Foods with Booze

The theme for supper club this month was foods with booze in them. Yum! Ironically the girl bringing the drinking booze got caught in traffic and turned home so we didn't have any fancy drinks. Oh well. I love supper club.

Tequila Lime Shrimp (Shannon)

Beer Bread (me)
Sherry Roasted Root Vegetables (Nina)
Jack in the Beans (Gigi)
Amaretto Chicken (Sara)
Champagne Cake (Angela)

Supper Club - Chocolate

It was my turn to host supper club this month. I chose a chocolate theme...surprise! It was rich. It was decadent. It was delish. The Menu:

Drinks:
Chocolate Cake Martinis
Chocolate Wine

Appetizers:
Chocolate Covered Bacon
Crostini with Pears, Gorgonzola and Chocolate

Sides:
Roasted Parsnip with Vanilla Chocolate Soup (The crowd favorite. Yum!!!)
White Chocolate Risotto

Main Dish:
Spice Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mole Sauce

Dessert:
Too Much Chocolate Cake






My inspiration was the birthday meal in the movie Chocolat. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any recipes for a chocolate gravy, so I tried a mole recipe, but it wasn't exactly what I was going for. I decided to give the gravy another go tonight, but this time making it how I would make any other gravy. I started with a roux, that I made from butter, flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. I then added chicken broth (but next time I think I'd just use the turkey drippings if there are enough) and a few sprigs of thyme and let it cook down a little before adding some semi-sweet baking squares. It was pretty good for a first try, but I am pretty sure that I have some more experimenting to do.

Since the parsnip soup was the favorite, I've included the recipe.

Roasted Parsnip and Vanilla Chocolate Soup

Prep Time: 35 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 5 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves:6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds parsnips (about 4 or 5 large parsnips)

1/4 cup canola oil (2 tablespoons to brush on parsnips and 2 tablespoons to brush on bread for croutons)

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick or 1/2 cup)

1 large white onion, chopped

2 quarts chicken stock (Make sure that it's stock and not broth)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (preferably from real vanilla bean as opposed to artificial flavoring)

Salt and pepper

1 epee loaf French bread

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 cup vanilla white chocolate chips (recommended: Hershey's Premier White Chips)

1 cup heavy cream

1 fresh lemon or lime, halved crosswise (1/2 to squeeze into batch of soup and 1/2 to cut into wedges to serve to guests)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel parsnips, and cut into 1-inch chunks, brush lightly with oil and place on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Roast until the parsnips begin to soften (as tested with a knife blade) and until the tips begin to turn golden brown. This takes about 40 minutes. ( I have an electric oven and my parsnips were ready in 20 minutes so keep checking them) Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes while you start the other ingredients in the stockpot. (Leave oven on for toasting of croutons.)

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large stockpot and gently saute the onion until translucent. (This takes about 10 minutes, but the more important thing is that they look translucent.) Add the chicken stock, slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pot and add along with the vanilla pod itself. Increase heat to medium, add the roasted parsnips, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and let cook until the parsnips are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

Once you have the soup underway, toast the croutons in the oven which is already preheated to 400 degrees F. Cut the epee loaf into 3/4-inch thick slices. Brush the bread with oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet (important for cleanup purposes). Sift dark cocoa over the bread and toast briefly in the oven, just to make crispy. Remove and set aside.
Stir the white chocolate chips into the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, to allow them to melt and to integrate flavors.

Remove soup from heat, discard vanilla pod, and stir in heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Remember, when using an immersion blender, the blade end has to be immersed, or it will make a big mess.) Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice into the pot and stir to combine. (Note: If you hold the sliced end of the fresh lemon or lime against your palm while you squeeze in the juice, the seeds are likely to stay in the rind.)

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges and dark chocolate dusted croutons.

Supper Club - Caribbean

Angela hosted supper club this month. She is engaged to Neil who is Jamaican and chose the Caribbean theme as an opportunity to try out some new recipes and to celebrate their upcoming marriage in Cayman. So, the menu:
Drinks: Caribbean Sangria and Pineapple Mojitos
Appetizers: Tostones and Salt Cod Fritters
Main Dish: Chicken Fricasse
Sides: Yams (with lime zest and bananas), Rice and Peas, and Black-Eyed Peas in Coconut Milk
Dessert: Grand Marnier Cake





Here is the recipe for the Tostones:

3 large very green plantains
3 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic
4 teaspoons salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil

Directions:

Peel plantains and slice into 1 inch thick sections.
Place water, salt and garlic in a large baking pan.
Soak the plantain slices in the garlic mixture for 20 minutes.

Pour oil in a pan set at 365 degrees.
Fry plantains until they are golden brown on all sides.

Flatten each plantain between sheets of wax paper with a plate or the palm of your hand.
Dip flattened plantains into garlic mixture and place on a paper towl.
Place plantains into the oil once again and fry until crispy and golden brown.

Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Serve promptly after frying for best taste.