Memorable Meals

Black Friday 2009

Galen’s original plan included 15 courses, but he had to tone it down a bit to meet the overstuffed bellies of his audience.   This is what we ended up eating the day after Thanksgiving.

Courses:

• Oysters on the half shell with an apple-champagne mignonette
• Oysters Rockefeller
• Mixed greens with tomato oil
• Assorted pizzas for the kids
• Tortilla Española
• Empanadas with chimichurri: smoked chicken, apple, sage, and chèvre, chorizo and cheddar, and shrimp tikka masala
• Sweet potato soup with crème fraiche and almond noisette
• Papas a la pobre with chorizo
• Gnocchi with roasted cauliflower, confit tomatoes, and migas
• Leftover Thanksgivings pies and whipped cream (of course!)

Beverage Pairings:

• La Gitana Manzanilla
• Farnum Hill Cider (local New Hampshire hard cider)
• Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Ale)
• Ommegang Brewery Three Philosophers

 

555

Mike and Candie met us for a drink and we quickly decided to dine at this fine Portland, Maine, establishment.

To start:

• Spicy Dirty Martinis with jalapeños
• Gin and Tonic with Drambuie and orange bitters
• Fried olives with manchego and chorizo
• Belgian frites with bacon and chive mayo
• Cheese plate with miticana (aged goat cheese), Sheffield raw cheddar (aged 2 years), crostinis, spicy nuts, and apple compote

Next:

• Joseph Drouhin La Floret Burgundy
• Buffalo corndog with maple mustard
• Turducken with stuffing muffins and cranberry sauce
• Mussels with grilled focaccia
• Scallops with mashed potato and carmelized carrot purée

To finish:

• B&B
• Eagle Rare
• Salted caramels
• Warm tollhouse cookies
• Chocolate truffles

 

A Taste of Autumn

Now that warm summer days are waning and the brisk autumn weather is upon us, it’s time to get the soup pot out.  Light the fire, curl up with a cozy blanket, and enjoy this perfect fall meal.

Salad—Mixed greens with gruyere, candied walnuts, and champagne apples.

Soup—Pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds, served with fresh-baked sage focaccia.

Main Course—Salmon with roasted zucchini and leek butter sauce.

Dessert—Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and Madeira.

 

San Diego: A Weekend of Fine Eating

 1^st Breakfast—Omelets with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and feta; fresh fruit and coffee

Pre-Bleu Bohème Apps—hummus, pita bread & chips, cashews, Cabernet-Syrah blend

Bleu Bohème

• To start: charcuterie and cheese plate
• Appetizers and salads: a goat cheese salad, seasonal salads, and escargot
• Entrees: duck confit, fillet mignon, hanger steak, and chicken stuffed with goat cheese and tomatoes
• Dessert: “Bombe” au Chocolat
• To drink: basil martinis, Beaujolais Cru Classe, Bordeaux Cru Classe, espressos

Brunch at Ponce’s Restaurante—Bloody Marys, chilaquiles, machacas con huevos, carnitas

Dinner at Jim and Christine’s—chili-shrimp wontons, chilled avocado soup, grilled halibut with stir-fried vegetables and roasted spiced potatoes, basil-grapefruit martinis, Gewürztraminer, mango sorbet and coconut ice cream with lemon and fruit tarts, V. Sattui Madeira (liquid gold, baby!)

2^nd Breakfast—pancakes, Greek yogurt with fruit, and coffee

 

An Ode to Olivar

Part of the SLO festivities included a reknowned farmer’s market where we blew our budget on quality produce, fresh oysters, and shwarmas.  Getting the produce back to Morro Bay was a bit difficult, but well worth the effort.

• Cheese plates to tide the hunger
• Our staple: apple salad
• Mixed greens with tomato oil, Valdeón blue cheese, and roasted figs
• Catalan chard with pine nuts and golden raisins
• Mayacoba beans with bacon and roasted peppers
• Gnocchi with parmesan reggiano and confit tomatoes
• Chicken galantine with basil, pappardelle pasta, and pine nut noisette
• Berry sacher torte with Madeira sweet cream

Pairings:

• Salads: Allagash White
• Chard & Beans: Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA
• Gnocchi & Chicken: Loire Valley Vouvray
• Dessert: Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers

 

Breakfast: Leftovers

• Beans with bacon
• Breakfast potatoes
• Poached eggs
• Pear Brandy-Vouvray White Sangria with cranberries, apples, and oranges

 

6-Courses for Cat & Dan

What better way to thank your hosts than cooking for them.  Just add friends and stir.

• Roasted cauliflower with balsamic vinegar
• Classic apple salad with cheese and chives
• Mixed greens salad with Evelyn’s Oregon-grown blueberries, goat cheese, and candied pecans
• Gnocchi with cauliflower and parmesan
• Yellow-fin tuna encrusted with coriander, crushed potatoes, and sautéed spinach
• Collapsed chocolate soufflé cake with toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, and coconut sweet cream (It’s pretty obvious that Miranda, the amazing creator of this dessert, just came back from Hawaii.)

The Best Camping Meal Ever…Ever!

When you find yourself stranded in the wilds, it’s best to have fresh produce and a well-stocked pantry.  You may be able to whip up the following:

• Sautéed chard (courtesy of Evelyn)
• Fresh focaccia (baked over coals in a dutch oven)
• Hearty pork stew
• Apple crisp (also baked in the dutch oven)

 

Voila: A French Bistro

• Cheese plate: two aged sheep’s milk, one soft cow milk, one aged goat’s milk chevre, served with apricot chutney, pear, walnuts, and proscuitto di parma
• 2003 Cote de Rhone

Harvest Vine

• Salmorejo verde with serrano fritter
• Pastrami-cured striped bass, with parsley oil and alioli
• Deep fried pasilla peppers with shaved chocolate and sea salt
• Charcuterie (all house made): lomo, braised chorizo, pork head cheese, bresola, duck proscuitto, terrine of duck and foie gras, chocolate liver pate
• Scallops with piquillo and corn
• Mackerel with pepper onion sauce
• Squab with pocha beans and bacon in a foie gras emulsion
• Braised pork shoulder with braised lobster mushrooms and topped with caviar
• Chocolate ice cream with caramel sauce and pine nut cookie and fleur de sel

Wine Pairings:

• Cava
• Crisp White Wine from Northern Spain (sorry, can’t remember!)
• Fruity Rioja
• Macchiato

 

Southnorthwestern Cuisine

Galen made this meal for Erin and Clark. It is full of fresh flavors, spices, and textures. It’s a little northwestern play on Mexican food.

• Grilled peach salsa
• Apple and cheese salad with cilantro
• Chili relleños with tomatillo salsa
• Black cod with corn and beans and blueberry-mint compote
• Mint mojitos and Negro Modelos

Two Chefs and an Oven Fire

Jacob wanted to hang out, and Galen wanted to cook. This was the result. Ballard Market is the devil, but provided most of the fixings for a feast.

• Amuse bouche: roma tomatoes from Jacob’s garden and gorgonzola dulce on crostini with a little olive oil and salt
• Heirloom cherry tomato bruschetta
• Butternut squash hummus with sage and pine nut beurre noisette
• Rosemary garlic smelt
• Oxtail and pea-shoot gnocchi
• Rosemary-crusted rack of pork with chipolinis, rainbow chard, and artichoke
• More mint mojitos
• A bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• To finish: roasted figs stuffed with gorgonzola dulce topped with candied pecans and honey, served with a black muscat sweet wine