Category: Stylish Entertaining

PASSOVER – Let’s Share Our Culinary Traditions!

This is our Seder Table from last Passover. We have 2 long tables that seat a total of 32 people. Guests come from across the U.S. and abroad. This year Passover begins on April 19th.

You may notice the Haggadahs, salt water, karpas, maror, haroset, matzohs, Elijah’s cup, and the Seder plate already on the tables.
We tell the story, we eat, we drink, we sing, we laugh. I wanted to show Kristy’s beautiful modern-style table, complete with frogs (one of the plagues). All newcomers to the Seder ask, what can I bring, we say, bring a frog. She has quite a collection after all these years. Kristy designs the table while I cook with help from family and friends, of course.
The menu doesn’t change much from year to year now, as we’ve got it down to a science. For those of you who have never hosted a Seder, imagine that well before you ever serve the first course, just like Iron Chef, you must “walk-away!” and then have the food hot, tasty and ready to serve when it is time, at least an hour into the Seder. My fellow cooks who have done this can attest to the degree of difficulty.

First Course
Geri’s Gefilte Fish
Davida’s Chopped Liver with Pistachio
Kristy’s Haroset
Vicki’s Beet Salad, Fresh Horseradish & Matzohs
Hard Boiled Eggs

Second Course
Chicken Soup with Spring Vegetables & Herbed Matzoh Balls

Main Course
Chicken Breasts Roasted with Orange Ginger Glaze, Apricots and Lemons

Tomato Onion Beef Brisket. This recipe was submitted to the wonderful Tried, Tested, and True event hosted by Equal Opportunity Kitchen. 32 people a year for eight years have been giving this brisket the thumbs up.

Red Bliss Potatoes with Thyme and Meyer Lemon
Grilled Vegetable Kebabs with Dipping Sauce

Dessert
Passover Trifle
Passover Cakes
Chocolate Macaroons
Coffee

Our Four Cups of Wine will include:
Kristy’s Top Wine Pick This Year: Carmel, Petite Sirah, Judean Hills 2005 Israel
Gallil Mountain, Yiron, Cabernet/Merlot/Sirah Blend 2003 Israel
Ramon Cardova Rioja (100% Tempranillo) 2005 Spain
Do you have a Kosher wine recommendation?

ROUND-UP
I thought it would be fun to include photography from other Passover Seders on Taste With The Eyes, too! If you are so inclined, please email a photo of your fabulous Passover dish, image, or table setting and a link to your post.
Bloggers please include a link to this event announcement and feel free to use the icon.

Non-bloggers are encouraged to participate as well. It’s easy, just email your photo and tell me a little about it and where you’re from!
Email to: sweetbay AT cox DOT net
I will compile the photos after 4.27.08.
Wishing you and your family a Wonderful Pesach! Next year in Jerusalem!

Filet Mignon, Nori Crust, Wasabi Butter

Nori Crusted Filet Mignon over a Lemon Mirin Soy Sauce
Topped with Wasabi Butter
 

As a nibble…on grilled ciabatta bread.

8 oz. Filet Mignon

Nori (roasted seaweed) is ground with white sesame seeds, red chile flakes, and black pepper in a food processor.

Two 8 oz. filets are seasoned, then dredged in the nori mixture and seared in olive oil for about 4 minutes per side. The meat is finished in a 400 degree oven.

Olive oil, mirin, tamari, and fresh lemon juice are whisked together for a sauce. Fresh lemon juice and steak – this is an amazing pairing.

For a large group, a 2 1/2 pound filet is cut in half.

A remote thermometer is helpful, we removed the meat from the oven at 128, and then let rest for 10 minutes.

I have made this Japanese Style Steak three times now. I cannot rave enough about the combination of flavors which are extraordinary. This fabulous recipe was inspired by a dish in Food & Wine Magazine.

Wild Salmon Dinner Party

The White Cane is a vessel in Bristol Bay, Alaska fished by Randy Houghton for 36 years. Randy was born with macular degeneration, a visual disorder that rendered him legally blind with only peripheral vision…hence the name White Cane. In spite of his visual handicap, Randy, with the help of his crew and improved technology, is able to successfully operate his 32 ft. fishing vessel in the Bristol Bay waters.
Very recently, the White Cane and a few other dedicated fishers decided to independently harvest their catch of sockeye with the goal of producing the finest quality of fish in Bristol Bay. The have assured that the sockeye are maintained at a temperature of 34 degrees while on the vessel, and processed and packaged within 24 hours. Because of the fishers’ experience, their overall diligence and care, we enjoyed this #1 rated Wild Sockeye Salmon at our party!
This was a fabulous and unique dinner party for several reasons:

  • It was a five course dinner, four of the courses were salmon from the Bristol Bay in Alaska! (We passed on a salmon dessert)
  • The fisherman flew into LA just to join us for dinner and teach us all about the salmon.
  • Everyone took part in the food preparation
  • Good wine, good friends, new friends, fun music
  • The finest of fish…
Menu



Starters

Lox Platter (Cold Smoked Sockeye) and Smoked Sockeye Salmon Spread
Construct your own canapés with Creme Fraiche, Chopped Egg, Chives, Capers, Lemon, Olives, Cream Cheese, Toasted Baguette, Crackers
Soup
Manhattan Salmon Chowder: Fragrant Tomato Chowder with Orange Zest, Pernod, Topped with Warm Steamed Sockeye

Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio

Salad


Sockeye Salmon Mousse & Mixed Greens with Herbs, Rice Wine Shallot Vinaigrette

Main Course


(Please see 3/09/08 post for complete recipe)
Slow Roasted Wild Sockeye, Red Potatoes, Citrus Herb Vinaigrette


Dessert

Lemon Sorbet with Limoncello and Chiffonade of Fresh Basil

Bristol Bay fishing photos courtesy of White Cane Sockeye Salmon. For more information on Wild Alaskan Sockeye straight from the fisherman contact our new friend Randy and his wife, Janis, at wcsockeye@yahoo.com.

Table Setting

My blogger friends Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Marie of Proud Italian Cook suggested that I enter this table setting competition sponsored by Barilla Pasta.

For many years, my friend Lauren and I would enter the Los Angeles County Fair Table Setting Competition in September. We would arrive early in the morning. We had one hour to set our tables, then spent the rest of the day at the Fair. The LA County Fair is one of the largest in the country. Some of our fair highlights include: sampling the Gold Medal wines, the garden and flower exhibits, betting on the horse races at Fairplex, barbecued corn on the cob, falafels, the livestock and my favorite – the piglets! The LA County Fair is fantastic, if you are in LA in September, definitely go! And make sure to visit the Table Setting Competition in the Creative Living Building.

The neat thing about this online competition is that I don’t have to schlep the entire table setting to Pomona California, or anywhere else for that matter. Set it up in the dining room, take some photos, then upload!

And let me tell you, schlepping your table setting is a process. Because you are using all your nice china and glass, you have to wrap everything just so carefully.

Now the inspiration for this table came from another blogger friend, Simona of Briciole. A while back she wrote a post about pears and Italian expressions. The theme for our Romantic Italian table is:

Cascare Come Una Pera Cotta
To Fall Head Over Heels In Love

No Italian dinner is complete without wine, tonight’s choice is a 1990 Barolo. That is a 750ml bottle – it is dwarfed by the over sized wine glasses and over sized candles, and humongous basket. It is neat to spend time setting a table when you don’t plan to cook. The creative energy is spent on the table itself. But if we were to cook, our pasta course would be a fettuccine with pears, gorgonzola, and candied walnuts.

Last weekend, my dear friend Peggy from Denver, was visiting me. We spent hours collecting objects from all over the house (and under the house; the “placemats” are terra cotta floor tiles) arranging our final setting. These are the photographs we submitted to Barilla. Win or not, we had a blast!
A special thanks to Peggy, Lauren, Maryann, Marie, and Simona.

Stuffed Chicken Breast, Mushroom Cognac Cream

Stuffed Chicken Breast
With Spinach, Mushroom, Leek, and Goat Cheese
Mushroom Cognac Cream Sauce

The Stuffing

  • Spinach
  • Mushroom
  • Leek
  • Goat Cheese
Chopped spinach, sautéed with butter, seasoned with fresh ground nutmeg, salt and pepper. Chopped crimini mushrooms sautéed until the water is evaporated, with salt, pepper and thyme. Chopped leeks are sautéed until soft. The stuffing is a mixture of two parts spinach, two parts mushroom, one part leek and one part fresh goat cheese. The vegetables are cooked separately, cooled to room temperature, then combined with the goat cheese. The chicken breast is stuffed, secured with a skewer, and baked at 350 for about one hour.


Mushroom Cognac Cream

Add butter and minced shallots to the chicken pan juices and sauté until the shallots are soft. Add about 1/4 c. cognac, flambé to burn off the alcohol. Add about 1/2 c. rich chicken stock, sautéed sliced mushrooms and fresh thyme. Finish by whisking in crème fraîche , adjust seasoning.


Le Menu

  • Mixed Lettuces with a Warm Goat Cheese Crouton, Toasted Walnuts, Thin Sliced Red Onion, Tarragon/Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
  • Stuffed Chicken Breast, Mushroom Cognac Cream
  • Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs
  • Chocolate Soufflé

    A sincere thanks to some special Alpha Phis for helping make this a fabulous evening.