World Gin Day!

Working on my next post regarding farmer's market feasting when I stumbled upon this little diddy.  It is world gin day!

I am passing this along simply to inspire you to make a fun cocktail this weekend.   We are notorious gin and tonic aficionados, but tonight I promise to shake things up. Literally.  I will report back to you but will you do the same?

12 cocktails to consider this weekend!

UPDATE:

My version of the picnic martin, using blackberry preserves rather than strawberry.  Fresh berries from the farmer's market and lemon peel garnish the drink.  Excellent!

Supper Club / Culinary Comedy Among Friends

Are you in a food rut?  Cook the same things over and over?  How would you like to expand your kitchen repertoire just a bit? I've been there. Today, we talk about a fun way to do just that. 

Years ago when we lived in the western suburbs of Chicago, we were part of a supper club.   The idea was pretty simple.  The host would pick a theme, provide recipes for each course, and you would be assigned one of those recipes to cook and bring to dinner.   It was a great way to get to know people.  And as busy parents of very young children, it allowed us the opportunity to gather for dinner parties without the burden of preparing an entire menu.

Recently, we used that concept to start another comparable group here in Colorado.  However, while forging friendships was the primary goal, we added a secondary goal.  We wanted to learn together; share experiences with food that would add to our time together.   We wanted to push ourselves a bit and learn a little. We wanted to try new foods and expand our culinary horizons.  So each gathering would be thematic, focusing on regional cuisine. 

The revised concept was a bit intimidating to some, so we laid out some simple ground rules.  First, no food snobbery. This was to be about fun and fellowship, not culinary skills.  If a dish failed, we'd all have a good laugh, another glass of wine, and move on.  Second, we'd keep it simple.   We'd pick seasonal and regional themes.  Basic fare (and basic skills)  from around the country or around the globe. I wanted us to pick foods (and subsequently ingredients, recipes and skills) that were perhaps unfamiliar.  We would strive for fresh, hand-made, and authentic whenever possible.  And if that meant a trip to a specialty market or two - so be it.  It was all part of the learning experience.

We have nine people in the group and we meet roughly once a quarter. When we host, Emily handles the decor - one of her many gifts.  I handle the menu and the playlist.   The members of the group select their recipes to prepare on a first-come first-serve basis. 

Let me tell you, this has been tremendously fun.   We spend hours sitting around the table and we laugh so hard.  We have formed such great friendships.  And the stories we've shared are priceless.  Truly, I love these events! 

And the food? It has been outstanding! 

At our first gathering, the theme was "Summer Dinner en Provence."  It was early fall and great fresh vegetables were abundant.  We served chilled Lillet for cocktails - a great french aperitif and something you should try this summer.  We listened to a playlist featuring  Madeleine Peyroux, Edit Piaf, and a little Maurice Chevalier while swapping funny stories of our cooking adventures. One couple - our least kitchen savvy duo - were tasked with preparing grilled petite bell peppers stuffed with Camembert and olive tapenade.  After asking a Whole Foods employee for the location of "cayman bert", the employee gently and graciously asked to see the recipe and then helped them fill their basket.  And the appetizer was fabulous!


Since then, we've done Octoberfest,  Northern Italy, the Caribbean, New England Fall Feast, and most recently Tapas.   The Tapas menu included the following: 

• Tortilla de Berenjena (eggplant tortilla - akin to a fritatta)
• Baguette with tomato and Serrano ham
• Stuffed dates wrapped in bacon
• Boles de Picolat (meatballs with tomato sauce)
• Pescado a la Sal (sea bass baked in rock salt)
• Catalan Cod Brandada
• Serrano Ham and Manchebo Croquetas
• Tortilla Primavera

OK, some of this may sound intimidating, but that's only because it's in spanish. These are mostly simple dishes.  

Case in point - I prepared the fish.  Over the years, I haven't cooked a lot of whole fish, but this was both simple and delicious.   Whole sea bass wasn't available so I used fresh whole snapper - again there is no need for menu rigidity.  I seasoned the inside of the fish and added a few slices of lemon.  I set the fish in a baking tray on a bed of kosher salt.  I then covered the top of the fish completely with kosher salt.  I baked the fish for about 35 minutes at 425 degrees.  

The steam from the fish causes the salt to harden like a shell.  Once removed from the oven, I cracked the shell.  The salt and skin easily peeled away, revealing a gorgeous moist fish.  I served the fish over a plate of oven-roasted vegetables. Truly, it was the easiest and perhaps the best fish dish I've ever made. The flavor had just a hint of salt 

Craig and Allyson's tortilla primavera was topped with a pesto made with asparagus, spinach and chives. The flavor was unbelievable.   And the brandada?  Really great.    Basically it is a cod emulsion made with garlic and olive oil that is spread on bread. You're just going to have to trust me on this. It's really good food. 

Now, would I have ever tried any of this without this group? Not likely.  But I will certainly repeat at least a few of these dishes.  And the stories from that evening will last a lifetime.  

What's next?  Two pending menus include A Tour of American BBQ and Pan-Asian cuisine. Other potential menus include Low Country, Cajun & Creole, Garden State Diner Menu, and Game Day Brunch. Feel free to cast a vote in the comments section. 

The hardest thing is coming up with the menu.  That task is fun for me as I like doing the research. If you'd like one of our past menus, just ask!  I'm happy to help you get a group started.  And please share your stories!

Pescado a la Sal

Ingredients

• Whole fish (Sea Bass fish or whatever is fresh, cleaned and scaled)
• 1 box of coarse kosher salt

Instructions:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. 
• Rinse the fish and add slices of lemon plus fresh thyme inside the fish. 
• Put a thin layer of salt in a baking tray and lay the fish on top. Cover the fish with the rest of the salt and sprinkle over 1 tsp water. 
• Bake for 35 minutes.
• Crack open the salt shell and remove the fish. Serve over a selection of oven-roasted vegetables.  I roasted a variety of colored bell peppers with sliced onions and asparagus tossed in olive oil.  The vegetables roasted at 350 for 40 minutes.  

Could you do this on the grill?  Sure.  Just use foil instead of a baking tray (do not seal the foil, just leave it open) and place in the center of the grill over indirect heat.