Oscar Party

Such a good evening. Lots of food - the photos below are only a small sample of the appetizers - and good company. Fun to watch the Oscars and see if we could anticipate who would win what category. Here The Hat watches intensely as one of the Oscars is awarded.

This is our Oscar Party tray! We think this made a wonderful appetizer.
Truffle Oil Brochette
with
Muffuletta
Wild Boar Sausage
Tomato

Cucumber Rolls
These were absolutely delicious! I will have to get the recipe.

Cristi and her "utility" apron.

Menu Items

This particular plate is not for the Oscar Party. Sorry! But rather it is a dinner that we made the other night.
Broiled Salmon with Lemon Curd
Braised Asparagus with Lemon, Parsley and Garlic

The salmon is moist and lightly browned on top - the lemon curd caramelized. The asparagus have a wonderful slightly tartness that pairs well with the salmon. This dinner is a Yum-O dinner and easy to prepare.

This is our Oscar Party tray! We think this made a wonderful appetizer.
Truffle Oil Bruchette
with
Muffuletta
Wild Boar Sausage
Tomato

Mac Got Two Birthday Dinners!

Mac's Extended Birthday Dinner actually started on Feb 19. His birthday is Feb 21. Look at the dinner that Marnie and Mac made. This was a great BBQ Rib dinner as pictured here.

BBQ Ribs
Potatoes
Green Salad

And then for dessert, Sophia made a great Boston Cream Pie.

On Tuesday, Feb 21, Robin and I prepared his dinner with help from Marnie - a wonderful green salad - and Margaret, a great Razzleberry pie and fresh whipped cream. The wines that we had are also listed. The phrase, "OTH?" means "over the hill?" Actually, all of these wines turned out to be awesome. Here, take a look!

Happy Birthday beverages for Mac – February 21, 2012
Fat Tuesday …………………………………Mardi Gras

1971 Rene Manuel Meursault Poruzot Blanc $40.00
Richard Sajbel Selection White Burgundy
Appellation Meursault Controlee Nuits-Saint-Georges
(Cotes- d ‘Or) OTH No due date French Table Wine 11-14%

Garlic Soup and Pain de seigle


1971 Corton Bressandes Tollot Beaut and Fils, France $ 374.00
Frank Schoonmaker Selection Red Burgundy
Appellation Corton Controlee [Cote-D-Or]
OTH? No due date Table Wine 11-14%

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Juniper

Roasted Root Vegetables

Asparagus Gremolata

1987 Rose Creek Winery, Hagerman, ID $33.00
Grapes sourced from Yamhill County, OR
OTH? 2009 13.4 %

2006 Maysara Jamsheed McMinnville, OR $35.00
OTH? 2009 Screwcap 13.9%

Salad M and M McNeil
Fromage

Margaret’s Berry Berry Pie
with
Fresh Whipped Cream

Dessert Wine:
2005 Winery at Eagle Knoll Myron’s “Port” De ‘Blanc $49.00
Snake River AVA ‘American’ Eagle, ID 18 %

Sophia's Boston Cream Pie

The wines for the February 21 dinner. At least some of them.

Our dinner table.

Margaret

Robin

Just a super couple of days to party and eat and have some awesome wines. Wonder what next year will bring? Worth "hanging around" for, I think. Cheers!

Mac's Birthday Wines and Dinner

Here are some of the wines that we are serving for Mac's birthday dinner. The menu looks awesome!

And here are the rest of the wines.

Happy Birthday beverages for Mac – February 21, 2012
Fat Tuesday …………………………………Mardi Gras


1971 Rene Manuel Meursault Poruzot Blanc $40.00
Richard Sajbel Selection White Burgundy
Appellation Meursault Controlee Nuits-Saint-Georges
(Cotes- d ‘Or) OTH No due date French Table Wine 11-14%

Garlic Soup and Pain de seigle

1971 Corton Bressandes Tollot Beaut and Fils, France $ 122.00
Frank Schoonmaker Selection Red Burgundy
Appellation Corton Controlee [Cote-D-Or]
OTH? No due date Table Wine 11-14%

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Juniper
Roasted Root Vegetables
Asparagus Gremolata

1987 Rose Creek Winery, Hagerman, ID $33.00
Grapes sourced from Yamhill County, OR
OTH? 2009 13.4 %

2006 Maysara Jamsheed McMinnville, OR $35.00
OTH? 2009 Screwcap 13.9%

Salad M and M McNeil
Fromage

Margaret’s Berry Berry Pie

Dessert Wine:
2005 Winery at Eagle Knoll Myron’s “Port” De ‘Blanc $49.00
Snake River AVA ‘American’ Eagle, ID 18 %

Chefs of Aloha - Feasts of Hawii

If you missed the wine dinner in February featuring the wines from Sawtooth Winery, here is a second chance to enjoy a night of good wines and fine dining. Just look at this menu and the wine selections. The dinner on June 9, 2012 at 6:00pm, will be of a Hawaiian nature with recipes from the islands and the wines are from Woodriver Cellars. Great to have Castle Ranch Steakhouse featuring the wines of Idaho. This will be another night of fun. Make your reservations soon, as these fill up quickly and space is somewhat limited. Robin and I reserved our seats today. Left-Click the graphic for a larger view and to print it out. Hope to see you there!!

New Westside Drive-In Location

Yes. It is true! Chef Lou has opened a second location for the Westside Drive-In. And it is definitely a 5-Star location, just as the original location is. The new drive-in is located at 1113 Parkcenter Blvd, Boise (208) 424-0000 whereas the original drive-in is located at 1939 W State street, Boise (208) 342-2957. Chef Lou still has the same website at Chef Lou. The food is delicious and one can tell that his staff takes great care in producing a good product. Will we be back? Probably. 

Here is page one of the Westside Drive-In Menu. Left-Click to see a larger view.

Here is Page Two of the menu.

Page 3

Page 4.
Look at the daily specials. Are you a Senior Citizen - or as my Mom said, "A Seasoned Citizen" - then you get a 10% discount every day! Want a recommendation? Don't miss the Prime Rib! It is awesome.

Hard to pass this photo up! It says it all.

The interior. The Parkcenter location has indoor seating, something the State Street location does not have, although State Street has a heated outdoor dining area. Look at the smile on the young lady at the cash register. Everyone was smiling. So pleasant to see that!

I had the Fried Egg Burger and Fries and Robin had the BLT. Loved the mustard, or "special" sauce on mine, that had a hint of turmeric. It was delish!

Robin and I waited for you, but food this good just will not last long. There is a little lettuce left and some fry sauce (an Idaho thing). Maybe next time. Cheers!

Cassoulet for Valentines

What an awesome dinner! Robin spent most of the day on the complete dinner and it was .... well, Super Delicious! This is a "country stew" and in this case, the primary meat is duck. But it also has different types of sausage in it. D'Artagnan is where she ordered the supplies for doing this fantastic meal. The photo on the left is the finished product. Look on their web page for more information. But for now, here is the recipe. It is a long and somewhat involved recipe, but it is not difficult. Enjoy!!

Cassoulet D'Artagnan

By: D'Artagnan Staff
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 90 minutes
This hearty casserole of preserved duck, sausages and beans is the heart & soul of Gascon cooking.

Ingredients - (Bob and Gail Parker, Mac, Robin and Marnie)
• 3 pounds D'Artagnan Haricot Tarbais Beans, rinsed and picked over
• water, as needed
• 12 ounces D'Artagnan Ventrèche, in one piece
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 medium onions, skinned and cut in half
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 bouquet garni, made of 5 parsley sprigs, 3 celery leaves, 1 thyme sprig, 1 bay leaf and 10 peppercorns, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied
• 6 D'Artagnan Duck Leg Confit, cut in half at the joint
• 6 1/2 ounces D'Artagnan Duck and Veal Demi-Glace, dissolved in 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 packages D'Artagnan Duck and Armagnac Sausage
• 1 pound D'Artagnan French Garlic Sausage, cut into 12 slices
• 1/4 cup D'Artagnan Duck Fat, at room temperature

Preparation - (Cassoulet plated)
1. Add beans to a large, non-reactive container(s), cover completely with water and soak overnight at room temperature. Keep water level several inches above beans. Check back every so often as beans will absorb a lot of water. Use a few separate containers if necessary.
2. Drain beans, put into a large, heavy pot with whole ventrèche, garlic, carrot, bouquet garni and onion that's been studded with cloves. Add enough water to cover at least 3 inches above beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until beans are barely tender, about 1 hour.
3. Drain beans, discard onion and bouquet garni, leave carrots and garlic with the beans. Remove ventrèche, cut into ½ inch squares, set aside.
4. Season beans with 1 teaspoon salt and several grindings of pepper.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
6. In a medium skillet over high heat, sear duck and Armagnac sausages until just browned. Remove from pan, cut into thirds and set aside.
7. Lightly grease large casserole, preferably earthenware or enameled cast-iron, with duck fat, on both bottom and sides. Place half of the bean mixture in casserole. Add duck legs, browned duck sausages, chopped ventrèche, and sliced garlic sausage. Drizzle with duck fat. Cover with remaining beans.
8. Stir tomato paste into demi-glace, mix well until dissolved. Pour evenly over bean mixture. Drizzle with remaining duck fat.
9. Cover and bake until hot and bubbling, about 2 ½ hours, checking occasionally to make certain the beans are not drying out. (See Ariane's Recipe Tips below)

(Cherry Coke Cake)
NOTE: Cassoulet may be prepared ahead up to this point, then cooled and refrigerated up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator to bring up to room temperature before proceeding.
10. Increase (or preheat) oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover casserole and bake until top is browned, about 45 minutes. If at this point, cassoulet is not heated through, cut open the crust, pour ½ cup of water and/or demi-glace, and continue to cook until hot all the way through.
11. Serve immediately. Each guest should get an equal proportion of beans to meats.

(Valentine Cake)
Ariane's Recipe Tips:
Don't hesitate to open the crusty top to make sure the cassoulet is not drying out. The texture should be similar to a thick stew. If it seems too dry or pasty, add some liquid, such as stock, demi-glace or even water. Typically, you'll have to cut the crust and add liquid about 3 times before it's hot all the way through. Some cooks in Gascony think cassoulet will only be ready after 7 times of breaking the crust and adding liquid!
If adapting the recipe, try to use as many confit meats as possible. They will give the most flavor. Cassoulet should always be eaten very hot! Don't forget the leftovers. Cassoulet is even better the next day after flavors have had time to develop and marry.


And of course, no meal is complete without some fantastic and well aged wines. Here is what we had! The labels are self explanatory.