I had done special dinners before, like on some of my annual dinners with Al or for my father's 70th birthday, but never something quite like this. It was a ton of work, but also a ton of fun - Leah helped a lot and together we showed my three coworkers a great time, which was really rewarding.
I have a lovely little bar area in my apartment, which allowed me to cook in the kitchen and simultaneously serve my guests. When they arrived, I had their places set, along with a drink menu for them to order from. The cocktails on offer included:
Apple Gin Sour
North Sea Oil (NoMad Bar)
Bacon Old-Fashioned (PDT)
Tequila Milk Punch
Popcorn
Butter, Fall Spices
I didn't know it at the time, but serving a starter of seasonally themed popcorn would become a staple at the Terrier Club. This dinner took place in December, so I used lots of butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The aromas filled the room and made for a welcoming experience when my guests arrived.
Raw Bar
Blue Point Oysters - Shallot & Cider Vinegar Mignonette
Wild Madagascar Super Colossal Shrimp - Horseradish Cocktail Sauce
Critz Farms, Harvest Moon: Rippleton Original
I love a good raw bar and banked on my guests feeling the same way. Two of them had never eaten oysters before! Thankfully they enjoyed these light, sweet Blue Points. One of my guests said he was a big fan of hard cider, so we paired this course with a dry, champagne-like varietal from the good folks at Critz Farms in central NY.
Snacks
Truffled Arancini - Foie Gras Filling
Bone Marrow - Parsley-Caper Salad, Country Toast
Queen of the Seven Kingdoms: Sour Blonde Ale Blend
I had this kooky idea to do an arancino (fried riostto ball) with a foie gras mousse filling. It was a great idea in theory, but terrible in practice. There was too much butter in the risotto, which caused it to fall apart when fried. Moreover, since I fried the balls straight from the freezer, the foie gras centers didn't have time to thaw. They still tasted ok, but boy what a mess it was!
Thankfully, Fergus Henderson's immortal bone marrow recipe remains a steadfast hit, one that my guests thoroughly enjoyed, having never eaten bone marrow before.
Everyone was in full Game of Thrones fever around this time, so I couldn't resist serving this course with a nice GoT-branded sour ale, which cut nicely through all the richness.
Butternut Squash
Maple-Roasted, Fresh Ricotta, Fried Sage, Brown Butter
Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, "Les Dames Huguette" 2015
I'm particularly proud of this simple dish, inspired by squash I had eaten at Eleven Madison Park years earlier. I roasted a whole butternut squash, then portioned it and re-roasted each piece with a maple syrup glaze. We served it over homemade ricotta with a drizzle of warm brown butter and crisp fried sage - served with a nice rich Chardonnay / Pinot Blanc blend, it was amazing.
Lobster Bucatini, Winter Version
Lobster Stock, Preserved Lemon, Pickled Chilies, Breadcrumbs
Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, "Les Dames Huguette" 2015
This was my tribute to the incredible Spaghetti with Crab at Del Posto. I've made this dish a number of times before, substituting lobster for the crab, though in this case I also used preserved and pickled ingredients to fit with the winter theme. The result was wonderful.
Crispy Sweetbreads
Parsnip Purée & Chip, Pickled Apple, Veal Demi-Glace, Chicory
Francois Villard, Croze-Hermitage, "Certitude" 2015
An updated version of the sweetbread dish I originally thought up for my dinner with Al earlier in the same year. While the accouterments all came out better, my cooking of the sweetbreads was sub-par, resulting in a softer texture than I desired. Still, my guests were champs and cleared their plates, enjoying another weird meat that they had never eaten.
Slider
Meat Hook Beef & Bacon, Chanterelles, "Gruyère Fondue American Cheese",
Twice-Cooked Fries & Sir Kensington's Mayo
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster Taddy Porter
I originally bonded with these particular work friends over burger talk, so I knew I had to finish the meal with my trademark slider. I humbly think this combination of mushrooms, bacon, and cheese could contend with any burger out there. I had fun using sodium citrate to make "American cheese singles" out of Gruyère, which, due to the sodium's unique properties, retain all the flavor of fondue, but possess all the melt-y qualities of American cheese.
We served this with thick-cut, twice-cooked fries and our favorite mayo, as well as a rich porter to wash it all down.
Smoked Chestnut Ice Cream
I love coming up with novel new ice cream flavors. In this case we made a chestnut custard, which we then infused with our smoking gun while it was churning. The results were smokey and delicious!
Pumpkin Soufflé
Bourbon-Molasses Sauce
Critz Farms: 20 Below Ice Cider
I'm nuts for soufflés, so in keeping with the fall theme we did one with pumpkin. Topped with rich bourbon-molasses sauce and served with deep-chilled ice cider from Critz Farms, it was one of the better desserts I've ever made!
"Half A Century Of Poetry"
Espolón Bourbon Barrel Añejo Tequila, Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao, Grady's Cold Brew, Cinnamon Simple Syrup, Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters
We closed the meal with my original dessert cocktail creation, named after a reference to my favorite fantasy novel series, The Witcher.
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