauce. Creamy sauce with an abundance of mushrooms, yum! The rice had individual grains that didn't stick to themselves. The asparagus was well done.
And the cake, well I had to get seconds.
The company and the conversation was outstanding as usual and we enjoyed ourselves for the whole evening. Just hope we didn't keep you up too late.
Thank you!! And we like you, too.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 04:14 pm (UTC)You guys definitely didn't keep us up too late. As always, it was too short a visit!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 07:19 am (UTC)Well clearly the food was outstanding. I loved it all, and cleaned up my entire plate on every dish. I think I ought to be complimented on my great restraint, that I didn't actually lick the dishes. I was taught good manners, after all.
I know I said I had dreams about the amuse, but I forgot about the salad. AND THE GRANITA! Omg, I could've happily just eaten that for dinner. But no, then you have to serve the entree, of course, and I'm all Homer Simpson "can't talk, eating". (And I loved the tuna, btw. I'm not as much a fan of the seared/raw in the middle preparation, although I know that's how it's usually served. The way you served it was pretty perfect, IMO, and as
And of course dessert. Deceptively so simple, but good god, SO GOOD. What a great finish to a terrific, terrific meal. The meal alone was well worth the trip, really.
Well, and the conversation. We had such a great visit with you guys! I kept worrying that we were going to overstay our welcome (when I thought you guys had to work today), but did you notice that I kept starting up a new line of conversation? Yeah, that's my subtle technique for not wanting to leave. Sneaky, I know.
I really can't wait for the next visit! Can it be now? How about now? Or now? NOW??!
Ha! We hadn't even gotten back onto I-5 when
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 04:22 pm (UTC)You guys didn't overstay your welcome at all, in fact one of the best moments was when you politely said to S, "Should we go?" And he immediately said, "No." Totally totally awesome.
Personally, because I like to know when I'm going to next see the people I adore, I think we should start throwing out dates. Like, March. March might be a nice time to come to Portland!
The thought of more meals with you and S are um inducing quite the squeefit in my brain. Yay!!
Also, because I was a little spazzy, I totally forgot to comment on how cute your haircut is! I know it's been a little while (right after Olympia, right?)--it's so sassy and swing-y and I love it! And your new coat--it is beautiful!!
(I'm also generally coat-deficit and am constantly deflecting Jeff's glares and scolding comments when I am out in the cold without adequate protection.)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-22 08:09 pm (UTC)Thank you on the haircut. I actually got it cut the week before, but was still figuring out how I wanted to wear it when I saw you in Olympia. Thank you on the new coat, also. I love it so much -- I would wear it all the time if I could. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-22 08:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 04:23 pm (UTC)(I'm so relieved I bought extra asparagus!!)