We had a great dinner w/ Jeff and Janell Saturday night. I got very excited when Linda called to tell me it was on. Its been too long.
We started out with an amuse bouche- savory zucchini bread crostini w/ goat cheese, salt cured kalamata olive stuffed with a tiny basil leaf. This is a keeper- big flavors that really opened things up. A perfect tease.
I baked a zucchini bread that had me a little worried at first because it was pretty wet but it rose up nicely and produced a beautiful flaky crust, even if the crumb was a little spongy. Janell loved the honey butter so I sent the second loaf home w/ them.
The first course was fried crab cakes remoulade and a salad of bibb lettuce, brandywine tomato from the garden , and fresh mozzarella w/ basil chiffonade. The tomato needed no help at all- just a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar on the plate. I used lump crab meat (3/4 lb) celery, orange bell pepper, scallions, old bay seasoning, mayo, and one egg to bind it all with the breadcrumbs. Jeff is a big fan of crab cakes in general and he really seemed to enjoy them. We served a 2008 Domaine du Roure de Paulin Macon-Fuisse ( a chardonnay from burgundy) with the first course. The salesman at Elm Grove Liquor- a guy who has been there forever and really knows his stuff- recommended it when I layed out the menu for him. I had been thinking of a savignon blanc but he steered us toward the chardonnay because it has more richness to stand with the fried crab cakes. It was a nice pairing and I learned a new trick.
Next up we served grilled flank steak with chimmichuri sauce, mashed potatoes, buttered carrots from the garden and a pile of onion straws. The flank steak was a disappointment (for me anyway) because I let it get away while we ate the first course. I tried to hold it in the oven when I should have just let it rest on the top of the stove. I guess that's what happens to cooks who get too far away from the line. But the sauce was a big hit- a little onion, some garlic I planted in the spring (which has a bit of a spicy edge) a boat-load of Italian parsley, lemon, cayenne, and Lucini olive oil. I rubbed the steak with garlic, lemon and a bit of rosemary but next time I think just salt, pepper and a little olive oil will be fine- there was a little too much going on. Jeff Grilled the steak to a perfect medium-rare while I fried the crab cakes. The timing was really pretty good, if only I wouldn't have put the meat in the oven. Everyone else seemed pretty happy though.
The best part of the second course was the wine, a 2007 Domaine LaFond Roc-Epine Lirac (similar to a Cotes du Rhone) which our salesman suggested has some smoky notes that work well with grilled red meats. I didn't get any of the smoke he was talking about- but I don't claim to have a wine palette. It was pretty fruity for me, I like the big Cabernet tannins with red meat, but it was a good value at $15.00.
Dessert was simple, fruit (red currants, Asian pear, and a tiny cantaloupe from the garden) and cheese (Stilton, St. Andre, and Carr Valley 5 year cheddar). We poured a Nivole Moscato d' Asti (Michele Chiarlo, 2007) that gave a very nice finish to the meal- airy and not too sweet, good balance of citrus and grape, and not too much alcohol.
We love getting together with the Kents. There is always plenty of good conversation and they have a real appreciation for the finer things in life without being showy or pretentious. I hope we don't have to wait so long before we do it again.
We started out with an amuse bouche- savory zucchini bread crostini w/ goat cheese, salt cured kalamata olive stuffed with a tiny basil leaf. This is a keeper- big flavors that really opened things up. A perfect tease.
I baked a zucchini bread that had me a little worried at first because it was pretty wet but it rose up nicely and produced a beautiful flaky crust, even if the crumb was a little spongy. Janell loved the honey butter so I sent the second loaf home w/ them.
The first course was fried crab cakes remoulade and a salad of bibb lettuce, brandywine tomato from the garden , and fresh mozzarella w/ basil chiffonade. The tomato needed no help at all- just a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar on the plate. I used lump crab meat (3/4 lb) celery, orange bell pepper, scallions, old bay seasoning, mayo, and one egg to bind it all with the breadcrumbs. Jeff is a big fan of crab cakes in general and he really seemed to enjoy them. We served a 2008 Domaine du Roure de Paulin Macon-Fuisse ( a chardonnay from burgundy) with the first course. The salesman at Elm Grove Liquor- a guy who has been there forever and really knows his stuff- recommended it when I layed out the menu for him. I had been thinking of a savignon blanc but he steered us toward the chardonnay because it has more richness to stand with the fried crab cakes. It was a nice pairing and I learned a new trick.
Next up we served grilled flank steak with chimmichuri sauce, mashed potatoes, buttered carrots from the garden and a pile of onion straws. The flank steak was a disappointment (for me anyway) because I let it get away while we ate the first course. I tried to hold it in the oven when I should have just let it rest on the top of the stove. I guess that's what happens to cooks who get too far away from the line. But the sauce was a big hit- a little onion, some garlic I planted in the spring (which has a bit of a spicy edge) a boat-load of Italian parsley, lemon, cayenne, and Lucini olive oil. I rubbed the steak with garlic, lemon and a bit of rosemary but next time I think just salt, pepper and a little olive oil will be fine- there was a little too much going on. Jeff Grilled the steak to a perfect medium-rare while I fried the crab cakes. The timing was really pretty good, if only I wouldn't have put the meat in the oven. Everyone else seemed pretty happy though.
The best part of the second course was the wine, a 2007 Domaine LaFond Roc-Epine Lirac (similar to a Cotes du Rhone) which our salesman suggested has some smoky notes that work well with grilled red meats. I didn't get any of the smoke he was talking about- but I don't claim to have a wine palette. It was pretty fruity for me, I like the big Cabernet tannins with red meat, but it was a good value at $15.00.
Dessert was simple, fruit (red currants, Asian pear, and a tiny cantaloupe from the garden) and cheese (Stilton, St. Andre, and Carr Valley 5 year cheddar). We poured a Nivole Moscato d' Asti (Michele Chiarlo, 2007) that gave a very nice finish to the meal- airy and not too sweet, good balance of citrus and grape, and not too much alcohol.
We love getting together with the Kents. There is always plenty of good conversation and they have a real appreciation for the finer things in life without being showy or pretentious. I hope we don't have to wait so long before we do it again.
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