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| Under Construction: Toasted artisan bread, crab cake, scallions, poached egg, remoulade (don't forget the Bloody Marys) |
We are lucky to have my parents living quite close and, occasionally, they invite our children to spend the night. Sometimes we use this occasion for a dinner out or, more often, as a chance to go see some of the amazing live music available to us here in Music City U.S.A. But really our favorite thing to do
is cook together the way we used to do before we had kids.
Back in The Day, we'd leisurely peruse the aisles of the supermarket, possibly having a plan for our meal or possibly waiting to be inspired. So on this recent date night, plans to play golf got rained out and we decided to do five-course dinner instead, followed by "playing" (i.e., me learning) chess by a roaring fire. Delightful!!
I don't have pictures for everything, but the food was so beautiful I couldn't help but snap a few pictures here and there. We hadn't done this in so long that I have to admit we got a bit carried away, but it was an awful lot of fun and a splurge I do not regret!
First Course
Fried Green Tomatoes (Brandywine) with Goat Cheese and Stone Ground Mustard
Second Course
Mahi, oil-poached with pineapple sage, Garlicky Fingerling Potatoes, Broccolini
This beauty was 100% the spouse's brainchild: oil poaching without requiring a full pan of oil, with the bonus that we could finally use the fancy food saver. He prepped the mahi and cooked it in some low-simmering water, but 3/4 of the way through the damn bag broke, so it was only mostly "oil-poached." Making the most of things, we tossed our broccolini in the herby/lemony water with the fish and it turned out to be a happy -- and quite tasty -- accident in the end.
Third Course
Crab Cake with Remoulade
Fourth Course
Lamb Chops with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Fifth Course was a cheese plate, for which I have no photo. I also must stress that, if you want to do this, the key is small portions of everything (that one piece of mahi, for example, yielded our two "portions" plus leftovers). You want a lovely taste, an exquisite mouthful or two to savor, but then you need to cook the next course, so if you get overloaded you might decide (like I did) to forego that lovely pea puree that would have been beautiful with the lamb and potatoes. C'est la vie. We had leftover broccolini and that was good enough for me!
The following morning, we woke and went about our day at a leisurely pace, enjoying coffee and then Bloody Marys, which lead to the inspired idea (again, credit to my spouse) to make a fantastic Eggs Benedict with our leftover crab cakes and remoulade. Then he strummed the guitar and indulged in a nap while I painted.
Feed the body. Feed the Soul. Appreciate Our Time. Live Well.
We are planning a frugal-minded version of the 3+ Course Date Night very soon. Not surprisingly, it's easier to take pictures when the photographer is not also responsible for all of the cooking and prep, so I feel confident I'll be able to share that with you as well.
