Last weekend, I had different friends over on Saturday night for dinner in the sukkah and we had FUN! Lots of laughing and a "you really had to be there" kind of evening. For my appetizer I made a Gourmet Magazine recipe (a bit poignant as the magazine is shutting down on November after 58 years) of shaved Brussels sprouts with chopped walnuts, lemon zest and pecorino. I reworked this a bit and changed the pecorino to olives, hoping to capture the creamy saltiness of the cheese but at a meat meal where I couldn't include cheese. I also changed the walnuts to a combination of almonds and pecans, simply because I had them in the house. I also sauteed the mixture a bit which was not asked for in the original recipe. I plated this all over toasted boule slices and it worked out quite well.
For my main course I used another Bon Apetit recipe, which turned out perfectly, brisket braised in porter.
Wow! Was it good! But, I get a little ahead of myself. On Thursday night I made my shopping list for the Friday morning jaunt to the supermarket and butcher. Usually, I think about weekend entertaining during the week so that if there are any ingredients I can only get in the City I... well...get them. The difficult week I had at work prevented me from thinking about anything but work. Now in my suburban borough I was faced with the difficult choice of how to get the ingredients I needed or or use sub par products. I had to choose between going into the City (driving presents frustrating parking problems and public transport presents time issues) or going to the Whole Foods in NJ, closest to me-which is what I chose as it would be easier and faster as I could drive. Little did I know, however, that they don't sell beer in the Whole Foods in NJ the way they do in NY. State law apparently. Humph! A very nice customer overheard me asking the sales person if he knew where I could get beer and directed me to the Wine Library (another of my favorite stores and now I know how to get from Short Hills to the Wine Library to Whole Foods then home which is quite exciting for me!!!) I had an absolutely marvelous time in Wine Library buying the porter as in NJ liquor stores you can sell wine and beer together unlike in NY. I guess state law might not be so bad after all. There are many marvelous things in the W.L. other than wine and beer-gorgeous cheeses, olives, dips, vinegars, olive oils crackers, flours, and the list goes on. Much fun and all turned well, as did the meat and vegetables (baby corn, whole shiitake mushrooms, onions, and carrots).
I made polenta to soak up the rich dark gravy, it cooked quickly but took a good hour of baking to get crispy in the oven, but it went beautifully with the meat and was tres autumnal. I made the same chocolate cake recipe but as a bundt cake, along with the chocolate fondue/sauce (it's my signature), sliced banana for dipping, and I tried the apple thing again but switched to puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. Still awful. My baker friened suggested it's because of the margarine which is entirely possible but I am giving up. I will find some other non chocolate dessert for Thanksgiving or I can ask my cousin who is a wonderful baker to bring something, and she knows I hate baking anyway. Or, one of my guests is a professional baker so maybe he can come over early and bake something (he can't bring anything because neither his home or bakery is kosher).
The last day of the holiday I invited my mom's friends, as I do every year, we always have a lovely afternoon. They are all current or retired teachers and we talk of literature, current events, and the state of society and children today-all very interesting. I did something at this lunch that I have never done before. Instead of an appetizer then main course I just served three salads-done. I couldn't decide from among them nor could I see one being an appetizer over another so I just served them all. I made the shaved Brussels sprout salad again but didn't saute it and used the pecorino as the recipe called for, no olives. I liked it better sauteed as it softened the edges of the vegetables, and if i did it again I would use chunks of cheese rather than shredded-it got a little lost in the Brusselss sprouts. The 2nd salad was a spiced pumpkin, lentil, goat cheese salad that was rather fabulous and did you know that Coach Farms does a goat cheese that is low fat-terrific! One roasted pumpkin cubes in cumin, smoked Spanish paprika, and stirred squash and cheese into lentils. The last recipe was a tuna, onion, white bean salad, also from October's Bon Appetit and I left each pretty much alone. I did soak the onions in water to get rid of the sharp oniony bite which I don't really like nor do I want to eat or taste while socializing. If I made this again, I'd use different beans, as white beans are not my favorite bean. I have only just started to like beans and these have too much of that grainy mushy texture that I don't like. I am going to say something controversial here but I am forging ahead. I am unafraid! I do not believe that all dishes have to have crunch. I know it's fashionable to think that way but I just don't. I like soft or creamy foods to be just that and crunchy foods to be crunchy-I find that just adding crunch to everything is distracting. I like to have different textures and colors throughout a whole menu but not on each dish. So no onions next time either. My mom gets frustrated with me sometimes that I don't follow recipes exactly but just use them for inspiration. But the joy for me is in the internal debate, the planning of the menu, the cooking, and the setting the table-and of course sharing all of this with good friends and family.
I thank everyone who came to a lunch or dinner and shared this charming holiday with me and I will now turn my energy to Thanksgiving.
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