We had a few friends over for a lovely and intimate dinner party Saturday night. Rich and I couldn't stop patting ourselves on the back for being ready early and having our A Game going strong! Since it's been SO FREAKING HOT, I tried to plan a menu that would involve very little cooking in the kitchen the day of the party and keep it a little cooler.
Le Menu:
-
Raspberry Pink Lemonade Martinis with Raspberries, Mint and Meyer Lemon Fizz
-
Baguette with Roasted Garlic, Bacon Jam and Goat Cheese
-
Lemon Herb Marinated Chicken Grilled & Roasted
-
Chilled Asparagus with Radish, Hard Boiled Egg and Mustard Shallot Dressing
-
Wild Rice Salad with Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes, Toasted Walnuts and Thyme
-
Chocolate Raspberry Sacher Cake
Raspberry Pink Lemonade Martini | Serves 6
1 12 oz can of raspberry pink lemonade concentrate
4 cups water
2 to 3 lemons, sliced in discs
1 pint fresh raspberries
20-25 sprigs of mint
10 oz good vodka
Make raspberry lemonade at least an hour before serving as to chill.
In chilled martini glass, add a couple of raspberries, a sprig or two of mint and hang the lemon disc on the side of the glass.
In a shaker add to ice, vodka and raspberry lemonade. Shake violently until really, really cold.
Pour into prepared martini glasses and serve immediately.
Bacon Jam | Discovered from the fabulous Jessica Burns Blog
2 packages sliced applewood smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch lardons
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or 2 tablespoons of molassas - I use maple syrup)
3/4 cup strong coffee (brewed)
Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use); add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon back to mixture and stir to combine.
2. Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until almost all liquid has been cooked off and it is a little 'syrupy'. If you like, you can transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse a bit. I have done it both ways and prefer it more chunky.
Serve warm with grilled or toasted baguette, roasted garlic and goat cheese.
Lemon Herb Marinated Chicken | Serves 6-8
Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of three lemons
6 garlic cloves, flattened
1/8 cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6-8 Bone-In chicken breasts
2-3 sliced lemons (in addition to the lemons for marinade) for garnish
5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish
Combine first seven ingredients to create marinade. Place salt and peppered chicken breasts in marinade and refrigerate over night, occasionally turning the chicken.
I decided to do a two-part cooking method so that the chicken would remain tender and juicy.
1. Grill chicken for approximately 6 minutes, or until it is slightly browned. Save marinade for next step.
2. Place pre-grilled chicken in baking dish, including marinade poured over the chicken, in pre-heated 350 degree oven. Basting occasionally, cook until chicken reaches 165 degrees.
It should be pretty close to perfect! Enjoy!
Wild Rice Salad | Serves 6-8
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup zucchini, quartered
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
2 T fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
For the dressing
3 T white wine vinegar
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Make rice several hours before serving so that it will be chilled for the salad. Prior to service, place rice in large bowl. Add tomatoes, zucchini, walnuts and thyme. After making dressing, pour over rice and combine all ingredients well. Can be be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Asparagus, Radish and Hard Boiled Egg Salad with Shallot Dijon Dressing | Serves 6-8
3 (1 lb bunches) of asparagus
4 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
6-8 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
For the dressing:
Egg yolks (2 from above 4 eggs)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 T grainy Dijon mustard
2 T red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
Pinch of salt
1/2 T freshly ground black pepper
2 T water
1/4 cup canola oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of icy cold water. Place asparagus in boiling water for approximately 2-3 minutes. As soon as you pull the cooked asparagus out of the boiling water, plunge it in the iced water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry and arrange attractively on a serving platter.
Remove the yolks from 2 of the hardboiled eggs and set aside for use in the dressing later.
Roughly chop the remaining eggs and sprinkle over the asparagus. Top with radish wedges.
To make the dressing, place the reserved yolks in a small bowl and crumble them with a fork. Add shallot, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt & pepper. Whisk in the water. Add the canola oil in a steady stream, while whisking constantly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the dressing over the asparagus, radish and egg. Top with a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately
For the Chocolate Raspberry Sacher Torte.....Call your local Publix Bakery and place your order for pick up!.
