My first Terrier Dinner Club endeavor back in December 2018 went over so well that I decided to hold another one when spring rolled around. I focused the food on a roughly seasonal menu which was another hit with my trio of work friends who were the inaugural members.
Popcorn
Butter, Chili-Lime Salt
It quickly became a tradition for me to serve popcorn as a snack when my guests arrive. I like to season the popcorn in accordance with the time of year, so this was a lighter, tangier version. I used lime powder to get the sharp flavor of limes without making the popcorn soggy.
Caipirinhas
Novo Fogo Silver, Sugar, Lime
With the popcorn we served each guest a Caipirinha, the classic Brazilian fair weather cocktail, composed simply of cachaça, sugar, and lime.
"Sour Cream & Allium"
Crème Fraîche, Braised Leeks, Caramelized Onions, Pickled Ramps, Chives
Heartsease Hill: Knot Head Mead, Utica, NY
On our 2016 trip to Portland, ME, Leah and I had an amazing dinner at Hugo's, where I ate a wild dish called "Sour Cream & Allium". I thought about it for years, and ultimately decided it was time to make my own version (minus the fancy liquid nitrogen and other advanced techniques). I settled on serving four different types of onion, each prepared in a different manner.
I found out after serving this dish that one of my guests absolutely hates onion - he never told me when I asked in advance if they had any aversions, and, like a champ, he forced everything down per his philosophy of trying anything once. Oh well - I thought it was great!
Served with a nice hoppy mead from central NY.
Asparagus
Slow-Cooked Egg, Brown Butter, Preserved Yolk, Truffle Powder
Nikolaihof: Gruner Veltliner, Wachau, 2017, Austria
It doesn't get much more spring-themed than asparagus. In love with my amazing immersion circulator, we slow-cooked eggs to crack over the gently roasted vegetables. Topping it all was brown butter, some truffle powder, and a generous shaving of cured egg yolk, which was a fun and simple process (see pics above - they come out almost the texture of cheese).
Not picture: a nice briny, mineral-forward Austrian white, which we also drank with the next course.
English Pea Soup
Shallots, Crab, Lemon, Serrano Chilies, Mint
Nikolaihof: Gruner Veltliner, Wachau, 2017, Austria
I served this dish once before for my parents on my dad's 70th birthday in 2015. It remains a hit, light and refreshing. Once again though, my same guest didn't inform me that he's terrible with spicy foods, and the chilies proved a bit too much for him!
Micheladas
Modelo Negra, Worcestershire, Hot Sauce, Lime, Chipotle-Salt Rim
I love a good michelada - reminded of the fun experience Al and I had at Empellón Cocina Kitchen Table, I decided to serve my guests the same here in anticipation of the tacos we were about to eat as the main course.
Duck Carnitas
Corn Tortillas, Pickled Onions, Radishes, Limes, Cilantro, Habanero Salsa
The duck carnitas were the unparalleled highlight of my experience at Cosme in 2017. On a whim, I decided to see if they were duplicable at home and, sure enough, they were, though not without a lot of effort! The recipe calls for curing the whole duck for several days, before slowly cooking it overnight submerged in duck fat, coke, oranges, condensed milk, and other ingredients. After this, there's a rather technical de-boning process to follow before you reassemble the boned pieces of meat into two parcels and reheat. A lot of work, but well worth the effort!
Foie Gras
Torchon, Country Bread, Brûléed Sugar, Maldon Salt
Château de Cérons: Cérons, 2008, France
Nothing tastes as rich and decadent as a good piece of foie gras. Since my diners' previous experience with foie gras wasn't all I hoped it would be, I came up with a much simpler dish where the foie was the clear star: a disc of griddled country white bread with a thick slice of foie torchon, which I topped with sugar and brûléed, followed by a sprinkle of course sea salt. Pure heaven.
The foie gras was paired with a traditional French sweet wine.
Tres Leches Cake
Caramel Sauce, Pineapple Jam, Passion Fruit Ice Cream, Coconut Crunch
The humble tres leches cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I spruced it up a bit with the addition of the pineapple jam and homemade passion fruit ice cream, topped with crunchy toasted coconut. It all looked amazing on our new black ceramic plates from Chinatown!
Añejo Old-Fashioned's
Casa Migos Añejo, Demerara Syrup, Black Walnut Bitters, Orange
As tradition dictates, we served a cocktail to close out the meal. Since we had eaten several Mexican dishes, it only seemed natural to drink my favorite spin on the traditional old-fashioned, using aged tequila instead of whisky.
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