It seems as though nowadays, unless it's a holiday, when you eat-in, you eat-in alone. And when you eat with friends, you go out. Maybe it's just my circle of friends, but that seems to be the case. A few years ago, my wife and I moved into our newly renovated home, and as a way to have folks come over and see the place, we had a series of dinner parties, usually for anywhere for 2 - 4 guests beyond ourselves. And it was a blast. And it achieved our goal of having our friends see the place. We had nice meals. And that was that. And I have to say, I kind of miss those dinner parties.
Insert this crazy quest I have to cook everything in Paulina's display case in 2014. Let's face it, some of these cuts are not for two. Hell, some of these cuts are not for four. There are two mathematical factors at play. One, I have 57 cuts of meat to make in a 365 day year. My wife loves to cook (so we can't count any of those meals towards my goal), and we love to travel (can't take Paulina cuts with you, at least not easily). So the actual number of nights we are in Chicago from which I need to find 57 to make meals, is not that high. Second mathematical factor is that we love to make plans with friends. Traditionally, this meant going out to eat. And in many cases, it still does. But when one wants the proverbial "two kills with one stone", having guests over for the dinner party is the ultimate win/win.
Last night, we did just that. Long term, great friends came over for a little French themed meal, if you will. My wife made them Raspberry Royales, a little Chambord with Champagne with actual Raspberries. I did what I do best and finished off a bottle of wine opened earlier in the week. That's just how I roll. In addition to the French themed cocktails, my better half also put together "Cheese Straws", which are essentially French bread twists with cheese to go with little Endives, Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Honey. Yep, just that..set in the little Endive leaf. Is one called a Leaf? I don't know...I'm the meat guy. I am kind of happy I don't know. Anyhow, great apps, great drinks, great conversation, great time, right?
It got better! Thanks to Anne Burrell from Food Network and an easy to follow recipe online found HERE, I put together a Honeymoon Pot Roast that had every one of us sign up for seconds. Let's talk the cut first. I learned yesterday at Paulina Market, that the Honeymoon Pot Roast is simply a smaller version of the Boston Rolled Pot Roast. Both are boneless chuck roasts, but the Boston Rolled is just bigger/longer. Well, I needed a 3 pounder. And unfortunately, their biggest one yesterday came in just over 2 lbs. So, combining Paulina's ingenuity and my useless pointing, we concluded that 4 Honeymoon Pot Roasts, weighing in at about 12 oz each would do the trick. And did they ever!
Browning in olive oil, sauteing onions, celery and crushed red pepper, adding in garlic, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, chicken broth, star anise, thyme and bay leaves. Baking for an hour, adding more broth, baking for another hour, adding more broth and butternut squash cubes, bliss potatoes (which I substituted for the Jerusalem Artichokes) and dried figs, baking for another 30 minutes and then removing the lid for the final 20 minutes. The smells were out of this world. Put everything on the serving platter, poured a Red Burgundy from Beaune, and ate in mostly silence. I mean, the good silence, the kind that gets periodically interrupted with a euphoric satisfaction "mmm", and given the audience, the occasional "bleep yeah!"
After dinner, again my French loving wife busted out homemade Creme Brulee with which we opened a dessert wine (another French one, a Sauternes). More "mmms" and "bleep yeahs". More laughs, great conversation and an overall success. So, it's final. We are bringing back the Dinner Party for Four. We hope you do, too!
8 down, 49 to go!
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