Cauliflower Soup w/ Chorizo, Cocoa & Scallions
w/ Jean Luc Joillot, Bourgogne, FR ‘07

Beef Heart Tartare w/ Pickled Golden Beets & Toast
w/ Pennautier, Cabardes, FR ’06

Plantation Quail w/ House Cured Bacon Stuffing, Parsley Root, Sweet Potato Chips& Parsley Sauce
w/ Anura, Pinotage, SR ‘05

Star Anise Custard w/ Brûléed Bananas, Brown Butter Cookies & Dark Rum Sauce
w/ Fonseca, Tawny Port, 10 year, PT

Stuffed Squash Blossoms w/Chevre, Zucchini, Bacon, Cilantro & Crispy Leeks
w/ Calera, Chardonnay, CA, ’07

Scallops w/ Farrotto, Lady Peas & “Olive Oil”
w/ Domaine du Salvard, Cheverny, FR, ’08

Lamb Chop w/ Mint Gelee, Roasted Tomatoes & Raspberries
w/ Punters Corner, Cabernet/ Merlot, AUS, ’98

Beet Parfait w/ Red Beet Pudding, Yellow Beet Mousse, White Beet Whipped Cream, Candied Ginger & Black Pepper Granola
w/ Kerisac, Sparkling Cider Cuvee Speciale, FR, NV

Confession. We had no idea what we were going to fix for this dinner until about 2pm on Saturday. Well, not entirely true… it had been over 100° F every day for the last week, so I had wanted to make some Tomato Consumme like I had a few weeks ago as a nice refreshing start to the evening. Beyond that it was completely up in the air. So while I made our consumme early Saturday afternoon we all sat down and came up with the following:

• Cold Tomato Consomme with Basil Flowers
• Beet Carpaccio with Truffle Crème Fraîche and Arugula
• Herbed Squash with Black Pepper Fettuccine and Mascarpone
• Pâté
• Lemon Granité
• Onions stuffed with Chantrelles, Roasted Red Pepper and Rice
• Plum, Walnut and Fennel Pork Roulade with a Spicy Plum Sauce and Braised Brussel Sprouts
• Nectarine Upside-Down Cake

I had to leave early after the pâté was served, but was left packing the makings for the stuff onions and a promise of roulade and cake for Sunday. Thankfully the promise was fulfilled and I enjoyed three helpings of the Roulade and two slices of cake!

Today is also the day that I finish up the orange bitters that I started making nearly a month ago. The final steps are done and it’s now time to whip something up, and I’m thinking a taste test of my bitters vs. Angostura would be a good start. Manhattans? Yes please!

Wow. A bit late in posting this, but it has been a busy week. Since I’m fudging the date on this post, I’ll write in somewhat present tense… here we go! For this week’s dinner we thought- French and all the wonderful things that brings to the table. It was a wonderful evening for 14 of us. Matt (our favorite guest chef) was there as well and helped prepare a wonderful course. 5 courses in all, with an amazing dessert that was a tricky thing to make, but so very tasty. Here is what we made:

• Tuna Tartare with Homemade Beet Chips
• Chantrelle Toasts and Provencal Tomatoes
• Crepes with Chantrelles and Gruyere Topped with Black Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Tarragon Oil
• Poached Fish with Pearl Onions, Carrots, and Peas with a Beurre Rouge Sauce
• Steak au Poivre
• Orange Chocolate Gran Marnier Soufflé