Spanish Dinner Party

Lately, all I can think about is Spain. While we save our pennies in hopes of a trip in the distant future, I'm focusing on what I can enjoy now: the food of Spain.

We had a Spanish-themed dinner party this weekend, complete with a brand new paella pan, gazpacho, and an Orange-Olive Oil Cake for dessert. Everything was fantastic, further convincing me that me and Spain, we're meant to be.

My paella was based off of this version by Tyler Florence. I simplified it, halving the rice and liquid amounts, and sticking with chicken, chorizo and shrimp. I think it looked beautiful in presentation and, despite some last minute panicking over uncooked chicken on top of burning rice, it came out very close to perfect in the end. (Whew! Always scary making a new recipe for company.) While it's not cheap, paella makes such a wonderful dish for entertaining and I can't wait to try new variations.

Around My French Table: A Dinner Party

I recently heard about a new trend called a Cookbook Club. A group of friends picks an interesting cookbook and each person chooses one recipe they want to make from that book. They all get together and have a party and try a sampling of great food that they otherwise probably wouldn’t have had time or money to make at the same time. I thought this sounded SO fun and a great excuse to get to make more friends!

For my first Cookbook Club event, I chose Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table", one of the most popular and acclaimed cookbooks to be published in quite some time. All of the guests were impressed with how simple and approachable her recipes were. It proved to us that not all French food has to be intimidating or complicated in order to be satisfying.

My friend Tiffany made a French version of Shepherd's Pie (Hachis Parmentier), which was to die for, and that spinach bacon quiche behind it was great - even for an anti-quiche guy like my husband.

There was olive-cheese bread that was moist and savory, plus that squash I grew (just because we needed more vegetables), and I also made a citrus berry terrine. Dorie talks about how the French don't turn up their noses at gelatin like Americans are sometimes prone to do, and this recipe certainly is easy to love. Plain gelatin plus orange juice forms the base, and fresh berries and citrus segments are stirred into the mixture. It's pretty stunning when you turn it out onto a platter.

My only regret? That we didn't have a dessert. I guess that's a good excuse to do it again!

Citrus Berry Terrine
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"

Segments from 1 pink grapefruit, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup cold water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 cups orange or grapefruit juice
1/3 cup sugar
About 3 cups mixed blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (if you want to add strawberries, look for small berries or cut larger ones into bite-sized pieces)

Place a double layer of paper towels on a cutting board and spread the citrus pieces out on the paper. Cover with another double layer of towels and set the pieces aside until you're ready for them. If the paper gets very wet, change it.

Pour the cold water in a large bowl, sprinkle over the gelatin, and let it soften.

Meanwhile, bring the juice and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour some of the juice over the gelatin, gently stir to dissolve, and then stir in the rest of the juice. Put the gelatin mixture in the refrigerator and let it chill, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly, about two hours. (Mine was ready after 1.5 hours.) (You're looking for a mixture with the texture of egg whites.)

Moisten a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cold water and shake out the excess. Gently stir the reserved citrus segments and the berries into the lightly thickened gelatin mixture, and scrape everything into the pan. Jiggle the pan a little to settle the gel and chill for at least four hours or up to overnight.

When you're ready to serve the terrine, dip the pan into a bowl or sinkful of hot water for a few seconds, and run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan. Wipe the pan and unmold the terrine onto a platter.

The terrine should be served in thick slices. If you'd like, you can dress each serving with more berries, or pour over a spoonful or two of sweetened pureed raspberries.

A Moroccan Dinner Party

A good friend hosted a fabulous Moroccan-themed dinner party this weekend, and while there was no belly dancing, the menu was to die for. The appetizer was a Bastilla, the sweet and savory chicken pie of Morocco, made with phyllo dough, braised chicken, almonds, and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

This is a dish that everyone should try at least once - and if you’re anything like me, you will crave it ever after. Next, a lamb tagine with kalamata olives and apricots, served with roasted veggies over couscous. (Didn't get a picture as we were fully engaged in stuffing our faces at this point.)

Finally, an orange-cardamom custardy flan for dessert, sitting in a pool of caramelized sugar.



Once again, I am in awe of the power food has to transport us far away from our everyday lives. You must try the Bastilla - it's like chicken pot pie on crack, a delightfully exotic dish to make on a weekend and impress your friends and family.

Moroccan Bastilla

1 chicken (about 3 lbs.)
2 med. onions, chopped
1 lg. can (49 oz.) chicken broth
1 c. chopped parsley
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 eggs
8 sheets phyllo dough (keep covered)
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. sliced almonds
Powdered sugar & cinnamon

Cook chicken in broth with onions, parsley, cinnamon stick, ginger, and pepper for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Debone and skin; cut meat into bite size pieces. Bring broth to a boil over medium heat. Lightly beat eggs and pour slowly into broth; cook, stirring until curds form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Strain.

Brush melted butter on bottom and sides of a deep 10" pie pan. Overlap 6 phyllo sheets to cover the bottom and extend 8" to 10" over the edge of the pan. Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Top with chicken; spread egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with almonds. Fold edges of phyllo dough over filling and brush top with butter. Fold remaining 2 sheets of phyllo over filling and brush top with butter. Fold remaining 2 sheets of phyllo in half cross wise and place on top. Tuck edges inside pan and brush with butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Invert on a cookie sheet and bake until bottom is golden, about 10 minutes. Turn onto a platter and cool 5 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over top. Decorate with criss crossing lines of ground cinnamon. Slice to serve. Makes 8 main dish servings or may be used as an appetizer.

St. Patrick's Day Our Way

Paul loves St. Patrick's Day, and I'm rather fond of the holiday meself. Although our dark complexions disguise it, both he and I have significant Irish ancestry. We also celebrate March 17th as the day we went on our first date 4 years ago now. It was a bit of a catastrophe, but aren't the most memorable dates always part chaos?

This year for our St. Patrick's Day dinner party, we started off with a Ploughman's Lunch platter. Traditionally, this consists of cheese, bread, pickles, chutney, salad and perhaps some meats. Our featured Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar cheese, sweet pickles, and homemade persimmon chutney, along with slices of hearty, slightly sweet soda bread.


One friend brought a green salad with green goddess dressing; another brought a pistachio fruity salad. We served extra soda bread with Irish butter alongside a variation of a thick Paula Dean beef-potato stew.

For dessert, we made some chocolate-mint cupcakes that looked picture perfect both before and after frosting:

And boy, when you bit into one, it really kicked you in the mouth and shouted, "Mint!" I like spunk in a cupcake. I appreciate it very much. Crowned with a viewing of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People", the evening was an Irish sensation. How can you top a young, dark-haired, smiling Sean Connery? Tis impossible. And with that, I take my leave and wish you all the luck of the Irish.

A Root Beer Tasting - Which Brand Ruled?

Yesterday I blogged about our German Grill Party and alluded to a root beer tasting conducted collectively by those in attendance. Behold, the contenders:

Left to right, we have: A&W; Henry Weinhard's; Natural Brew; and Virgil's. Here were some of the comments heard and observations made regarding the nuances of the different brands.

A&W: By far the sweetest (thanks to loads of high fructose corn syrup), this classic came on very strong and tingly on the tongue. The flavor is pretty straight forward and uncomplicated - made for easy drinking.

Henry Weinhard: The flavor here was smoother and milder with deeper notes than A&W. The There wasn't a strong aftertaste here, and the flavor was very honey-like.

Virgil's: No artificial sweetener here - this one is sweetened with cane sugar. I respect that. This was a complex brew, including but not limited to notes of nutmeg, wintergreen, anise, and licorice. It was a strong drink but the preferred choice of my licorice-loving husband.

Natural Brew: This one is sweetened with natural cane juice and is probably the most likely to offend the average drinker's palate with strong notes of sweet birch, wintergreen, anise, licorice, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, clove, and vanilla. Probably the least favorite among our group, but not repugnant by any means and probably a good choice for those wanting to cut out HFCS from their diet.

My personal favorite was the smooth Henry W, while the majority of our tasters were drawn back to the familiar sugar-sweetness of A&W. I still want to try Thomas Kemper and IBC. Other suggestions or favorite brews?

German Potato Salad

In my family, traditionally a BBQ means hot dogs and hamburgers. However, my co-workers last year introduced me to the beauty of a well-made sausage. This discovery prompted me to throw a German-themed grill party.

On the menu: smoked bratwursts from local authentic German deli Morant's; freshly baked rolls from the Grateful Bread bakery; mixed greens with lots of vegetables, including the first tomato from our patio garden (wonderfully sweet and delicious!!); fresh fruit platter by my friend Heidi; German potato salad; and for dessert, my friend Chelsea brought (what else?) German chocolate cake.

We had a wonderful time laughing with friends and devouring our German feast and sampling a variety of root beers... But I'll have to blog about our tasting conclusions next time! I will share the recipe for the German Potato Salad, which was given to me by a sweet little German lady who is a client of the law firm where I work. Her name was Ingeborg (you gotta love a lady with a name like that!) and she shared it with one of my associates who lived in Germany as a child, who then made copies for all of us. This salad is cool and refreshing and light, very good with sausages of course, and an excellent alternative to a mayo-based salad for those who are scared of food poisoning (or just don't like mayo)! It serves 8-10 people.

P.S. I threw some green onions in for added color, then garnished with chopped red bell pepper and flat-leaf parsley.

Bavarian-style German Potato Salad
Courtesy of Ingeborg Wright

5 large potatoes (I used red potatoes)
1 small red onion
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 T. salt
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 3/4 T. distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed

Wash and clean the potatoes (do not peel). Boil potatoes in large pot until done (when they feel soft when pierced with a fork). When done, remove potatoes and set aside until cooled to lukewarm. THEN remove the potato skins (I left some on for texture) and cut potatoes into small pieces.

Dice the onion into tiny pieces. Combine with ALL the other ingredients in a container and mix well. Pour about half of the mixture over the potatoes and let soak for 20 minutes - THEN stir. Add a little of the remaining mixture and let soak for about 10-15 minutes and stir again. Repeat this procedure until the mixture is all or almost all used up. (Sometimes you will not have to use all of the mixture - do not make the potato salad too thin.)

Cover and store in refrigerator. Tastes best when allowed to soak overnight before serving. It will keep for several days when refrigerated.

Thai Dinner Party with Tropical Pie Recipe

This weekend, I finally did something I've wanted to do for some time now: I hosted a dinner party for friends. I broke the cardinal rule of hostessing in doing so, according to all of the articles I obsessively read in preparation. What was my crime? I served a series of recipes that I had never tried before. This is apparently a big no-no, but it was a risk I was willing to take. (After all, am I really going to make a multi-course meal and buy unusual ingredients to serve just my husband and I? Probably not.)

Speaking of my husband, he assisted me as an excellent sous-chef and there was something wonderful about putting together something so cool together. The menu was Thai-themed and some recipes came out better than others, but overall it was a great time with fun people and lots of laughs. I can't wait to host my next one! Here are some pictures of a few of the dishes, and a recipe for the pie, which was probably my favorite of all the new dishes I tried. To my guests, I had a blast, and hope you didn't mind being my guinea pigs!

The table setting

Close up on a table setting, with name cards!

Chicken Satay, grilled in a peanut sauce

Tangy Cucumber Salad

Fresh Pineapple, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-oz package), room temperature

3 c. ½ inch pieces of fresh pineapple, well-drained

2/3 c. sugar

¼ c. all purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

3 eggs, beaten to blend

¼ c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ c. sweetened flaked coconut

1/3 c. chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 325F. Flatten crust on lightly floured surface; press seams together if necessary. Fit into 9-inch diameter glass pie dish; crimp edges.

Arrange pineapple in crust. Combine sugar, flour, and salt in medium bowl. Add eggs and butter and blend well. Pour batter evenly over pineapple. Sprinkle coconut and macadamia nuts over and press lightly into batter. Bake until light brown and center is firm to touch, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. (8 servings)

How To Hold A Supper Club

The latest idea that fascinates me is that of a supper club, or dinner group. There are a couple of ways to go about doing this, but the version that most appeals to me is this: A small group of people gather together on a regular basis (weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, etc.). On each occasion, one person or couple is in charge of making dinner, with enough food to serve however many people attend. This person/couple also provides copies of the recipe. The dinner is an opportunity to meet new people and learn about new foods at the same time.

The biggest obstacles to carrying off a scheme like this would appear to be:

a) Conflicting schedules. But meeting at a generally open time (like Sunday night, once a month) would seem to be an easy fix to this problem!

b) Food preferences/allergies. You can’t please everyone, and I think some picky people might do well to expand their boundaries. However, any one with food allergies or special needs should make them known at the outset so that a lactose-intolerant person doesn’t end up sitting down to a plate of lasagna!

c) Size. I think a group of 3-5 couples (6-10 people) would be ideal. When you get too many people and opinions and food preferences together, it might get a bit out of control. For this reason, I think a smaller group would be best.

That being said, nothing draws people together like food. I love the idea of the supper club, although don’t get me wrong, I also love sipping a simple soup at home on a quiet, cold evening with just me and my husband, and savoring the silence. But just think what you might learn from your fellow club members, what new experiences you might have, and what friendships might be forged!

Has anyone ever done something like this, successfully? If so, how did it work? If I do form a supper club, I will surely blog about it in the future...