Good Morning, everyone! As of today, we are officially back in action! The trip to Monaco was fabulous for John and Jenn and the trip to New Orleans was a fantastic time for myself. We are especially looking forward to recreating a lot of the amazing meals we had while travelling!
While I was gone, John and Jenn thought up their own fantastic Culinary Sunday meal. Knowing that I'm not a fan of mushrooms and wouldn't be around to complain (ha!), they aimed for a meal that had mushrooms as an important component, and then pulled off a fabulous meal that they were able to enjoy together!
Cocktail - Classic Vodka Martini
vodka, vermouth, olive (lemon peel for the non-olive lovers)
We often make creative cocktails with fun flavors and twists. For this week's meal, Jenn decided to go back to the basics with the original martini - and loved it!
Appetizer - Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese Bacon Vinaigrette
Jenn's favorite part of the meal was this appetizer. The romaine stayed cool and crisp with light grill marks on the front. The dressing had to be redone, though. If you followed the instructions, adding bacon and onions into oil at the same time was not possible. The onions burned way too fast and the end result was charred. Second attempt - she used a stainless steel pan, cooked bacon until starting to brown, then added the onion and sauteed in the bacon grease. Perfection!
Appetizer Wine - 2011 King Estate Pinot Gris
Rating - Not Found
This Oregon white was an amazing match to the bacon and onion vinaigrette in the appetizer! It was nice and crisp with flavors of green apple, apricot, and pear. It had a soft, rich entry with a long, lively crisp finish.
Entree - Pork Loin with Mushroom Fricassee
The main course was tasty. The recipe was followed exactly as is with the exception of substituting the brown sugar for 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar. The mushrooms did not give off much liquid, so Jenn added a little tomato paste and red wine to make a delectable topping. Overall, a good meal but not quite a knock-out like we've had in the past. Side dishes included garlic-chive mashed potatoes (yum!) and carrots that roasted in the oven with the pork.
Entree Wine - 2009 Domaine le Couroulu Vacqueyras
Wine Spectator - 90/100
Okay, let's be honest... the label is cool! Anyways, this French red originates from the Rhone region. It had plum and blackberry flavors on the palate with a little spice lingering on the finish. The flavors worked extremely well with the brown sugar, ginger, meat, garlic and all the other flavors that were part of the entree.
Dessert - Grilled Banana Splits
There was a technical difficulty with this dessert (running out of gas for the grill), but the end product was still delicious! Once the grill ran out of gas, the bananas were finished off in a 400 degree oven. The chocolate melted over was delicious and the ice cream just oozed all over it. Decadent and tasty!
Overall, a delicious meal! However, I'm pretty sure that I speak for John and Jenn when I say that we are so excited to be back together this coming weekend after 3 weeks off from our cooking adventures. Thank you all for your patience and humor. I especially enjoy the emails about proper Thai cooking and family tips on how to make the perfect caramelized onions. Although, I did enjoy the text I got that said "weird stuff doesn't belong on a pizza... try pepperoni next time." We have some fantastic menus set up for the summer, and we are truly excited to try them all!
Next Week - Duck
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