phi

Tried out a couple new things last night for a smallish dinner party.



Apps:

Was totally going to serve whipped feta with bellpeppers but instead of making my own I bought a carton from Sofra after getting breakfast there yesteday, which someone (not naming names here, but just saying' it wasn't me) then left in the fridge in their office instead of bringing home like they promised. La

Anyway, had plenty of cheese and crackers, prosciutto, and bruschetta. Bruschetta was made with a couple of take-and-bake ficelle loaves from Whole Foods. Baked the bread, sliced, brushed with olive oil, and topped with a mix of finely chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt pepper, then ran them under a broiler for five minutes to toast the bread. Classic and tasty.

Salad:

Five different varieties of oranges/tangeries, peeled, pulled into wedges, and then cut into bite size slices. Tossed this with some mint and some finely shredded prosciutto. My intent was to season the salad with anardana but alas, the packet had gone bad, so I subbed in a sprinkle of sumac instead. I also intended to make the with fennel after having been inspired by a fantastic fennel and orange salad at a restaurant, but couldn't find fennel that wasn't sad at the grocery store, so subbed in mint.

So, this was nothing at all like what I envisioned but it worked fairly well, I think. Next time, leaving out the seedless navel oranges -- they were far too bitter.

Main:

Fish stuffed with dates stuffed with almonds. I used a black sea bass, which is just as tasty as chilean sea bass but nowhere near as harmful to catch as its south american cousin. I had the fish monger scale and gut it, and remove the head, but otherwise didn't cut it. Rubbed it with a mix of butter, lemon juice, lots of salt, pepper, and ground ginger inside and out.

Then I made a stuffing of ground cooked rice, ground almonds, butter, sugar, and ginger powder and stuffed a generous handful of dates with the mixture. I filled the cavity of the fish with the dates, and packed in more rice/almond mixture in the interstices. Baked on 350F for 30 minutes, stopping halfway through to brush with more butter and cover with foil.

This was mostly a success, flavor wise, but this was the first time I'd tried to cook and serve a whole fish instead of fillets. To say I had no idea how to serve it is an understatement. After much embarrassed flailing M just got a big meat knife and started carving the fish crossways, which meant everyone ended up with a giant piece of fish spine on their plate. Oops!


Starch:

Quinoa, cooked in the rice cooker with a handful of dried sour cherries and a handful of barberries tossed in in the beginning. Once it was cooked, I tossed it with a couple of cups of finely shredded coriander and parsley.

Again, a success flavorwise but I didn't realize the package of dried sour cherries I bought hadn't been pitted. No one choked on a cherry pit so it was all okay but still.

Dessert:

Sweet biscuits, fresh whipped cream, and a variety of toppings. Preserved sour cherries (from a jar), blueberry sauce (heat blueberries with a quarter cup water on the stove until the berries burst), and strawberries that had been marinaded in a couple teaspoons sugar, a couple tablespoons of champagne vinegar, and a pinch of salt.



So yes, nothing went quite as I expected it to go, but I think each dish was tasty and well liked? Or maybe my friends are just well trained in polite lies!