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Once every quarter or so a bunch of heraldicly-inclined foodies come to my house and we cook...and cook... and eat... and cook... and eat.. and... well, you get the idea.
Yesterday was one such day.
We met at my house around 12:30 and headed to Whole Foods (where we were joined by Sean, a friend who is going into the restaurant cooking biz someday) to see what was good and enticing and wonderful. We bought some pink lady and cameo apples, some asparagus, some leeks, some mushrooms and salad greens and king crab legs and a huge pork roast, some truffled pecorino and some milk and eggs and other random things.
Two of the apples were sliced and served with the cheese as a munch along with the king crab legs. Even our snacks are gourmet :) This was accompanied by several different kinds of dark beer, all great.
Sean put together a vanilla and ginger custard and got that in the oven. When it was about time for them to come out I brazed the pork in a heavy pan while others disassembled a few apples and onions. When the custards came out the apples and onions were added to the roast along with some powder duce. The whole then went into a 325 degree oven for a few hours.
I then remembered I have a warming drawer so we put plates for the main course and the vegetable course in there to heat.
We shredded the leeks long ways, sliced up the mushrooms, and bias-cut about 7 of the asparagus. I tossed the rest of the asparagus with minced garlic, salt, grape seed oil and a hint of basil. That was then laid out on a cookie sheet and liberally covered with fresh grated parmesiana origiana.
Liz put together the salad with the greens, some sliced pear, some grape tomatoes (that were amazingly good for the season), some carrot, and an avocado.
The roast was taken out to rest. The apples and onions were put on the stove top to caramelize and cook down some more.
We served the salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Just before the salad went out I tossed the asparagus into the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. After it came out I hit it with a dash of good balsamic vinegar. We changed from dark beer to a very nice 2004 Two Princes Riesling which was a perfect accompaniment for all of dinner.
As we finished the salad Sean and I each took a 12" all-clad skillet and sauteed the mushrooms, then added the leeks and tossed them around until they were nicely caramelized. The bias-cut asparagus was added at the last minute and it was all tossed together just long enough to heat up the 'gas. Sean practiced plating by putting a nice pile of the mushroom leek mix on the warmed salad plates then we laid 6 stalks of asparagus on each plate, hit with a drizzle of truffle oil and served. This was a very well received dish and I would have to say was the most successful dish of the day. It was amazing. I'll be doing this again.
The pork roast was sliced and placed on beds of the cooked-down apples and onion. It was great - but it's hard for pork with apples not to be.
After an appropriate period of digestion the custards were brought out and Sean bruled them. I topped them with a small portion of sliced candied ginger. This was served with a 2004 Jackson-Triggs ice wine.
A day full of much good conversation, good food, and good times. I love days like that.
Yesterday was one such day.
We met at my house around 12:30 and headed to Whole Foods (where we were joined by Sean, a friend who is going into the restaurant cooking biz someday) to see what was good and enticing and wonderful. We bought some pink lady and cameo apples, some asparagus, some leeks, some mushrooms and salad greens and king crab legs and a huge pork roast, some truffled pecorino and some milk and eggs and other random things.
Two of the apples were sliced and served with the cheese as a munch along with the king crab legs. Even our snacks are gourmet :) This was accompanied by several different kinds of dark beer, all great.
Sean put together a vanilla and ginger custard and got that in the oven. When it was about time for them to come out I brazed the pork in a heavy pan while others disassembled a few apples and onions. When the custards came out the apples and onions were added to the roast along with some powder duce. The whole then went into a 325 degree oven for a few hours.
I then remembered I have a warming drawer so we put plates for the main course and the vegetable course in there to heat.
We shredded the leeks long ways, sliced up the mushrooms, and bias-cut about 7 of the asparagus. I tossed the rest of the asparagus with minced garlic, salt, grape seed oil and a hint of basil. That was then laid out on a cookie sheet and liberally covered with fresh grated parmesiana origiana.
Liz put together the salad with the greens, some sliced pear, some grape tomatoes (that were amazingly good for the season), some carrot, and an avocado.
The roast was taken out to rest. The apples and onions were put on the stove top to caramelize and cook down some more.
We served the salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Just before the salad went out I tossed the asparagus into the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. After it came out I hit it with a dash of good balsamic vinegar. We changed from dark beer to a very nice 2004 Two Princes Riesling which was a perfect accompaniment for all of dinner.
As we finished the salad Sean and I each took a 12" all-clad skillet and sauteed the mushrooms, then added the leeks and tossed them around until they were nicely caramelized. The bias-cut asparagus was added at the last minute and it was all tossed together just long enough to heat up the 'gas. Sean practiced plating by putting a nice pile of the mushroom leek mix on the warmed salad plates then we laid 6 stalks of asparagus on each plate, hit with a drizzle of truffle oil and served. This was a very well received dish and I would have to say was the most successful dish of the day. It was amazing. I'll be doing this again.
The pork roast was sliced and placed on beds of the cooked-down apples and onion. It was great - but it's hard for pork with apples not to be.
After an appropriate period of digestion the custards were brought out and Sean bruled them. I topped them with a small portion of sliced candied ginger. This was served with a 2004 Jackson-Triggs ice wine.
A day full of much good conversation, good food, and good times. I love days like that.
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