Appetizer

Poached oysters and artichokes with champagne cream
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 4 servings.

We used jarred oysters to save money on this recipe, and I wouldn't recommend it. They were unpredictably gigantic and mostly scared the crap out of our guests. That said, the jarred artichoke bases were way better than wasting and preparing the artichokes ourselves. The original recipe called for about an hour of preparation and wasting 90% of the artichoke, including the heart. The end result was very nice, but the size of the oysters were intimidating. Do it with smaller, fresher oysters and it should turn out great.i

ingredients
For artichoke bottoms

• 1 cans artichoke bases
  

For spinach

• 1 1/2 lb spinach (2 bunches), stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot (1 small)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste for oysters and sauce

For oysters and sauce

• 2 jars large, shucked oysters
  
• 1 cup Champagne or other sparkling white wine
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot (1 small)
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

preparation

1. Put 1 inch of water in a 3- to 4-quart pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add spinach, 1 handful at a time, stirring with tongs, and cooking until all spinach is wilted. Drain spinach in a colander and press firmly with back of a large spoon to remove excess liquid.
2. Cook shallot in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Keep warm, covered. Spinach can be cooked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat in a small baking dish, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Pour oyster juice into a nonreactive 8-inch heavy skillet and add Champagne, shallot, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil, skimming foam, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. (Reduce heat if necessary to keep from boiling over.) Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing on and then discarding shallot. Return liquid to skillet, then add cream and oysters and cook over moderate heat, turning oysters over if not completely covered, until edges curl, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. To assemble dish and finish sauce transfer artichoke bottoms with tongs to paper towels to drain, arranging them upside down. Transfer to plates, turning them right side up, then top with spinach. Arrange oysters on top of spinach, lifting them out of sauce with a slotted spoon.
5. Boil sauce until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter, then chives, and swirl skillet until butter is incorporated. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over oysters.

Bread

honey-butter french bread
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes two 9-inch loaves.

This bread turned out good, but was not exceptional. We wished it had more honey or more French flavor. I guess we are still learning...

ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 5 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour
• preparation

directions

1. Mix 1/4 cup warm water and sugar in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix in butter, salt and honey. Using wooden spoon, stir in 4 cups flour.
2. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form dough into ball. Butter large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then with clean towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each dough piece between hands and work surface into 9-inch-long loaf. Transfer loaves to baking sheet. Cover with plastic, then with towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
4. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Make 5 diagonal slashes crosswise in surface of each loaf. Lightly brush water over tops and sides of loaves. Bake loaves 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with water. Continue baking until loaves are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Dinner

barely cooked salmon with parmesan polenta and mushroom consomme
based on the recipe by Epicurious.com
Makes 6 servings.

This dish turned out a delightful, delicate flavor, and the mushrooms were the real star. We used way more Parmesan than the recipe called for, and had a little bit too much salmon. Also, we wsihed we had salted the salmon a bit more, but in the end, we were all happy!

ingredients

• 1 pound button mushrooms
• 10 cups water
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 pound oyster mushrooms
  
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 7 to 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup instant polenta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• One 2 1/2-pound salmon fillet

preparation

1. Place the button mushrooms in a pan, cover with 8 cups of the water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 hours.
2. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the mushrooms to release the liquid. You should have at least 2 cups mushroom stock. Season to taste withy salt and pepper. Pour into a saucepan and set aside. (The stock can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month.)
3. Trim the gyromitre or morel mushrooms, discarding the stems, and halve them. Because these mushrooms can be particularly sandy, soak them in cold water to remove any dirt. Lift out of the water, rinse, and repeat two more times.
4. Heat the canola oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and have given up their liquid, but are not dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and the parsley and toss to incorporate. Set the pan aside.
5. Bring the milk, the remaining 2 cups water, and 4 tablespoons of the butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer. Whisking constantly, slowly add the polenta, continuing to whisk until the polenta is completely incorporated. Cook for 5 minutes. The polenta will be very thin. Add the Parmesan and stir to incorporate. Set the pan aside.
6. Cut the salmon crosswise into 1-inch slices. Pull the ends of each side together, as if you were closing a book, and secure with a toothpick. In a flameproof shallow casserole large enough to accommodate all the salmon fillets, bring 1/4 inch of generously salted water to a simmer. Season each fillet on both sides with salt and pepper and add to the casserole. Gently poach for 3 to 5 minutes, until the salmon is warm to the touch on top, but still quite rare on top and inside.
7. Meanwhile, gently reheat the mushroom broth, the wild mushrooms, and polenta. If the mushrooms are dry, add another tablespoon of butter and a bit of water to moisten.
8. To serve, spoon a circle of polenta into the center of each plate. Spoon 1/4 cup of the mushroom broth around each polenta circle. Place 2 salmon fillets on each bed of polenta and spoon the mushrooms over the salmon. Serve immediately.

Dessert

chocolate ravioli in bittersweet chocolate sauce
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 6 servings.
These ravioli are amazingly delicious. It makes way too much filling, so you may want to cut down the ingredients a bit. Also, we made them a day ahead and refrigerated them thinking it would save us some time. Instead, we had one giant ravioli as the filling deteriorates the pasta dough. Might have worked if we froze them. Even still, they tasted phenomenal!

ingredients
THE PASTA DOUGH

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs

THE CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM FILLING

• 3 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp Chambrod, raspberry liquor
  

THE SAUCE

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

THE POACHING LIQUID
8 cups water
2 cups sugar

preparation

1. For the pasta dough, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and place the eggs in the well. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the eggs into the flour, until all the eggs have been absorbed. Transfer the dough to a work surface and, using the palm of your hand, lightly knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a little flour on the kneading surface. The dough is ready if, when you make an impression in it with the tip of your finger, the dough bounces back. Shape into a disk and tightly wrap in plastic film. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and vanilla bean. Place over high heat and bring to a boil (be careful not to scorch the milk). Meanwhile, using a whisk, in a medium bowl, whip the sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch and whisk to dissolve any lumps.
3. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and discard. Temper the egg yolk mixture by pouring a little of the steaming milk into the yolks, whisking to incorporate. Whisk the egg yolks into the remaining milk in the pan, set the pan over medium heat, and whisk quickly and constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, then whisk for another minute. Add the butter and stir until incorporated. Transfer the pastry cream to a storage container and place plastic wrap directly against the cream to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate until fully chilled, about 2 hours.
4. Once the pastry cream has chilled, place the hazelnut chocolate in a microwave-safe container and microwave on high for 1 minute; or melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir. Heat the chocolate for another minute, remove, and stir to melt the remaining chocolate. Add to the pastry cream and chambrod and stir to incorporate. Return to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Divide the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Using a pasta machine, one at a time, roll out each piece from the widest to the thinnest setting. Keep the remaining dough covered to prevent it from drying out.
6. To make the ravioli, dust a work surface with flour. Place one pasta sheet on the work surface. Starting about 2 inches from one end, place a teaspoon of filling every 4 inches down the pasta strip, ending about 2 inches from the other end of the strip. Brush the pasta dough with water, fold the dough over, and press to seal, being careful not to trap air inside the ravioli (or they will burst during cooking). Cut the ravioli into half-moons using a cookie cutter or pastry wheel. Press the edges together and squeeze to make the edges of the dough as thin as possible. Set the finished ravioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment and sprinkled with flour, to prevent sticking. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should get at least 24 ravioli. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
7. For the sauce, bring the heavy cream, milk, and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until melted. Add the butter and stir to incorporate.
8. To cook the ravioli, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large pot and boil until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ravioli to the pot and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, gently reheat the chocolate sauce.
10. To serve, remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon, letting the excess liquid drain, and arrange 4 ravioli on each plate. Drizzle the sauce over each plate. Serve immediately.

Delicious Details

Southern Heart Attack
Guests:

9

Appetizer:

Fried Pickles (Recipe)
Yep, we never heard of them either. In lieu of Fried Greed Tomatoes, which apparently aren't available in our neck of the woods, we have opted for another southern tradition made famous by Bernell "Fatman" Austin in 1963 at the Duchess Drive In located in Atkins, Arkansas.

Bread:

Piping Hot Hush Puppies (Recipe)
Don't worry, no puppies were harmed in the making of this dish, but as long as we were heating enough grease for the pickles, we though we may as well use up the rest of it!

Main Course:

Buttermilk Fried Chicken (Recipe)
With more variations than we could read through, we settled on a recipe with lots of fresh herbs, and 24-hours of marination.

Side Dish:

Green Beans (Recipe)
A vegetable every now and then never hurt anybody.
Orgasmic Mac 'n' Cheese
Elbow macaroni smoothered in a bechamel made up of parmigiano reggiano, chevre and cheddar, with sauteed crimini and shitake mushrooms mixed in, topped with white truffle oil and a crunchy panko crust, this is no blue-box mac n cheese.

Dessert:

Bread Pudding with a Whiskey Sauce (Recipe)
What better way to use a dozen eggs and a quart of heavy cream? This bread pudding features french bread drowned in a creamy custard, baked slowly over three hours in a water bath and will be topped with a drunken whiskey sauce.

Music:

Miscellaneous Southern Tunes

Board Game:

Pictionary Telephone (see photo)

Appetizer

Fried Pickles
(based on the recipe by Wikipedia)

Ingredients

• 1 Egg, beaten
  
• 1 c Milk
  
• 1 tbsp Flour
  
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 6 drops Hot Sauce
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 3/4 tsp Pepper
• 3 1/2 c Flour
• 10 oz jar Pickle Spears
  
• Dried dill
  
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
   
2. Combine the egg, milk, flour, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce in a bowl, stirring well. Set aside.
   
3. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring well.
   
4. Dip pickles in milk mixture and dredge in flour mixture, repeat process. Deep fry in oil, until pickles float to surface and are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with Dried dill to your liking.

Serves 8

Bread

Pipping Hot Hush Puppies
(based on the recipe from the Chitterling Site)

Ingredients

• 2 c Yellow Corn Meal
• 1 c Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 c Buttermilk
• 3/4 tsp Seasoning Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2/3 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tbsp Bacon Grease
• 3/4 c Honey
• Frying Oil
  

Instructions

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Stir until well combined.
2. Add enough oil to the pan to be 3 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Drop your hush puppies in using a table spoon. Allow them to brown on all sides. They will float when done.

Serves 10

Main Dish

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
(based on the recipe from Foodnetwork)

Ingredients

• 2 (3 pound) Fryers, cut into pieces
• 3 c Buttermilk
• 9 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 1 large Onion, sliced
• 1 c Herbs (Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme), fresh, mixed, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 c Flour
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  
• Salt
  
• Pepper
• 3 c Shortening, butter flavor

Instructions

1. In a large ziplock bag, combine chicken, buttermilk, garlic, onions, herbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
   
2. Heat 3 cups shortening in large frying pan until 350 degrees.
3. Drain in colander, leaving some herbs on chicken. In a large bag, mix flour with seasonings. Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake, let sit 1 minute, then shake again.
   
4. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on 1 side for 20 minutes, then turn to finish.

Serves 8

Side Dishes

Green Beans
In the store I found these new, nifty things in the Ziploc section called Zip n Steam which allow you to steam veggies in the microwave. My first thought was, "Great, a new way to create waste in our world." My second thought was, "Well, it's on sale." They turned out to be amazing. With super instructions right on the bag, and the fastest cooking times, even we couldn't mess things up. I highly recommend them!

Ingredients

• Zip n Steam Bags
• Green Beans
• Salt
• Butter

Instructions

1. Wash desired amount of green beans and cut off ends.
   
2. Put green beans in Zip n Steam Bag. Add salt. Follow instructions on bag for microwaving times.
3. Empty bag into serving bowl. Smoother in butter. Serve.

Orgasmic Mac 'n' Cheese
(based on the recipe from what we're eating)
The hunt for a great Mac 'n' Cheese recipe was long and hard, but this one looked the best, hands down.

Ingredients

• 2 c Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 c Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp Bacon Grease
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 3 1/2 c Milk, warmed
  
• 4 oz Herb Chevre, crumbled
• 4 oz Sharp Cheddar, shredded
• 6 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded, divided
• 1 tbsp Thyme, fresh, minced
• 2 tsp Rosemary, fresh, minced
• 1 tsp Sage, fresh, minced
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 tbsp White Truffle Oil
• 1 c Panko
• 12 oz Elbow Macaroni
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large pot of water over high heat and cover. Place a large saute pan with bacon grease over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for 7-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and slightly caramelized. Toss or stir occasionally. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper then deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar. Allow all of the vinegar to cook out, then remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Once all the butter is melted and hot, whisk in flour. Cook the flour, whisking, for about 30 seconds. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and allow the herbs to saute for about another 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously, so the roux and milk incorporate smoothly and there are no lumps. Allow the bechamel to come to a simmer (it won’t gain it’s full thickness until it does), stirring occassionally.

3. While waiting for the sauce to come to a simmer start the pasta. Liberally salt the pot of boiling water, almost to the point it tastes like sea water. Add the pasta to the water and cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the suggested time on the box.

4. Once the bechamel has reached a simmer, stir in the chevre, cheddar, 3oz of parmigiano, and truffle oil until all the cheese has melted. Turn off the heat and and taste the sauce for seasoning levels. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. In small mixing bowl, mix together the panko and remaining 3oz of parmigiano reggiano.

5. Strain the pasta immediately once finished cooking. In a mixing bowl, toss the pasta, cheese sauce, and mushrooms together. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a deep glass or ceramic loaf pan and sprinkle the panko/parmigiano mixture evenly across the top. Bake the mac-n-cheese in the upper part of the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the topping is golden and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
   

Serves 8

Dessert

Bread Pudding with a Whiskey Sauce
(based on the recipe from NOLA Cuisine)
We should have chopped the bread into slightly smaller pieces, and used slightly less bread as well, but otherwise this was yummy. The sauce made this dish!

Ingredients

• 2 c Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
  
• Pinch of Salt
• 13 Eggs
• 3 c Heavy Cream
• 1 c Milk
• 2 tbsp Vanilla
• 2 loaves of French Bread, cubed
• 1 tbsp Butter

• 2 tsp Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp Water
• 1 1/2 c Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/3 c Jack Daniels
  
• 1/3 c Sugar

Bread Pudding Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, then whisk in the cream, milk and vanilla extract. Add contents from the small mixing bowl. Fold in the bread cubes being sure to not break them up too much.
4. Place the prepared mixture into the cake pan, cover with foil and place the cake pan into a larger pan, sufficient enough to allow for a water bath which will cover the smaller pan by half way.
5. Place the pans into the oven and bake for 2 hours. Remove the foil and raise the temperature to 300 degrees for 1 hour more or until the top of the pudding is golden brown. The finished pudding should be slightly firm, while moist, but not runny.
6. Serve warm, topped with Whiskey Sauce (instructions below)
   

Whiskey Sauce Instructions

1. Mix together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
   
2. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. While boiling slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
3. When the sauce is thickened remove from the heat and add the vanilla, bourbon and sugar. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Serves 8