Tuesday, August 26, 2008

retro blog #3: august eats

I started the month off well with the aforementioned, er afore-alluded-to , Slow Food fundraiser at La Merenda.

This was a really fun event and I ended up at a great table, not only with my friends Beth & Mike, but with a bunch of random folks who were all co-workers a local law firm. They were a hoot and our table was definitely a fun gang of strangers.

How could we not bond over such wonderful food and wine though? Each course incorporated local ingredients and a Wisconsin cheese. Jackpot!

The menu was:
Course 1 - Cheese Plate (this included several cheeses that had just taken home ribbons from the American Cheese Society competition the week prior-- TO DIE FOR)

Cheeses were:
Wine with the course was Gruet NV Blanc De Noir. Believe it or not this sparkling treat hails from New Mexico! The first I had heard of NM wines, glad I did so it was a shocker for my trip later in the month.

Course 2 - Fried Green Tomatoes with Mozzarella Handmade with Grändé Curd Topped with a Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Yes, it was as completely mind-blowing as the title would indicate. And it took away my fear of FGT. But not the association with chick flicks.

Wine was Domaine de la Bécassonne 2007 Côte due Rhô Blanc.

Course 3 - Duck Confit Crepes with Roth Käse Blue Affiné and Rosemary Cream Sauce

Thank the Lord that I eat duck (in case it's not clear somewhere else in the blog, I don't eat red meat or pork (basically mammal) and sometimes (as in Course 4) that causes an issue), because this was EFFIN FABULOUS. It made me want to go kill a duck and try this at home. Just kidding. But it was DAMN tasty.

Wine went really well too --Babich 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir.

Course 4 - "Wisconsin Slow Food Iron Chef"

I did forget to mention earlier, that this event involved several chefs in addition to the resident at La Merenda. Also participating were Braise on the Go and Meritage. Oh and the cheese guy was from Larry's Market. Anywho, obviously in this portion the chefs all worked with random ingredients to create a dish. And here is where I ran into trouble. It was some sort of Morroccan Lamb topped with whipped mashed potatoes.

Fortunately the potatoes were pretty separate and I ate those.

Wine - Hupfeld 2006 Hochheimer Konigin Victoriaberg Riesling Kabinett. Some crazy German wine that has the seal of Queen Victoria on it. I can't find a website not in German.

Course 6 - Skipping the bulk of Course 5 was a-okay because I had room for all of Course 6. This was the perfect dessert to end the evening -- Roasted Plums with BelGioioso Mascarpone Whipped Cream, Lavender, Honey and Hazelnuts.

Heaven.

Wine - Quinta Do NV Ruby Port

Now you'd think that starting the month off so spectacularly from a culinary standpoint that I'd be inspired at home. Well I was, until my refrigerator went kaput. They actually did fix the motor, but my milk is still going bad (rancid actually), so I may be getting a new fridge. Fingers crossed.

At any rate, I did make some use out of the CSA this month, in addition to munching on lots of raw veggies (yay broccoli and cauliflower), I followed recipes for Sweet Cabbage Salad:


I also did not get a picture before I (and others) devoured it, but I followed the CSA recommended recipe for Chocolate Beet Cake and fell in LOVE. I topped it with homemade sour cream chocolate frosting. Even Phil who hates sweets couldn't get enough beet cake. Yum.

Besides that though, the broken fridge has really thrown a kink in things. I've made quite a bit of zucchini parmesan, and just random pasta primavera. I hope to use most of my CSA this weekend, since it's Labor Day and I will have time to cook.

p.s. I'm not a freak by the way, remembering all the courses -- I kept the program!

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