Good Afternoon, Culinary Sundays followers! It is now almost 3pm on Sunday afternoon and I barely got out of bed an hour ago and am still trying to recover from last night's festivities. I was surrounded by John and Jenn, my family, and friends for a truly fantastic birthday celebration. I know I've posted about it before, but one of my favorite places in the world is New Orleans. (I'm a member of the Who Dat nation!) So Jennifer took the creativity to a whole new level and planned a dinner inspired by the Big Easy.
Cocktail - The Hurricane
Light rum, dark rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice. Yum! This classic cocktail made famous by Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter is a great party drink and the perfect way to kick off the evening!
First Course - Duck Crepe with Port Wine Cherry Sauce & Spinach Salad with Bourbon-Spiced Pecans and Bacon-Molasses Vinaigrette
Okay - the duck crepe is made famous by Galatoire's Restaurant and the salad is a famous dish at the beautiful Cafe Adelaide. While I have never eaten them at these classic restaurants, I can assure you that Jennifer's versions were downright incredible. The spiced pecans were divine and the vinaigrette was truly superb. The duck filling in the crepes were made with duck confit and the port wine sauce was incredible. This is how you start a meal!!!
Vinaigrette Recipe:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Spiced Pecans Recipe:
4 cups pecans, halves or halves and pieces
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup bourbon
Cooking Directions:
Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pecans on rimmed cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes or until
fragrant. Transfer toasted pecans to bowl; set aside.
In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add toasted pecans and stir to coat. Add brown
sugar, cinnamon and salt; continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly about 8 to 10
minutes.
Add bourbon; stir to combine and cook 1 to 2 minutes, mixing well. Remove skillet from the heat
and pour pecans onto rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread pecans into thin
layer and let cool 20 minutes. Break mixture into bite-sized pieces and cool completely before
packaging.
Second Course - Shrimp Remoulade & Oysters Andouille Pastries
http://www.louisianarecipes.com/entree.html#Oyster and Andouille Pastries
So we mix my love of shrimp, puff pastry, and exploding flavors on one plate! The shrimp were fantastic - and surprisingly served cold! And the oysters in cream sauce in a pastry sandwich - unbelievable!
Third Course - Gumbo
Is it possible to have a NOLA themed dinner without gumbo? Or a recipe from Emeril? This classic dish was superb! Just the right amount of spice with tons of flavors of fresh veggies and spices.
Dessert - Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart
My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. My goodness, this was incredible. There's something about the chocolate and the salted caramel - wowza. Best dessert ever.
Wines - A Lot
In no particular order, a list of the wines brought over by a friend for our birthday dinner
2010 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Warre's Late Bottle Vintage Porto
And the coolest bottle of champagne ever
So a truly spectacular meal, surrounded by people that I love. My partners in culinary crime really outdid themselves, and now I need to start thinking about how to outdo them for their birthdays in 2013.
Next week, we're cooking up Beef Wellington again as part of a lovely Christmas menu... see you then!
Next Week - Christmas
What a wonderful tribute to the Newtown tragey you made yesterday. It waas so eloquent. Thank you for expressing all our shock, sadness and heartbreak so well. Sandy Morgan
ReplyDelete