Today marks the first day of an adventure into culinary and motor sport bliss; vacation in France. While Fantasy Dinner Party will be offline during that time, please expect lots of pictures and stories of gatherings and sharing meals in July.
Until then...
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
In Honor of the Speedy
We are on our way to Le Mans...the town is of course a destination but our real purpose is to attend the 24 Heures du Le Mans. And eat the food. Under normal circumstance, I would not get giddy about track food (except maybe the Brazilian egg sandwich at Laguna Seca), but from what I hear, Le Mans is special. Very special.
In honor of the tasty morsels in my future and the dedicated individuals who make this historic race occur year after year (this is the 75 th running), please sit around the table full of incredible food and fascinating motor sport leaders.
Carlos Sainz
Jutta Kleinschmidt
Ron Fellows
Mike Jankowski and Ian Smith
Liz Halliday
In honor of the tasty morsels in my future and the dedicated individuals who make this historic race occur year after year (this is the 75 th running), please sit around the table full of incredible food and fascinating motor sport leaders.
Carlos Sainz
Jutta Kleinschmidt
Ron Fellows
Mike Jankowski and Ian Smith
Liz Halliday
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Pesto Bread Salad - The Perfect Fridge Cleaner
Serves two hungry human adults dinner and one grey parrot several dinners.
Ingredients
1 roasted chicken breast, cubed or shredded
1 batch of freshly whirled or ground pesto
1/2 leftover baguette
1/2 jar (or less) sun dried tomatoes or 2 small perfect (and seeded) romas, chopped
1/3 lbs of fresh green beans
1 small red onion or large red spring onion, largely chopped
1/4 of finely chopped prosciutto
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lettuce
Break beans into one inch pieces and gently blanch in boiling water for a few moments. Let them cool in a big bowl. Cut/tear baguette into less than 1 inch cubes. In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Before it smokes, add generous amounts of salt and pepper to oil. Quickly add cubed bread and stir constantly to cover bread on oil-goodness. Cook until golden. Saute onion until it is al dente (make sure it doesn't get all melty - even though that is also nice...just not in the recipe) and still a bit firm.
Toss onions, beans, chicken, prosciutto, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add pesto and stir until everything is coated and there are no pesto bombs in the middle. Finally, gently stir in the toasted bread and coat with pesto.
Serve on a bed of nice, crisp lettuce.
Substitute anything that feels right and might be in the fridge. Easy and nice!
Ingredients
1 roasted chicken breast, cubed or shredded
1 batch of freshly whirled or ground pesto
1/2 leftover baguette
1/2 jar (or less) sun dried tomatoes or 2 small perfect (and seeded) romas, chopped
1/3 lbs of fresh green beans
1 small red onion or large red spring onion, largely chopped
1/4 of finely chopped prosciutto
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lettuce
Break beans into one inch pieces and gently blanch in boiling water for a few moments. Let them cool in a big bowl. Cut/tear baguette into less than 1 inch cubes. In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Before it smokes, add generous amounts of salt and pepper to oil. Quickly add cubed bread and stir constantly to cover bread on oil-goodness. Cook until golden. Saute onion until it is al dente (make sure it doesn't get all melty - even though that is also nice...just not in the recipe) and still a bit firm.
Toss onions, beans, chicken, prosciutto, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add pesto and stir until everything is coated and there are no pesto bombs in the middle. Finally, gently stir in the toasted bread and coat with pesto.
Serve on a bed of nice, crisp lettuce.
Substitute anything that feels right and might be in the fridge. Easy and nice!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
For The Foodies Table
The Guest List might include culinary dignitaries and cheferatis like Tony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters. But the real stars will be those who produce the goodies: Armandino Batali, Mas Masumoto, Nancy Silverton, and Peggy Smith. And the best thing is that the other guests will be thrilled to not be center stage and let the food really sing at this gathering.
Friday, May 11, 2007
The Food
Please serve me something innovative like Thomas Keller's coffee and donuts. Because the moment I first stepped into French Laundry, I wept. And know that I am happy as a clam to pull a bubbling, cheese coated Pyrex pan from the oven - especially if it is heavy with comfortable homemade mac and cheese like my mom made and partner surprises me with now. What right-minded group of folks wouldn't consider a dish like that served with charred hot mitts charming and welcoming?
But the best part of a dinner party is that anything can happen with the food. Experimentation with a new recipe or even a pantry substitute for a missing item, can lead to something unexpectedly delicious and special. Standards like roasted chicken and pinot noir have the power to illicit talks of travel and countryside and maybe even force guests to slow down a bit. Yet disaster can - and does - strike. We have all done it: the undercooked roasted chicken, the new recipe that didn't come together (or substitute that didn't work), the tamales that didn't steam properly, the tough beef in the stroganoff, the guests polite comments ("Please pass more wine").
It is a risk, but also part of the thrill.
But the best part of a dinner party is that anything can happen with the food. Experimentation with a new recipe or even a pantry substitute for a missing item, can lead to something unexpectedly delicious and special. Standards like roasted chicken and pinot noir have the power to illicit talks of travel and countryside and maybe even force guests to slow down a bit. Yet disaster can - and does - strike. We have all done it: the undercooked roasted chicken, the new recipe that didn't come together (or substitute that didn't work), the tamales that didn't steam properly, the tough beef in the stroganoff, the guests polite comments ("Please pass more wine").
It is a risk, but also part of the thrill.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The Setting
Quite candidly, the setting - environment - if your will (and you will), really doesn't matter. Bring on the formal dining experience and the casual picnic. We welcome it all. Fancy-pants mood lighting from the latest hot Scandinavian designer? Oh yes (but small doses please)! Sticky, half-melted candles rescued from the back of the pantry? Of course. Aunt Bessie's kitchen tomato stained table? Naturally. Indoor and outdoor, potluck and prix-fixe, wine and beer pairings and a good old-fashioned glass of cold milk.
All that is truly important is that folks are somewhere that they can come together and share a bite. Because, as we all know, that one bite represents who we are, where we came from, and maybe even a little bit about where we are headed.
All that is truly important is that folks are somewhere that they can come together and share a bite. Because, as we all know, that one bite represents who we are, where we came from, and maybe even a little bit about where we are headed.
The Guests
A balance of good natured and feisty. Smart, thoughtful, and literate. No one dominates or excludes others - they are all here for a meal that will inspire silence in the midst of rampant conversation. They have lived lives of interest, both glamorous and ordinary. But they are also here for each other. For the laughter, for the stories. For the food.
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