June 6, 2010

My second opportunity in hosting the 1913 club was another challenging, but very entertaining experience into the culinary unknown.  We gathered in the evening on Sunday rather than at noon because Robert was hosting a brunch that morning, and I was assisting him.  And, as it was an extremely warm day (a high of 100), it was probably best that we did gather later in the day.

The first course on the menu was “Consomme Princess”.  A consomme was to be prepared and then green peas and “tiny cubes” of chicken were to be added.  However, the first three ingredients of the consommé were not available for purchase at the local grocery store – 4 lbs thickest part of hind beef shin, marrow bone, and knuckle of veal - why, I wondered, were these items not available? Are not these items on everyone’s staples list these days? Obviously not…so a substitution became necessary.  Since peas were an ingredient of the soup called for in the menu, and the weather was as sultry as it was, I opted for a cold, curried pea soup.  I thought that it would be refreshing way to start the meal.  It was my first attempt at a “vichyssoise”, and we all agreed that it was delicious.

The main course consisted of fried lamb chops, new potatoes with chive sauce and green peas (again green peas make an entrance in the menu).  The fried lamb chops were a delight! The recipe called for actually dipping them twice in bread crumbs, but I only dipped them once.  (Being from the south and frying just about everything, I have learned that most of the time, coating anything twice - from chicken to eggplant – usually does not work out that well).  I dipped the chops in a beaten egg first and then into bread crumbs and then fried them in shortening.

The potatoes were boiled and then smothered in the chive sauce.  The chive sauce was actually a white sauce, but instead of the usual butter, shortening was used with the cream.  It tasted somewhat different, but it was definitely very tasty.  And, many thanks to Stacy and Eric for providing the chives which came from their garden. 

The next course was the salad.  It was – shall we say – the course of disappointment.  The menu called for “June Salad” - a fruit salad of cherries, oranges, and bananas marinated with “French Dressing No. 2”.  Cherries were in season and bananas are always readily available; however, the oranges were definitely out of season and were a bit bitter.  Robert suggested afterwards that I should have used canned mandarin oranges, and they would have been a good substitute. “French Dressing No. 2” should be shortened to “French Dressing No”.  It consisted of salt, olive oil, paprika, and lemon juice.  Probably fine for a dressing on lettuce, but it did nothing to compliment the sweet flavor of fruit.  This salad was then supposed to be served “in nests of lettuce leaves and masked with Mayonnaise”.   None of us could figure out what the author meant by this so the mayonnaise was served “on the side”. The recipe for Mayonnaise dressing was also provided.  It called for whisking together salt, cayenne, egg yolks, lemon juice and olive oil (the food processor did not mind helping one little bit with this endeavor).  We all attempted tasting this dish, but with less than appetizing results.  It will not and should not be attempted in the future……unless you have a particular enemy you would like to discourage.

At long last the salad course was over and it was onto dessert!  And what a splendid way to rebound from salad calamity than to have a delectable cherry pie!  (Again cherries make an entrance in the menu.) I must sheepishly admit though that I did not prepare the pie. While sweet cherries were available, sour cherries were not.  I could have used canned cherry pie filling, but I thought to myself that old saying of which I am so fond of repeating “Six of one and half a dozen of another” so I opted for the frozen pie in the freezer section.  Hey, at least I served what was on the menu – so it was not totally regrettable.

The second time of hosting the 1913 Club was definitely more subdued for me – of course, starting off the day at a brunch in which mimosas were free flowing did have a “quieting” effect on my emotions for the rest of the day….  

May 30, 2010

The table was set, the flowers cut and the aroma wafting from the kitchen would play Pied Piper for even the pickiest eaters. It was our second time to host a 1913 Club dinner and we were delighting in the anticipation of dancing taste buds and hungry guests soon to arrive.

Due to a last-minute postponement, our menu was actually for the third weekend in May but was prepared on the fourth. Quite possibly it was the amount of time we had to prepare, or perhaps practice really does make perfect, but while far from perfect, the flow in preparation and presentation this time seemed much easier.

Research starts at least a week in advance and preparation two to three days before the meal. We consulted a local butcher on the best cut of meat for our dinner and of course a trip to Central Market was required to gather other necessary ingredients. Thanks to Ron, a very helpful Central Market employee, our asparagus salad had perfect pepper rings, and a conversation with Ted, the Fromager, once again yielded a wonderful cheese selection for our dishes. This time we used a delectable Edam cheese to accompany dessert and a white cheddar appropriately labeled "Ted's choice." Our only non-edible purchases for this meal were an enameled iron roaster and a butter dish. Thank you Sandy, for lending your butter dish for our last meal.


Menu: Third Sunday in May

• Cream of Asparagus Soup
• Braised Calf's Liver
  
• Rice Au Gratin
• Carrots and Turnips in a Light Cream Sauce
• Asparagus Salad
• Custard Pie with Edam Cheese and coffee

Cream of Asparagus Soup (recipe below):
A once again smooth and dreamy concoction that melds a heavy cream base with onions and asparagus on a level that would make well-seasoned palettes sing. The recipe begins with a combination of beef stock, asparagus and onions, reserving the feathery green tips for later. The mixture cooks on the stove and then is blended to liquidity. A roux of flour, butter and heavy cream is then added to form the most yummy soup. The asparagus tips are cooked separately and added last to give the best presentation possible. Add a little cracked pepper and VOILA!

Braised Calf's Liver (AKA Pot Roast):

While we try our best to adhere to Mrs. Hillar's suggestions for a tasty and wholesome meal, preparing calf's liver for dinner was beyond the capacity of acceptance for seven stomachs. After a unanimous vote of 1913 Club members our braised calf's liver promptly, and pleasantly, morphed into a pot roast. Prepared almost as directed by the recipe for calf's liver, the roast slow cooked and browned in its juices for almost five hours. The fantastic aroma and brown, meaty goodness was accompanied by carrots, onions, celery, parsnips and topped off with rosemary. After cooking, the juices were used to make a flavorful gravy.

Rice Au Gratin:
Served in a bright red Le Creuset heart pan, this dish looked perfectly presented. Cooked rice layered with butter, cheese and cayenne pepper (use sparingly) is baked in the oven topped with buttered breadcrumbs until browned. A simple, yet rich dish that complimented its menu counterparts. The best part was a Central Market white cheddar that became invisible in the white rice but provided gooey, cheesy goodness throughout.

Carrots and Turnips in a Light Cream Sauce:

Cooked separately and then combined in a thin white sauce, the carrots and turnips were pleasantly simple. The turnips added a nice flavor alongside the carrots and both complimented each other well in this dish.

Asparagus Salad:

Resting on a lettuce leaf and wrapped in orange and yellow pepper rings, chilled asparagus clusters provided a refreshing interlude to an otherwise heavy meal. The salad was served with a French dressing and made a delicious and colorful tabletop presentation.

Lemon Custard Pie:

Putting our own twist on Mrs. Elizabeth O. Hiller's suggestion for a traditional custard pie in a doughy crust for dessert, we opted to kick it up with lemon and a graham cracker crust instead. This pie was the highlight of the meal with a smooth, creamy texture and just the right amount of tartness accompanied by a cloud-like whipped cream topping. Served with Edam cheese and coffee, this delectable lemon marvel made us all wish our stomachs were empty so we could enjoy more.

When dinner was over, our stomachs were more than full from the food and our hearts were warm from the conversation of good friends. Music played on the Victrola and the player piano's keys danced to the notes of Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer." Another dinner had passed but we were already looking forward to our next gathering and the next 1913 Club dinner.

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Ingredients: (We doubled the recipe)
3 cups white (chicken) stock
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups cold water
2 slices onion
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup hot cream

Process: Wash, scrape and cut asparagus in one-inch pieces; reserve the tips. Cover with boiling, salted water, cook 10 minutes; drain, add chicken stock and onion slices, cook until tender. Remove from stove, liquify in blender, set aside. Melt butter in pan, add flour and stir to a smooth paste; remove from fire and add first mixture slowly, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper; add hot milk and cream, continue stirring. Steam asparagus tips until tender. Add tips to soup and serve.


NOTE: The next 1913 Club dinner will be the first week in June on Sunday, June 6.

May 2nd, 2010

Welcome to another posting of the 1913 Club!

It’s hard to believe, but we’re halfway through round two of our culinary experiment in nostalgic dining. The fresh food, fine table settings, and delightful experiences get better with every meal; and in the process, this “thing of ours” has begun to take a life of its own!

With every meal, the bar “to surprise and delight” is raised higher and higher. And, being all too susceptible to the friendly competition, we too kicked it up a notch as we purchased an antique Colonial Revival light fixture for our dining room. Extravagant? Arguably. Necessary? No. (Unless you live in our historic neighborhood where such lunacy is a daily quest.) FINE and totally worth it? Yes, Yes, YES!!

Our menu this week was much easier to prepare. It’s true, we’ve gotten better at anticipating the scheduling demands of a 7 course meal, but for Dan and I it was much more than just this. We lucked out this week, because we didn’t have the “meal of a million sauces”! Our first dinner was excruciating because we had so many additional sauce preps for every course. We learned that not only is time consuming, but there is definitely an art to good sauce preparation. Given that our saucing was kept to a minimum this week, this menu was pretty simple—relatively speaking.

Menu: May 2nd, 2010

• Asparagus Soup

• Cheese and Pimento Salad
• Baked Bluefish a La Creole
• Chateau Potatoes & Stringless Beans with Bacon
• Frozen Strawberries
• Corn Starch Loaf Cake with Maple Frosting
• Café Noir (Black coffee)

Asparagus soup: The asparagus soup was excellent. The velvety texture of this cream-based soup was warm and filling, but not too heavy, feeling like a comfort worn summer blanket on a rainy night. The soup called for 3 cups of white stock, 1 bunch of fresh (or canned) asparagus, 2 cups cold water, 2 slices of onion, 4 TB butter, 4 TB flour, 1 ½ cups scalded milk, and ½ cup of hot cream. The recipe called for washing, scraping and cutting the asparagus into one inch pieces, but reserving the tips off to the side for garnish. We boiled salted water, added the asparagus, then added stock and onion to let cook until tender. Once cooked, the asparagus mixture was supposed to be rubbed through a sieve and then mixed with the cream and milk, with salt and pepper to taste, but for our first meal (of a million sauces) we purchased a food processor. Thanks to Mr. Edison electrical prowess, we easily pureed the asparagus, milk, cream, salt, and pepper together. While keeping the soup warm on the stove, we then steamed the asparagus tips, and used them to garnish each bowl of soup.

Blue fish a la Creole:
The main course was another story. What the heck, pray tell, is BLUE FISH???? We called everywhere for this main course item. We were told that it was called shad in South Africa and that it was similar to Amber Jack on the Southern coast… and while everyone seemed to have an opinion, no one seemed to have any actual blue fish. Central Market could special order it, but they didn’t usually get it till later in the summer (we were still in early May). Other markets we called—even Pike Peak Market in Seattle—knew of it, but did not have it, so I’m guessing that fishing regulations or seasonal patterns were the reason why it was not available. The bottom line is that we couldn’t get the fish. Our desire for authenticity was derailed by a blue fish drought of biblical proportions. And in our defense, our readers should remember we flew in breast of veal from Houston (Thanks again Gourmet Ranch!), so our intentions have been pure in spirit and practice. Instead, we went with a large variety of coastal catfish, which the fish monger assured us would work well in our Creole dish—and it did. To prepare, we removed the bones from the fish, buttered the fish thoroughly and placed in a dripping pan. We spiced the fish with paprika and salt and cooked it for about 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The recipe only called for cooking it in a “hot oven”, so we guessed that 350 would work, and it was fine. We basted the fish with the buttery pan drippings often. Towards the end of the cooking time, we sprinkled the fish with buttered, toasted crumbs and placed back in the oven to brown. Then we made the Creole sauce: Tomato pulp mixed with brown stock, butter, onion, and bell peppers, with added canned mushrooms and the mushroom broth. A garlic clove was added to cook with, but removed before serving. We then poured the Creole sauce in a bath around the fish and garnished the fish with slices of lemons slices dipped in chopped parsley.

The fish tasted great and Dan cooked it perfectly. The seasoning was wonderful and added just the right amount of complexity without over seasoning the tender meat. It tasted buttery and light, and it wasn’t oily at all, despite the yummy golden butter. I really liked the brightness—both in taste and in color—that the red Creole sauce added to the fish as well.

Chateau potatoes and Stringless beans with bacon
The chateau potatoes and stringless beans with bacon were served together along with the fish course. They were as tasty as they sound. Good old fashioned browned Yukons cut into ¼ wedges, browned in butter and cooked with salt and pepper to taste, and lots of fresh green beans steamed with prepared bacon and almond slices. YUM!

Cheese and pimento salad served on bell pepper wedges
These were so easy to make and beautifully presented that we intend to serve again for parties. The pimento salad mixture was creamy, light and smooth--not like the mysterious, lumpy, cheese food from the grocery that bears the same name. The key to the success of the dish was that after the cream cheese and other ingredients were mixed together, we then carved out bell pepper shells, stuffed them with the mixture, and refrigerated the concoction overnight to let it stiffen and chill. This made for easy cutting of the stuffed peppers into wedges the next day. For the presentation we sprinkled the wedges with paprika and plated them with sliced tomatoes. The dish tasted cool and refreshing, and they were visually appealing as well with the juxtaposition of bright greens, oranges and reds on the plate.

Frozen strawberries
This dish was by far the biggest hit of the day! Basically, it was a blended emulsification of milk, light cream, sugar, and strawberries that was then frozen overnight into “ice cream”. The pleasant surprise for us all is that we found it to be it a lighter, sweeter, and a better summer desert then the ice cream that we eat today. Everyone loved its clean finish and the refreshment it provided after the heavy dinner course, which cleansed the palette, as was its intention. It served as the perfect bridge for the sweeter dessert course to follow and in so doing, truly demonstrated the logic behind the purposeful pairing of specific dishes with others in these multi-course menus—something that I don’t think many dinner hosts/hostesses consider in our current time.

Corn starch loaf cake with maple frosting

Being a Southerner by choice and lineage, my favorite menu items are always those filled with the sweet and starchy goodness that comes from carb-filled fare. This desert was no exception. While a corn starch loaf gave some cause for doubt at first, our Cottolene loving editors would never have failed us in this respect. One is right to suspect many an oddity among the vegetable kind, but sugar will never fail to please….never. And as you might guess, this scrumptious cake serves as a testament to my sucrosian philosophy. Each guest had their own miniature rectangular cake. The loaves tasted like buttery sweet cornbread, made all the better by a browned crunchy perimeter of maple-infused glee. The cake was delicately enhanced by a warm drizzling of a thin maple syrup over the small pin holed loaves, allowing for the entrapment of syrup, that yielded a tastier and more subtle flavor than anything Mrs. Butterworth’s could imagine. The plating was complete with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh red strawberries upon a doily adorned plate. This kind of blissful offering most certainly gave me pause for reflection and thanks during our Sunday feast.

Black coffee
The zenith of this lovely meal was our opportunity to toast to Robert and Jane’s mother, our dear friend, Mrs. Mary Ellen Wedding whose beautiful demitasse service we used for the after dinner coffee. Toasting to her health, goodness, and the friendship that we cherish with her, we blew out the candles on another perfect meal from 1913.

Calling all readers!!
We have spoken with several neighbors, co-workers and friends who follow our blog and look forward to hearing about our adventures. We’d love to read your comments!! If you’re out there, let us hear you by posting a comment on our blog!!
The next meal is Sunday, May 30th, and the following meal is scheduled for June 6th, so check back in soon to read about this, and future meals enjoyed by the 1913 dinner club.
Thank you for sharing in our adventures with us, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Fourth Sunday in April - April 25

Butter and Rhubarb and Bacon, Oh My!

Ok. My second go round and it did actually get easier, but I think it's because I'm landing on meals that have the same ingredients! In fact, I'm getting a little better at the preparation part and a little wiser as to the ways of the cookbook. This was the menu:

Spanish Soup

Baked Halibut

Potatoes a l'Aurora

Corn Fritters Cabbage Relish

Stewed Rhubarb with Pineapple and Raisins

Old Fashioned Marble Cake

Spanish Soup

I sauteed the pepper and onion in LOTS of butter, added the flour and browned it. I got beef stock and added it and two cans of tomato paste. Added salt, pepper and Tobasco. I actually did this the day before and stuck it in the fridge. When I got it out Sunday morning, I added the Worcestershire, horseradish and rice. The horseradish was strong,but not offensive. It was pretty thick and probably meant to be thinner. Still, very good and tasty without being too ketchupy. Nice, strong tomato soup that would do great in cold weather months.

Baked Halibut

Arranged thin slices of fat pork in the bottom of a pan, sliced a white onion thinly over that and added bay leaf. I laid the slices of Halibut (pretty expensive at Central Market, only place to get it) on that combination then I spread a butter paste over the fish. However, the paste wasn't thin enough, it was more like globs of butter and flour, salt and cayenne. Over that I put cracker crumbs with thin slices of pimento and bacon!!! On fish!!! BUT, it came out beautifully. It cooked perfectly after an hour and 15 minutes. Nice flaky white fish with lots of flavor and no fishy smell or taste at all.

Potatoes Aurora

Had to make a white sauce first which is just flour and milk, but don't pour the milk in too fast or it will curdle. I used boiled red potatoes and cooked them with the white sauce. The recipe called for sliced egg and parsley in a ring around the potatoes for presentation, but I didn't have an egg slicer and tried to follow the directions on slicing eggs the old fashioned way.....uh, no.....I ended up chopping the eggs and serving on top of the potatoes...presentation still nice, but note to self: buy an egg slicer!

Corn Fritters

My sister, Jane gets the credit for these. I did the easy part mixing up the ingredients: corn, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, white pepper. She actually fried them for me and they came out really well. A bit small to feed 7, but still good. A tad salty, but that's probably from the salt used in canned corn. Would have been much better with corn cut off the cob...or less salt than the two teaspoons called for.....

Cabbage Relish

Fancy word for cole slaw and this is a classic example of how our tastes have changed in 100 years. Way too bitter!!! It was cabbage and onions finely chopped with a "relish dressing" mixed in. Dressing ingredients: mustard, salt, flour, sugar, cayenne, butter, egg, vinegar, celery seed and cream. Great dressing, but not good with the onion...I think that's what threw it off. We had to serve it in lemon baskets? I asked myself the same question...what the hell's a lemon basket? So we cut lemons in half, scooped them out and served the relish in them. It was a really small amount and we had ALL this cabbage, so we served it in the lemon half and on the side, after we added about a 1/2 cup of sugar to cut the bitterness.....waaay too much for any one person....we all took one bite and said, "interesting", "different", um, "do I have to eat all of it", "oh, this certainly has a kick" and "what F*&^ is this S%$#"!!!! Actually, I think I could have added a lot more cream and none of the onion and had a good slaw recipe.....next time.

Stewed Rhubarb

I don't know about you, but heaven for me is gonna be a BIG house with a BIG porch and LOTS of rhubarb...This stuff is "da bomb". And I must say, I cooked it to a T. It was perfect. I cut up the stalks and cooked them with white raisins in just a little bit of water, very slowly in a medium oven....also did this the day before...chilled it overnight and then served with fresh pineapple slices. Uh, YUM!!! Best fruit dish so far, but this book loves rhubarb and so do I!

Marble Cake

This was fun to make....had to find mollasses, again at Central Market, I liked the label on the
"Brer Rabbit" brand so I bought it. Cake came out kind of like a coffee cake, with a nice "Cruella de Ville" swirl in the middle. It was a tad dry, another egg would have helped and maybe five minutes less in the oven....

Most expensive ingredient: Halibut

Hardest to find ingredient: White pepper

Strangest term: Sultana raisins (who knew they were just white raisins!)

A really fun menu, kind of complicated, but still a nice challenge and it made for a wonderful culinary experience. I'm glad Ihave four weeks to rest!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I was the last of the group to host a "Sunday Dinner", so I felt like I had a bit of advantage as I had had my menu for a month. I had also seen the others in action just before dinner was served and had a good idea about what was involved with preparing such a complicated feast.

I'll list the menu and a few pearls of wisdom that I gained from preparing each dish:

Smoke Sturgeon Canape - While I dearly love my fellow foodies and wanted to follow the menu faithfully, my pockets just weren't deep enough to purchase the smoked sturgeon - it costs a whopping $50.00 per pound. So, smoked salmon provided a lovely substitute. I had my doubts about preparing this appetizer, but I must say, I ,and my tastebuds, were pleasantly surprised. I toasted bread rounds in butter; slathered them with little dijon mustard; stacked some salmon on the mustard; put a dollop of chopped green olives and pimento on the salmon; and then topped it all off with a rolled anchovy. I served the appetizer per the instructions "Dispose each canape on a bread and butter plate covered with a paper doily and garnish with sprays of parsley". It made for a very attractive presentation, and it tasted quite yummy! (One other tidbit - I felt rather silly requesting "10 anchovies, please" from the man at the fish counter - I was reminded of that scene in Animal House when the young man requested "10,000 marbles, please" - both requests seemed equally absurd!)

Clam Bouillon - While fresh clams were available for purchase here at the local grocery store, they did not look all that appealing in the seafood case. I felt that we may live a little too far inland for such a heroic attempt. So, I opted for canned chowder instead.

Broiled Finnan Haddie - What? What is this? - I was asking myself. I had too look this up, and I soon became enlighted. This was a fish, and it exists - get this - off the coast of Scotland!!! Special order only. Well, needless to say, another substitution took place. I then began to ask myself "What was this hostess thinking with all these fish dishes on one menu?"

Potatoes on the Half Shell - lucky for me Stacy had a ricer that I could borrow. I consulted another cookbook for the same recipe. The instructions for all the recipes on the menus tend to be rather vague, and this recipe was no exception. I'm just not that accomplished of a cook (yet!) that I can judge the amount of cream, butter, and seasonings that should be added to a recipe. So, I had a little extra guidance here.

Peggy's Sour Cabbage - Lots and lots of butter still didn't help the taste of this lifeless, green mush of a dish. The only thing that saved it was it's presentation in lovley Havilland serving bowl.

Cheese Souffle - This was a triumph! Just what a souffle should be - light in texture, subtle in flavor, and just the right amount of "puff". And, I thought it made up remarkable well for all my substitutions in the prior dishes.

Strawberry Shortcake - This recipe called for making a syrup by boiling water and sugar and then letting it the mixture cool. Once it was cooled it said to "pour syrup over berries". That just didn't happen as the mixture became solid again after it cooled. However, I did add the mixture (although in chunks) to the strawberries and then let it sit for a couple of hours. And, lo and behold, it turned into syrup when mixed with strawberries. The strawberries are then "lifed from the syrup" and then the syrup is strained through a fine mesh strainer. The berries and syrup turned out excellently. Then came the shortcake - I was very disappointed in this recipe - I followed the directions faithfully - but I had to make several "adjustments" to get it cook properly. The results were less than favorable (actually, it came very close to being a complete disaster) , but my guests were very gallant about swallowing it down (and much too polite to comment on the shortcake's unfortunate -and quite lumpy - appearance and rather dry taste).

All in all it, was grand experience for me. Careful planning and thoughtful preparation were the keys to my (mostly) successful first "Sunday Dinner". (And, a note to Robert - I apologize for any mispelled words and improper use of grammar - I know how much it irrates you. But, you'll get over it!)

Jane

Next Sunday Dinner will be held Sunday, April 25.