table setting Archives - Page 8 of 9

The WINTER WHITE Dinner: Totally Chic

Osso Buco
Roman-Style with Orange Peel and Sage

We recently hosted another Sunken City Supper Club event. Featuring a five course fixed menu, this season showcasing “The Winter White Dinner.” The decor was all white, and we playfully incorporated white foods into the menu.

The Sunken City Supper Club is a fresh, local and secret place to periodically mingle with friends and neighbors – to enjoy the camaraderie, great food, wine, the awesome intimate jazz standards (and perhaps a little dancing too) performed by local musicians Barry Anthony and Bill Ryan.

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Elegant Leek & Celeriac Soup

Leek & Celeriac Soup

Toasted Sesame Oil & Black Sesame Seed Garnish

Ciabatta Toast with Smoked Gouda

We recently had one last Holiday Party…

Menu

Pork Potstickers, Apricot Dipping Sauce

Elegant Leek & Celeriac Soup, Smoked Gouda Ciabatta Toast

Pork Roast Roulade

Stuffed with Sausage, Pistachio & Chestnut

Cider Gravy

Wild Arugula Salad with Pistachios, Sherry Vinaigrette

Chocolate Pineapple Soup, Pound Cake Crouton

Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (Thanks Adam!)

Pistachio Crusted Opah, Pomegranate Nectarine Reduction

Pistachio Crusted Fresh Opah from Fijian Waters

Pomegranate Nectarine Reduction

Opah, also called moonfish, weighing up to 200 lbs., is harvested incidentally by long-line boats fishing for tuna and billfish in the Pacific. This fish does not swim in schools, so it is caught by accident. Historically, catching an opah was regarded as good luck and was given away rather than sold. The fishmonger at Bristol Farms poetically told me that the skin of a moonfish resembles moonlight dancing on the ocean. (photo from hawaii-seafood.org)

Opah has a rich, creamy flavor and firm, fatty texture, resulting from a diet of mostly squid. To make this dish: Combine pistachio nutmeat and panko breadcrumbs with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a food processor. Dust the filet with flour, lightly coat with mayonnaise, then crust the filet with the pistachio mixture. Sauté in olive oil in a non-stick ovenproof pan until both sides are browned. Finish cooking the fish for just a few minutes in a 400° oven.

The folks at POM Wonderful sent me a few samples of their pomegranate products, one of which is this awesome POM Nectarine juice. 100% juice. I simply poured it into a pan and reduced it over medium-high heat to a syrup consistency. It needed nothing else, and paired beautifully with the fish! I am looking forward to trying this juice reduction with other dishes. And thank you POM Wonderful.

One of my favorite parts of hosting a dinner party is setting the table in the morning. Sometimes our dinner parties have themes, as in the Jackie Kennedy Dinner, or the Gourmet Retro Dinner Party, the Wolfgang Puck Austrian Dinner, or the All-Salmon Dinner Party. But this night was just about some good food and good friends. The inspiration for the table setting came from my garden, I just picked what was blooming!

A jaunty table setting with colors of the roses: red, purple, and white.

Kristy’s Chèvre Chaud Salad

Chèvre Chaud

Mixed Baby Lettuces, Teardrop Tomatoes

Chopped Hard Boiled Egg, Toasted Pinenuts

Dijon Vinaigrette

Kristy’s Table Setting

Last May we traveled to Paris to celebrate my sister-in-law’s 40th birthday. And recently I went to visit my family in Chicago. Of course we had to get together and have a dinner party with “the gang who went to Paris for Kristy’s birthday weekend.” And I was more than happy to be the chef.

PARIS REUNION

Le Menu

Pommery Brut Champagne

Starter

couer de boeuf heirloom tomato

truffle carpaccio

parmigiano-reggiano

toasted buttered baguette

Salade

“Kristy’s Salad”

chevre chaud, mixed lettuces, toasted pinenuts,

hard cooked egg, teardrop tomatoes

dijon vinaigrette

Puligny Montrachet 2006 Domaine Carillon

Plat Principal

grilled portobello muchroom

sautéed veal medallion

wild mushroom agnolotti

pinor nior veal stock reduction

fried sage

Domaine Serene “Evenstad Reserve” 2006 Pinot Noir

Le Dessert

fresh peaches

puff pastry filled with peach jam and brie

a drizzle of honey

whipped crème fraîche

Kristy’s Chèvre Chaud Salad

Form goat cheese into medallions and refrigerate. Dip chilled goat cheese medallion in a beaten egg, then in panko breadcrumbs. Fry in hot peanut oil turning once. When the breadcrumbs are golden, transfer to paper towel. Season with sea salt.

My favored Dijon Vinaigrette comes from Jacques Pepin:

2 tsp chopped garlic
3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 c red or white wine vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil

I also a 2 tsp minced shallot.
Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

This salad is named for my sister-in-law Kristy. Several years ago I made this salad for her and it became one of her favorites. Now, like enjoying a Chicago-style hot dog or having lunch at Joe’s Stone Crab, this salad is also one of our culinary traditions. I make it every time I come to town.

Cheeseburgers and Crosstown Rivalry

It’s Friday before THE game, get yourself a Double-Double cheeseburger from the In-N-Out Burger truck in the parking lot on your way into the faculty lunchroom. Before you sit down to enjoy your lunch, you have a decision to make. On which side of the table will you sit?

Saturday is the big football game between longtime crosstown rivals USC and UCLA 1:30 PT at the Rose Bowl Stadium. Not surprisingly, at the K-8 school where I work here in Southern California, there are voracious fans on both sides, all good-natured and spirited! Many of the faculty and staff are graduates of one of these two universities, and those that are not get into the fun by sporting a sweatshirt from their own alma mater.

The lunch table is equitably and fabulously decorated by Judy (a USC fan herself) half the table with USC memorabilia, the other half representing UCLA. There have been 77 match-ups between UCLA and USC with USC winning 42 times, UCLA 28 times, and 7 tie games. Last year’s score: USC 24, UCLA 7.