We hosted some friends for a dinner party this Friday. Given the weather, I’m glad they all lived very close! As I tend to forget these things I’m blogging the menu:
Appetizers:
- Rosemary/Lemon White Bean Dip
- Crostini
- Bias Cut Carrot Slices
- Maple Spiced Nuts (I added a bit of cayenne as well.)
Dinner:
Beef Tenderloin with Roquefort Sauce. From 150 Best American Recipes and oh so good. We forgot to add the creme fraiche to the sauce but it was so good I’m not sure it’s worth it to add the creme fraiche. I was nervous about cooking my first tenderloin and it turned out fabulous. Jim did most of the actual cooking on this one – so I can say that without blushing.
Wild Rice Pilaf (Gourmet Cookbook – a fine basic pilaf. Recipe said it served 8 and it would have served 12 easily)
Sauteed Red Kale with Pancetta (Adapated from Gourmet Cookbook Kale with Bacon)
For dessert we had Cranberry Poached Pears. I took the advice of one of the reviewers and added a bare touch of ground cloves. This was a nice, refreshing dessert after the rich tenderloin. We garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche and chopped toasted filberts. A sprig of mint would have have been nice.
Beth brought a great Casa la Postole Cabernet and I opened an ’05 Caymus Cab. The Caymus needed decanting and breathing and turned out fine after a few hours. I preferred the la Postole but they were both great with the beef.
