So the boys are away and the girls must play. Which naturally means a decadent dinner, fabulous cocktails, semi-healthy snacks, and a girly movie. What movie? Twilight Breaking Dawn!!! (No judgement, please.)
Cocktail - Diamond Martini
If you're a Twilight fan, you know that the vampires sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight. Therefore, we did a "blood" candy rim around a martini glass, filled it with champagne, and dropped in a chambord-mascerated cherry. YUM!
Helpful hint - if you're not a huge champagne fan, you can also mix in some fruit nectar (found in most latin areas of a grocery store) which will cover up the dry bubbly-ness with some sweetness. I would reccomend mango, guavo, tropical.. whatever your heart desires.
Entree - Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
Okay... one of our favorite mac and cheese recipes comes from the Capital Grille. So after lots of googling, we were able to find a recipe that is very similar (and we simply added lobster.) But, we did have to make many adjustments, so pay attention. First - grana padano cheese is impossible to find. However, it is pretty much the same thing as parmesan, so there's substitution #1. Second - we went to the Fairfield Cheese Shop and asked Chris for a good Havarti. Due to this being a decadent "Culinary Sundays" dinner, Chris suggested forgoing the Havarti for its sexy cousin, an "Appalachian Semi-Soft Raw Cow" cheese. (Yes, I'm reading off the label.) Yum, yum, yum. Super creamy and tasty. (Side note - if you live in the area, definitely check this place out... Fairfield Cheese Shop) Finally, we did not have truffle oil (seriously... who has that lying around?) so did not include it.
Final results... undecided. The mac and cheese was intensely decadent, but also extremely heavy. (We barely finished half our portions.) And there was something missing... some extra kick of flavor (that's probably where the truffle oil comes into play.) If we recreate - I think we'll change up some of the cheeses, or maybe add a sharp cheddar. Regardless - delicious but can be doctored up to be better.
Movie Snacks
Homemade Bagel Chips - We sliced up a plain bagel, brushed with EVOO and topped with a garlic-onion spice mix. We then sliced up a cinnamon raisin bagel, brushed w/ EVOO and topped with cinnamon sugar. Broil a couple minutes on each side - YUM! (But honestly... kind of a pain to cut up the bagels and for the price - just buy them from the store.)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Fried Chickpeas - Drain a can of chickpeas, toss in a frying pan with some oil, and keep frying until they puff up. We then added a spicy garlic seasoning to them. (Be warned... when these babies start to fry, they jump... you will need a splatter guard!)
Baked Kale Chips - We took Kale, drizzled w/ oil, seasonings, and then roasted in the oven at 375 until browned. Healthy, delicious, and highly suggested.
Dessert - Fresh Berries over Sorbet with Limoncello
You don't need chocolate to make it a girls' night! We used a scoop of strawberry sorbet (or whatever you have in the freezer), topped it with fresh raspberries and blackberries (whatever is in season) and then drizzles a little limoncello over it. (I'm sure Chambord would be just as delightful.) This dessert was spot on! It was light, refreshing, and downright delicious. This is going in the recipe box for summer cooking!
Wines - There are 2!!!
Side story - we enjoyed a fabulous "Wine 101 Class" at Harry's Wine in Fairfield, CT recently and are trying to test our tasting skills. Therefore, two employees recommended two different wines this week and we were eager to test them out.
First - 2010 Fefinanes Albarino
Can't find a rating
This mineral-tasting white wine has melon and green apple tastes with a sharp palatte and is citrus-y and zesty.
Second - 2009 Anne Pichon Roussanne
Can't find a rating
This full-bodied white has apricot, honeysuckle, and caramel flavors and is richly complex with subtle hints of lemon.
Final Analysis - The tasting class made a huge difference and these were two very different wines. With the meal... we found the Roussanne to be best. It was heavier and stood up well to a really rich meal. However, when it was movie-time and we were just sipping on a glass of wine, we found the Albarion better becuase it was lighter and easier to drink. After the meal, the Roussanne actually became too oaky for us. Therefore - both wines get two thumbs up!
Next Week - The Academy Awards!
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