... enough to plan an entire heart day-dinner. Ok, so maybe it was a day late (postponed b/c of Mardi Gras and sending the pup off to "boot camp") but I must say it turned into a great experience. Heres the menu:
1) Kir Royales:
Some champagne, some raspberries and creme de cassis. I couldnt stand Kir when I was in Paris this past summer, but this version of the drink was a delicious apertif! We are now actively trying to find cocktail recipes that call for creme de cassis since I had to buy a huge bottle of it.
2) Roasted Asparagus
I was kind of bummed that WFM didn't have skinnier asparagus, so I had to peel these before adding the olive oil, salt and pepper. No biggie in the end though, I guess
3) Couscous with Melted Leeks & Thyme
So simple and SO insanely tasty. First, you cut a few leeks (white part and an inch of the green part) into 1/4" slices and melt them with 1tb of butter in a pan. In a small saucepan, heat up a cup of some chicken stock to a boil and then pour over 3/4 cup of couscous in a seperate bowl. Cover tightly w/ plastic wrap for 5 mins, then add the melted leeks, stir and flavor w/ salt & pepper. A-MA-ZING
4) the piece de-resistance: Lamb Chops with Mint-Mustard Sauce
Now I am normally NOT a lamb chop nor a mint jelly fan, but this recipe was so easy that I had to try it (and Mr. Bama is a big lamb fan also). So I got 6 rib cut chops, seasoned each side w/ salt & peper, and then cooked them in a little graoeseed oil in a pan for 3 mins each side. Took them out, let them sit (covered) and made the mint-mustard sauce in the same pan that I cooked the lamb. Then I drizzled that over the lamb and served. Now, I don't know if he said it just to make me happy, but Mr. Bama said that these were the best lamb chops he's ever had. Me? Well since I really had nothing to compare them to, they did taste really good, and they looked pretty!
Heres the table set up prior to serving. Yup, I pulled out the "good" silverware for this occasion. I use the term silverware lightly b/c I despise the taste that stirling silver utensils add to food (odd, i know, but its a pet peeve.) so we registered instead for the gorgeous William-Sonoma Monaco stainless serveware. Its my fancy, dishwasher safe "silverware" and this was the first time we've ever used them!
also note the pretty rose bouquet that Mr. Bama gave to me for V-day.
The entire plate served and ready to eat! Yum Yum
5) Last but not least: Dessert! Shortbread cookies and "almond dream creme"
The cookies were really easy to make, even for a baking-challeneged girl like myself.
the cookies pre-baked.
hot out of the oven.
with the Almond Dream Creme. The cream involved gelatin, which I have never worked with before. The top 1/2 inch of the cream was really creamy and tasty, however, the rest was incredibly bland and rather than creamy, it was kind of milky. The only thing I could think of was that I didn't let the gelatine soften enough before adding the cream mix and chilling. Oh well, better luck next time.
For never making any of these recipes before this adventure, I think things worked out marvelously. It all was incredibly simple and I'm thinking of making this dish for when my parents come visit (whenever that is...) The lesson? Never be afraid to make a new recipe (or 2 or 3) because yes, theres always a risk it wont turn out perfectly (even though you'll learn a lot), BUT theres also the possibility that you'll make an amazing dinner to remember!
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