September 16, 2014 - Fresh Figs

And welcome back, everyone!  You're probably thinking to yourself "haven't they done figs a million times", and you would be semi-correct.  Every time we've done meals with figs, we can never find fresh figs, so we've always substituted with dry.  So as soon as Stew Leonard's advertised flats of fresh figs on sale, we immediately decided to go fig overload!  Enjoy!

Cocktail - Fig Infused Bourbon Cocktail

Muddle fig mixed with bourbon, lemon juice, some Grand Marnier, and club soda!  Delicious!  Although upon doing more research, I just found a Fig and Maple Syrup Manhattan recipe online that you better believe will be coming up on the blog soon!

Appetizer - Fresh Pair and Fig Mixed Green Salad w/ Lemon Vinaigrette

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fresh-pear-and-fig-mixed-green-salad-recipe.html

We figured a light salad would be the perfect way to start the meal, because we could really showcase the fresh figs.  If you remember, a few weeks ago, we did an appetizer that was a fig stuffed with goat cheese and pecans... this is kind of like that but deconstructed.  Very delicious start to the meal.

Appetizer Wine - 2013 Chateau Haut Plaisance Bordeaux

Ummm... errr... ok, not my favorite.  First off, I was looking for a white that wasn't too sweet, because I wanted it to be a rather stark palate for the fig to really come through.  Most reviews were saying to go for a Riesling or a Chardonnay, but I figured a white Bordeaux would be a nice change of pace.  The only problem was that I found it to be too stark a palate.  It was a clean white with a grassy start and mineral finish.  Unfortunately, I didn't find there to be enough fruit in it to pair with the salad.  Would have been a great wine for a different meal.  Oh well.

Entree - Fig and Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chicken-breasts-stuffed-with-fresh-figs-and-goat-cheese

A deliciously easy meal!  Let me note a couple things.  First - overstuff your chicken.  We thought it was "too much", but then when eating, we found a lot of the filling dissipated and there actually wasn't enough.  Also, the bacon takes a while to cook, and I'm thinking the chicken breast doesn't brown too easily because the bacon is too thick.  I would try the pancetta next time.  But overall - lovely dish.  And a nice side of roasted potatoes and sauteed green beans!  (If you have no fresh figs - I'm curious how a fig jam or chutney mixed with the cheese would work.)

Entree Wine - 2012 Laurel Cellars Pinot Noir

Once again, reviews said to stick with Chardonnays or other rich whites to match the fig and the poultry.  However, you know us - we like reds for our main course.  This was out of this world!  It had sweet red fruits that intertwined delicately with some spice and herbs.  The tannins were light but nicely structured for a smooth finish.  This was a lovely wine for any occasion.

Dessert - Fig and Raspberry Galette

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/fig-and-raspberry-galette.html

In hindsight, I should have taken a picture of the whole thing.  Argh.  Next time.  The first thing Jennifer and I both said after eating this was "how come we haven't made more of these?"  A galette is the same thing as a crostata.  It's basically pie crust that is haphazardly formed with fruit in the center to create a rather rustic looking dessert.  It was delicious!  First off - save yourself the time and use store bought pie crust (unless you're a purist - then you rock).  Also, we used only 8 figs and about 1/2 a pint of raspberries and it was more than enough.  Oh, and that whole brown sugar thing - oops.  We didn't have any (how is that possible, I know!) so used brown "sugar in the raw" and it worked out just lovely.  Delicious!  (Topped with a little Poire Williams infused whipped cream!)

Aperitif - LIV Island Raspberry Sorbetta

If you're a fan of the Line Island Wine Trail, you'll know this bottle.  When driving the trail, before you hit any winery, you hit a little vodka distillery.  They have these flavored vodkas (more like cordials, because I would only drink them straight) that come in raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange.  Delicious!  

So voila!  Fresh fig overload!  See you all soon!!!

August 30, 2014 - John's Birthday

So John really decided to challenge us this year.  I mean, there is no way someone can pick 2 completely opposite ingredients and expect them to make a meal.  Wolfgang Puck would have slapped him upside the head.  But that's ok - because Jenn and I took on the challenge with gusto.  What were those two ingredients?

Eel and White Chocolate

Told you so.

Cocktail - Brandy Daisy

Brandy, rum, blue curacao, lemon juice.  Delicious!

Appetizer - Seared Shrimp with a White Chocolate Tomato Beurre Blanc

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/pan-seared-scallops-with-a-tomato-and-white-chocolate-beurre-blanc.html

White chocolate beurre blanc.  For real.  And it was tasty!!!  The acidity of the tomato really helped with the underlying sweeter white chocolate flavor.  Believe it or not, very delicious!  (And yes, finding savory white chocolate dishes was not easy.)

Appetizer Wine - 2012 Domaine Cheveau Macon Solutre-Pouilly

We went back to Harry's for this meal.  While we have enjoyed pairing our own wines recently, this was obviously a task for the professionals.  Even Christelle seemed stumped with our menu.  She recommended a heavy Chardonnay to go with the richness of the beurre blanc.  And it was delicious!  Rich and structured but not heavy on the oak - it paired up beautifully with the appetizer!

Entree - Smoked Eel with Steamed Leeks and New Potatoes with a Clam Beurre Blanc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/smoked_eel_with_new_23202.pdf

Yup.  You read that properly.  We weren't going to do any Japanese-style eel dish, because that would be too easy.  And the recipe included beurre blanc, so we kind of just added an ingredient to John's wish list at this point.  And the clams - baby clams straight from Italy!  Delicious!  Believe it or not, the flavor was fantastic and this really was an amazing 

Entree Wine - 2012 Pecchenino San Luigi Dogliani

Christelle was really challenged on this one.  She wanted so badly to serve a white with the entree, but after the heavy Chardonnay, there was no viable option.  This smooth Italian red with fruit forward with sweet tannins and completely worked!  

Dessert - White Chocolate and Lemon Pots de Creme

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-and-white-chocolate-pots-de-creme-recipe.html#!

Smooth custard-y goodness!  A fantastic end to the meal and extremely easy to make!

Aperitif - Jones Winery Raspberry Rhapsody

This local winery here in CT produces this great dessert wine full of raspberry flavor!  A perfect tartness to go with the smooth dessert!

July 29, 2014 - Antonio's Birthday

Good Afternoon, everyone!  We have a great post for you today!!!  This was Tony's first year participating in our "pick your ingredient" birthday blog dinner and we had a lot of fun with it.  Tony's quick answer was "lobster and tomatoes", which naturally we groaned at because that seemed so simple.  I mean, really?  Challenge us, please!  Anyways... we ended up with a dynamite meal that anyone can make at home!

Cocktail - Blueberry-Cassis Lemon Martini

This was kind of a "what do we have in the liquor cabinet" cocktail.  We had some leftover limoncello, and figured lemons and lobster go well together, so we mixed that with regular vodka, creme de cassis, and floated some blueberry Polar Seltzer over it.  Delicious!!!  (Oddly, had somewhat of a "tea" flavor... we have no idea where that came from.)

Appetizer - Grilled Lobster & Prosciutto Flatbread

We totally improvised on this one!  We used store bought pizza dough and brushed it with some herbed olive oil.  We then placed on the grill for a few minutes, flipped it over, and then topped with prosciutto, a little shredded gruyere cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, cooked lobster meat, and fresh basil.  We cooked until the crust got nice and crispy (probably 5-10 minutes) and served.  Delicious!  Easy!  Can't wait to try out different variations!

Appetizer Wine - Chateau de Nages Brut Rose

This medium bodied rose is a blend of Syrah and Grenache grapes and matched perfectly with our appetizer.  It is a great drinking wine - with ripe cherry and melon - but has a nice crisp finish.  

Entree - Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Lobster

http://capecodlife.com/recipes/baked-stuffed-lobster/

Oh yeah.  I decided I wanted to do a stuffed lobster because it was something we had in a restaurant a year ago and Tony had loved it.  Why not try to replicate his favorite dish?  The only changes we made to the recipe was that we used just shrimp and crab stuffing - no scallops.  And we eyeballed the bread crumbs and didn't add extra butter at the end.  (Trust me, it does NOT need it.)  Also - this made about double the stuffing than we needed... so I suggest you halve the recipe.  (Or reuse to make those crab stuffed filet mignons from a previous post!)  Also - 30 minutes may be a little shy on baking time depending on the size of your lobster.  Regardless - delicious, filling, amazing meal.  

Side Dishes - Herbed Spaetzle and Gorgonzola Roasted Tomatoes

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Spaetzle-Dumplings/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=spaetzle&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i10

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roasted-tomatoes-with-garlic-gorgonzola-and-herbs-recipe.html

We've made spaetzle before, and it is one of our favorites!  We just followed the base recipe and then fried up with garlic and tons of fresh herbs!  The tomatoes were also a hit - nice and caramelized from the roasting with the creamy Gorgonzola!

Entree Wine - 2012 Oak Ridge Zinfandel

Oh wow.  This robust red is the new house favorite!  Rich and earthy with ripe fruit and light acidity, this left a fantastic fruity flavor on the palate with a hint of smoke on the finish.

Dessert - Creme Brulee

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/creme-brulee-recipe.html

One of the birthday boy's favorite desserts, you cannot go wrong with this classic dish!

So there you go - another great birthday meal for the books.  Coming up soon - John's birthday... and you won't believe it when you see the ingredients he picked!