Last Supper

Yes, the title is a bit misleading but it is my fiance V's last bday dinner as a single girl! Due to a family emergency during the week, plans were changed and unchanged. At the end of it all, there were just four of us for dinner, which turned out to be perfect because I didn't have to stress trying to put out a ton of food for a lot of people. Looking back at it now, had everyone shown up, I probably wouldn't have enough food for everyone. So good thing people made new plans so quick and decided not to come! Ha!

So having been to Ad Hoc recently and having just purchased the Ad Hoc cookbook, I was inspired to base the dinner on some of the recipes from the book. This is what I eventually decided to do...

Proscuitto wrapped breadsticks - I forget where I read about this but thought it would make a nice starter. Made some compound butter with truffle salt, spread it on a half piece of proscuitto then rolled it around the breadstick. Finally, topped it with some chopped chives. Nice little starter, well at least nice enough that the four of us ate all of it.

Broccolini and cauliflower salad - This is not in the cookbook but was something inspired by a similar dish we had ad Ad Hoc. V loved the broccolini there so I had to make this. I blanched some broccolini and cauliflower. I then pickled the cauliflower like they did. Added some grape tomatoes for color, golden raisin for sweetness, capers for its brininess (sp?) and roasted pinenuts for some creamy nuttiness (too much "ness"). Instead of the creamy anchovy dressing, I made a simple red wine vinaigrette from the awesome red wine vinegar we got at Round Pond. This is a very refreshing salad, and it's probably good for you.

Buttermilk fried chicken - How can I not make the most popular dish at Ad Hoc? We got lucky when we went because we happened to be in Napa on a Monday and it also just happened to be fried chicken night. This is the second time I've made this so it looks a little less burnt than the first (although you probably can't tell from my camera skills). I bought the smallest naturally grown organic run wild whatever chicken I could find at Whole Foods but it was still a pretty big chick. Hacked it up into pieces since I have no butchery skills. Brined and breaded the chicken per the recipe. The brine does make a wonderfully moist chicken, especially for the breast. I still have to work on the frying part though and learn to keep an eye on the thermometer. Although, not too close of an eye since I got a big oil explosion in my face and still have the wounds to show for it.

Roasted corn salsa - Not from Ad Hoc but from a Bobby Flay recipe I found many eons ago. At least long enough that I wasn't able to find it anywhere again. Anyway, I have made this many times and it's very easy to do. Roasted corn, diced tomatoes, cilantro and tabasco sauce plus the obligatory salt and pepper. Of course, to save time I cheated by microwaving the corn on the cob in the microwave and then putting the sear marks on it on the stove. It's a simple and very flavorful dish. I did find another Bobby Flay corn salsa recipe and he added some roasted ground cumin so I did the same. I didn't taste any difference. Probably need more spice. Hmm.

Pineapple upside-down cake - Finally, dessert! I don't generally make dessert because I am too lazy to be precise. But once in awhile, if I'm really inspired (or cheap), I'll make something because desserts cost too much. This looked simple enough and it really is. I mean, if I can do it, you might be able to do it, too. I had been researching about flour lately (who does that???) since I've been making the Jim Lahey no-knead bread. I wasn't sure if I should really use all-purpose or some other flour for the cake. Anyway, after finding out way too much info about flour, I decided to follow the sage advice from the internet and replaced a tablespoon of all-purpose flour per cup with a tablespoon of corn starch in order to reduce the gluten content (or some such silly thing in there). And you know what? The ever knowing internet was right, I guess. The cake turned out great. Of course, I haven't tried it with only all-purpose flour yet so who knows, maybe it's just as good with it. I don't usually take a lot of short-cuts (except for the corn above) but I did cheat and not grow and cultivate my own pineapple this time. I neatly stacked the canned pineapple rounds partially on top of each other. Turned out great, especially if you really like pineapples. Next time, I think I'll do the more traditional (boring) way and just lay them next to each other. I only need one can for that.

So that's it for the "last supper". It did turn out pretty well and everyone enjoyed their food and no one was harmed during dinner except for my oil burns. So I guess I can quantify this as a success?

Next up? Hmm, Thanksgiving pork (and no, I'm not talking about you ham!).