I spent a goodly amount of time cooking yesterday and had fun doing
it. Just thought I'd share.

We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
together until last night. I made:

Gravlax on pumpernickel toasts with a honey - Dijon mustard dressing
on a bed of fresh dill

Black pepper infused vodka

Mini bread loaves and butter

Spinach and radicchio salad with white balsamic vinegar and tangerine
infused oil with sweet onion rings, carrot curls, sliced fresh
mushrooms and topped with crumbled bleu cheese and walnuts

Pan-seared chicken breasts with a raspberry-port reduction sauce and
wasabi aioli

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Fresh steamed asparagus with butter

Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. This
recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
strawberries. Damn this stuff is good!)

Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. The vodka was
interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
minutes. Small sips offset the salmon nicely. I dragged out all the
good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
dining room course by course. I did as much of the prep as I could
ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
guests instead of cooking. The logistics worked out pretty well and
everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)

--
Silvar Beitel
(very occasional poster)

On Mar 1, 12:10*pm, wrote:
> I spent a goodly amount of time cooking yesterday and had fun doing
> it. *Just thought I'd share.
>
> We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
> Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
> together until last night. *I made:
>
> Gravlax on pumpernickel toasts with a honey - Dijon mustard dressing
> on a bed of fresh dill
>
> Black pepper infused vodka
>
> Mini bread loaves and butter
>
> Spinach and radicchio salad with white balsamic vinegar and tangerine
> infused oil with sweet onion rings, carrot curls, sliced fresh
> mushrooms and topped with crumbled bleu cheese and walnuts
>
> Pan-seared chicken breasts with a raspberry-port reduction sauce and
> wasabi aioli
>
> Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
>
> Fresh steamed asparagus with butter
>
> Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
> strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
> some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. *This
> recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
> strawberries. *Damn this stuff is good!)
>
> Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. *The vodka was
> interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
> minutes. *Small sips offset the salmon nicely. *I dragged out all the
> good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
> in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
> desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
> the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
> dining room course by course. *I did as much of the prep as I could
> ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
> guests instead of cooking. *The logistics worked out pretty well and
> everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)
>
> --
> Silvar Beitel
> (very occasional poster)

I'm impressed!!! The menu sounds fantastic. Could you write out a
step by step game plan?
I am glad to read that someone else likes to serve it resto style. No
wasting time to put food in a serving bowl, then play pass-me-the-grub
game while it cools off. I bet your guests were pleased as punch to
have this meal.
Anything you'd do differently?
Mind if I copycat your dinner?

On Mar 1, 12:10*pm, wrote:
> I spent a goodly amount of time cooking yesterday and had fun doing
> it. *Just thought I'd share.
>
> We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
> Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
> together until last night. *I made:
>
> Gravlax on pumpernickel toasts with a honey - Dijon mustard dressing
> on a bed of fresh dill
>
> Black pepper infused vodka
>
> Mini bread loaves and butter
>
> Spinach and radicchio salad with white balsamic vinegar and tangerine
> infused oil with sweet onion rings, carrot curls, sliced fresh
> mushrooms and topped with crumbled bleu cheese and walnuts
>
> Pan-seared chicken breasts with a raspberry-port reduction sauce and
> wasabi aioli
>
> Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
>
> Fresh steamed asparagus with butter
>
> Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
> strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
> some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. *This
> recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
> strawberries. *Damn this stuff is good!)
>
> Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. *The vodka was
> interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
> minutes. *Small sips offset the salmon nicely. *I dragged out all the
> good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
> in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
> desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
> the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
> dining room course by course. *I did as much of the prep as I could
> ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
> guests instead of cooking. *The logistics worked out pretty well and
> everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)
>
> --
> Silvar Beitel
> (very occasional poster)

Sounds fabulous! A little Russian-influenced?

I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
peppercorns?

Kris

In article
>,
wrote:

> I spent a goodly amount of time cooking yesterday and had fun doing
> it. Just thought I'd share.
>
> We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
> Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
> together until last night. I made:
>
> Gravlax on pumpernickel toasts with a honey - Dijon mustard dressing
> on a bed of fresh dill

Gods that sounds good.

>
> Black pepper infused vodka

A new one on me... Pepper and vodka?

>
> Mini bread loaves and butter
>
> Spinach and radicchio salad with white balsamic vinegar and tangerine
> infused oil with sweet onion rings, carrot curls, sliced fresh
> mushrooms and topped with crumbled bleu cheese and walnuts
>
> Pan-seared chicken breasts with a raspberry-port reduction sauce and
> wasabi aioli

Oh stop, yer killin' me! Yum!

>
> Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

One of kili's favorites.

>
> Fresh steamed asparagus with butter

See above.

>
> Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
> strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
> some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. This
> recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
> strawberries. Damn this stuff is good!)

I can only imagine. <sigh> Shush, I'm low carbing. :-(

>
> Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. The vodka was
> interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
> minutes. Small sips offset the salmon nicely. I dragged out all the
> good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
> in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
> desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
> the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
> dining room course by course. I did as much of the prep as I could
> ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
> guests instead of cooking. The logistics worked out pretty well and
> everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)

I want to party at YOUR house!
Thanks. :-)

>
> --
> Silvar Beitel
> (very occasional poster)
--
Peace! Om

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. -- Dalai Lama

On Mar 1, 12:23 pm, wrote:

> I'm impressed!!! The menu sounds fantastic. Could you write out a
> step by step game plan?

Well, a general plan.

I created a menu, shopped for whatever ingredients I didn't already
have on hand, and made things ahead of time that required it (e.g.
curing the salmon takes 2 days). Then I thought through the prep
steps for everything and *wrote down* all of the things I could do
that didn't need to be done right at dinner time and attacked them
during the day in more or less random order, e.g. built the trifle,
started the bread, peeled the potatoes and left them in a pan of cold
water early on, cut up salad veggies and made the sauces. Late in the
day, I did as much of the assembly as possible before the guests
arrived, stashing the appetizer, salad, etc. in my "walkin-in"
refrigerator (also known as my unheated attached barn :-) ). Then,
right before dinner, baked the bread, cooked the potatoes and
asparagus, and kept them warm. Net result was that all I really had
to do right *at* dinnertime was cook the chicken, make the pan sauce
and plate it.

> I am glad to read that someone else likes to serve it resto style. No
> wasting time to put food in a serving bowl, then play pass-me-the-grub
> game while it cools off. I bet your guests were pleased as punch to
> have this meal.

Well, they *said* they were :-)

> Anything you'd do differently?

Not much. Procedurally, I might have seared the chicken breasts and
kept them warm in the oven prior to bake-finishing them so I could
have gotten a head start on the reduction sauce. Other than that, my
only self-complaints were recipe-related: the mashed potatoes could
have used a bit more roasted garlic (2 bulbs worth instead of 1 in ~3
pounds of potatoes would have been better), and the wasabi aioli
wasn't as sharp or as noticeable as I'd hoped, even though I had a
small pile of wasabi powder in the mix <shrug>

The vodka versus gravlax thing worked well and the minor theme of
fruit running through the courses also worked well. The trifle was a
big hit, being a shot of summer in the gray depths of late winter here
(even if all the fruit was from South America - no localvore I! :-) )

> Mind if I copycat your dinner?

By all means feel free to do so.

My original plan was to have a classic duck with cherry sauce for the
entree, but I didn't find any duck that I liked. Another option would
have been seared yellowfin tuna with a mandarin orange and sesame
glaze/sauce and the aioli, but I had just had that last weekend at a
restaurant on a getaway weekend trip with my wife so didn't want to
have it again so soon. Plus I had one guest who hates fish,
particularly raw fish (like the inside of properly prepared seared
tuna steaks). I digress, but those are two alternates you could try
that appeal to me.

--
Silvar Beitel
(very occasional poster)

On Mar 1, 1:07 pm, Kris > wrote:

> Sounds fabulous! A little Russian-influenced?

Not intentionally. I wanted something sharp and alcoholic to go with
the gravlax but didn't want any flavored schnapps or straight vodka,
so I came up with the pepper vodka. Poking around on the 'net told me
that there was apparently a vodka infusion "craze" going around a long
time ago (2007 :-) ) so I ran with that.

> I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
> peppercorns?

(Answer here for Omelet and anyone else too)

Yes. I coarsely crushed ~1 Tbsp of black peppercorns with a mortar
and pestle and added them to ~1 pint of average quality vodka and let
it infuse for ~24 hours, then strained it through a paper coffee
filter. It ended up looking slightly yellowish. And it was exactly
what I wanted. I even used it as an excuse to go out and buy some
nice little liqueur glasses.

--
Silvar Beitel
(very occasional poster)

In article
>,
wrote:

> On Mar 1, 12:23 pm, wrote:
>
> > I'm impressed!!! The menu sounds fantastic. Could you write out a
> > step by step game plan?
>
> Well, a general plan.
>
> I created a menu, shopped for whatever ingredients I didn't already
> have on hand, and made things ahead of time that required it (e.g.
> curing the salmon takes 2 days). Then I thought through the prep
> steps for everything and *wrote down* all of the things I could do
> that didn't need to be done right at dinner time and attacked them
> during the day in more or less random order, e.g. built the trifle,
> started the bread, peeled the potatoes and left them in a pan of cold
> water early on, cut up salad veggies and made the sauces. Late in the
> day, I did as much of the assembly as possible before the guests
> arrived, stashing the appetizer, salad, etc. in my "walkin-in"
> refrigerator (also known as my unheated attached barn :-) ). Then,
> right before dinner, baked the bread, cooked the potatoes and
> asparagus, and kept them warm. Net result was that all I really had
> to do right *at* dinnertime was cook the chicken, make the pan sauce
> and plate it.
>
> > I am glad to read that someone else likes to serve it resto style. No
> > wasting time to put food in a serving bowl, then play pass-me-the-grub
> > game while it cools off. I bet your guests were pleased as punch to
> > have this meal.
>
> Well, they *said* they were :-)


[snip]

> --
> Silvar Beitel
> (very occasional poster)

That sounds like a truly lovely meal and your guests are fortunate to
have a friend who would cook for them with such thought and care. You're
an inspiration!

Best,
Victoria

Silvar (if I may call him that) wrote:

> We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
> Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
> together until last night. I made:
>
<snip fantastic menu>
> Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
> strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
> some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. This
> recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
> strawberries. Damn this stuff is good!)
>
> Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. The vodka was
> interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
> minutes. Small sips offset the salmon nicely. I dragged out all the
> good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
> in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
> desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
> the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
> dining room course by course. I did as much of the prep as I could
> ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
> guests instead of cooking. The logistics worked out pretty well and
> everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)

It all sounds excellent, and very well-planned and well-executed on your
part. Lin brought home a bottle of white balsamic vinegar just a few days
ago, and I'd been casting about for ideas on how to use it. Enjoy your happy
place while it lasts!

Bob

Silvar wrote:

> Not intentionally. I wanted something sharp and alcoholic to go with
> the gravlax but didn't want any flavored schnapps or straight vodka,
> so I came up with the pepper vodka. Poking around on the 'net told me
> that there was apparently a vodka infusion "craze" going around a long
> time ago (2007 :-) ) so I ran with that.
>
>> I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
>> peppercorns?
>
> (Answer here for Omelet and anyone else too)
>
> Yes. I coarsely crushed ~1 Tbsp of black peppercorns with a mortar
> and pestle and added them to ~1 pint of average quality vodka and let
> it infuse for ~24 hours, then strained it through a paper coffee
> filter. It ended up looking slightly yellowish. And it was exactly
> what I wanted. I even used it as an excuse to go out and buy some
> nice little liqueur glasses.

Heh... I learned about that combination more than thirty years ago:
Combining black pepper with vodka takes place in one of the James Bond
books, though I don't remember which one. In the book, the pepper isn't
infused; it's just ground into a shot glass of ice-cold vodka (How can I
remember that detail, but not remember which book? Memory's a funny thing
sometimes.)

Bob

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Silvar (if I may call him that) wrote:
>
> > We had been planning to have a couple of couples over since before
> > Christmas, but events and emergencies had gotten in the way of getting
> > together until last night. I made:
> >
> <snip fantastic menu>
> > Fresh fruit trifle (cream cheese - whipped cream "pudding," fresh
> > strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, pound cake, and
> > some dark rum and apricot jam spread on the pound cake slices. This
> > recipe right out of the Bon Appetit cookbook except for the added
> > strawberries. Damn this stuff is good!)
> >
> > Everything was homemade but the pumpernickel. The vodka was
> > interesting - all by itself the pepper taste lingered for ten
> > minutes. Small sips offset the salmon nicely. I dragged out all the
> > good china and served everything restaurant style, plating the dishes
> > in my staging area (kitchen table) so I could get the effects I
> > desired (e.g. the aioli spread in a zig-zag from a squeeze bottle over
> > the port sauce and placing garnishes) and then brought them into the
> > dining room course by course. I did as much of the prep as I could
> > ahead of time so I could actually spend some time socializing with my
> > guests instead of cooking. The logistics worked out pretty well and
> > everyone said they loved the meal, so I'm in a happy place today :-)
>
> It all sounds excellent, and very well-planned and well-executed on your
> part. Lin brought home a bottle of white balsamic vinegar just a few days
> ago, and I'd been casting about for ideas on how to use it. Enjoy your happy
> place while it lasts!
>
> Bob

I've read that Balsamic Vinegar is good on Vanilla Ice cream, but I
confess I've never tried it. I tend to use it more for salads and stir
fry.

Small amounts of vinegar tend to "brighten" the flavor of many savory
dishes. I've been alternating between that and lemon.
--
Peace! Om

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. -- Dalai Lama

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Silvar wrote:
>
> > Not intentionally. I wanted something sharp and alcoholic to go with
> > the gravlax but didn't want any flavored schnapps or straight vodka,
> > so I came up with the pepper vodka. Poking around on the 'net told me
> > that there was apparently a vodka infusion "craze" going around a long
> > time ago (2007 :-) ) so I ran with that.
> >
> >> I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
> >> peppercorns?
> >
> > (Answer here for Omelet and anyone else too)
> >
> > Yes. I coarsely crushed ~1 Tbsp of black peppercorns with a mortar
> > and pestle and added them to ~1 pint of average quality vodka and let
> > it infuse for ~24 hours, then strained it through a paper coffee
> > filter. It ended up looking slightly yellowish. And it was exactly
> > what I wanted. I even used it as an excuse to go out and buy some
> > nice little liqueur glasses.
>
> Heh... I learned about that combination more than thirty years ago:
> Combining black pepper with vodka takes place in one of the James Bond
> books, though I don't remember which one. In the book, the pepper isn't
> infused; it's just ground into a shot glass of ice-cold vodka (How can I
> remember that detail, but not remember which book? Memory's a funny thing
> sometimes.)
>
> Bob

Okay, I am SO going to have to try that! I have 5 color peppercorns on
hand and I like it a lot.

I'll have to get a fifth of Vodka and use that for an extract. I've
done that with vanilla beans in the past.

I wonder how vodka extraction would work with other herbs? I know it
works a treat with fruit, specifically strawberries. ;-d
--
Peace! Om

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. -- Dalai Lama

On Mar 1, 2:12 pm, I wrote:

> On Mar 1, 1:07 pm, Kris > wrote:

> > I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
> > peppercorns?

> Yes. I coarsely crushed ~1 Tbsp of black peppercorns with a mortar
> and pestle and added them to ~1 pint of average quality vodka and let
> it infuse for ~24 hours, then strained it through a paper coffee
> filter. It ended up looking slightly yellowish. And it was exactly
> what I wanted. I even used it as an excuse to go out and buy some
> nice little liqueur glasses.

By the way, this stuff makes *outstanding* Bloody Marys, as I
discovered last night while trying to figure out what to do with the
"leftovers" :-)

--
Silvar Beitel
(very occasional poster)

On Mon, 2 Mar 2009 10:42:14 -0800 (PST), wrote:

> On Mar 1, 2:12 pm, I wrote:
>
>> On Mar 1, 1:07 pm, Kris > wrote:
>
>>> I'm intrigued by that black pepper vodka - do you infuse it with
>>> peppercorns?
>
>> Yes. I coarsely crushed ~1 Tbsp of black peppercorns with a mortar
>> and pestle and added them to ~1 pint of average quality vodka and let
>> it infuse for ~24 hours, then strained it through a paper coffee
>> filter. It ended up looking slightly yellowish. And it was exactly
>> what I wanted. I even used it as an excuse to go out and buy some
>> nice little liqueur glasses.
>
> By the way, this stuff makes *outstanding* Bloody Marys, as I
> discovered last night while trying to figure out what to do with the
> "leftovers" :-)

i've been making a dill-infused vodka that i like very much in bloody
marys.

your pal,
blake