November 3rd Stuffed Pork loin

Hi Followers! Sorry we haven't been posting weekly, life has been a bit crazy (good crazy) for Christie. We do hope to be on track soon. Enjoy the following, we sure did.

Cocktail- Lemontini

I used a a bit of lemon curd with vodka and lemon juice. A nice fit for our next course

Appetizer - Zucchini ribbon Salad

 http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2010/04/zucchini-ribbon-salad.html

Instead of the feta cheese we choose Parmesan which was also used in the pork stuffing. The dressing was so easy, olive oil, lemon and garlic. So delicious, it was a perfect complement to arugula and zucchini

Entree- Roasted Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach and Prosciutto

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-pork-loin-stuffed-with-spinach-and-prosciutto

The pork was done to perfection. For the sides we choose lightly breaded baked cauliflower and couldn't resist mashed potato's to go with the delicious gravy

 Desert Baked in-the-apple pies

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pie/apple-pie-baked-in-the-apple.html

OMG when I found these on Pinterest I couldn't wait to make them because they were so cute! I used a melon baller to clean out the apple which made it easy. Whats so nice about these is you can make them to your guest's taste, some sweeter than others because they are individual. Mine I used maple syrup. Delicious!!

September 29, 2013 - Steak and Figs

Hello, CS followers!  Happy to be back and put up a couple posts for you!  We found the most incredible recipe on Stew Leonard's website for a Strip Steak with roasted figs, and once those steaks went on sale, we knew it was a blog worthy meal!  Enjoy!

Cocktail - Fig & Gin Martini

You know us - add a sugared rim, and we're good to go!  Tart, delicious... a perfect start to the meal!

Appetizer - Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions and Figs

Ok, these pictures don't do it justice - but these baby Bries were the size of a quarter!  We then created our own fig-onion "jam" by sauteeing and reducing with wine and sugar and wrapped it all in puff pastry!  Delicious!  A perfect party appetizer... absolutely guaranteed to be a hit since they are perfect individual portions!

Appetizer Wine - 2010 Smith & Son Pinot Noir

Entree - Strip Steak with Roasted Figs

www.stewleonards.com

The recipe links don't work from this website, so just go to the Stew's website, look for recipes and you'll find it!  We paired it with roasted broccoli and made a potato gratin out of thinly sliced potatoes in muffin tins.  (Okay, those didn't turn out pretty, but they tasted good!)  The goat cheese on the steak paired with the sweet figs and savory caramelized onions.... OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Entree Wine - 2010 Bramere Malbec

Dessert - Fig Armagnac Souffle with Pistachio Creme Anglaise

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/02/fig-armagnac-souffles

Oh my gosh.  Divine.  The pistachio sauce was amazing and the souffle was light and flavorful and another great addition to our souffle collection!

Overall.... a fantastic meal to start the cold weather season!  Next post.. we had a fantastic guest over who picked her two ingredients - coconut and capers!

Next Week - Coconut and Capers

John's Birthday Dinner - Game Night

Hello CS followers! This posting is a bit late but worth the wait. Sunday's dinner was for John's birthday and he wanted game meat, white chocolate and hazelnuts. We also added some other of his favorite flavors too. We out did ourselves on this dinner, every bite was fabulous

Cocktail-Suffering Bastard

 http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/09/the-suffering-bastard-drink-cocktails-recipe.html

Bourbon and Gin, who would think!  And with a name like Suffering Bastard we just had to try it. When tasting it your can't really figure out the ingredients, the gin becomes just a hint of a taste. It was really good and quite refreshing.

Appetizer - Gourmet Grilled Sausages

Venison Sausage w/ Blueberries and Merlot Wine

Wild Boar Sausage w/ Cranberries and Apple

Pheasant Sausage w/ Hazelnuts and Congnac Wine

So surprisingly good. I'm not a fan of sausages, but these were so different. The flavors... amazing, 

especially the pheasant which was the favorite. If your looking for specially meat this site has everything

 http://fossilfarmsostrich.com/  

We did add a few side sauces for dipping. Another favorite of Johns is rum raisin so we made a fun sauce, a little sweet but worked.

• 1/4 cup raisins soaked in rum,1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons water,1 teaspoon dark rum. Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in sugar and water cook untill it's a thick syrup then add raisins. It's that easy and it would be great over a desert too.

Appetizer Wine

This  was a nice wine to go with the many flavors of the sausages, it had hints of cherry and  red plums, complex and a nice round finish.

Entree -Entrée:  Venison Loin w/ Spaetzle and Lingonberry Cognac Sauce

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-best-of/venison-loin-schupf-noodles-lingonberry-cognac-sauce-carmelized-chestnuts-asparagus-recipe/index.html

WOW! Christie and I knocked this out of the park. The Venison was done to perfection rare/medium and we were lucky enough to find frozen Lingonberrys at the local Scandinavian store, they're tart and juicy little gems, so glad we didn't have to settle with just the jam. The sauce was on the light side with tons of flavor which complemented the venison. And the chestnuts, yummm. Finishing up the dish was grilled asparagus which still had a little crunch and another favorite is the Spaetzle

Entree - Wine

 

This  was a gorgeous mid-weight wine that flows with the essence of red fruit, spices, herbs and tobacco. At first glance, this is deceptively medium-bodied, ethereal wine, but with air the wine gains volume and its inner sweetness emerges. The finish is long, sweet and refined. 

Desert - Hazelnut Torte with White Chocolate Whip Cream

http://www.quick-german-recipes.com/hazelnut-torte-recipe.html

YumYumYum, Every plate was clean. This was a traditional hazelnut torte, I did add white chocolate to the creamy center and then replaced the marzipan with fresh whip cream and melted white chocolate.

Another success.  John was very pleased with his dinner and Christie and I were delighted on how well everything came out. We'll be doing anther Venison night soon, with our friend Chef Glenn

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