The food
Really the most important part of a dinner party!
We usually start in the living room
(sometimes in spring or fall we'll start on the porch)
with a welcoming glass of wine
or a cocktail
And a nibbly
Tonight it was pastry cups filled with chicken salad
And for a tart tang, a lemon verbena leaf
(And there was one left when we went in to dinner.
I looked up at Doogie was standing by the coffee table looking longingly at that lone nibble,
then he looked in the dining room, we made eye contact and he walked away.
When our guests said goodnight, there was nothing left on the plate.
Sometime during the evening, he went back, checked and noticed that we were not paying attention
and took his prize!)
(And there was one left when we went in to dinner.
I looked up at Doogie was standing by the coffee table looking longingly at that lone nibble,
then he looked in the dining room, we made eye contact and he walked away.
When our guests said goodnight, there was nothing left on the plate.
Sometime during the evening, he went back, checked and noticed that we were not paying attention
and took his prize!)
Europeans often have soup to start a meal
And since it was "Oktoberfest, Part Deux"
we included a bowl as well
Creamy carrot and roasted red pepper
Not traditional European soup
For they're not big on corn
But a good soup for a fall evening
Garnished with thinly sliced green onions
The star of the show --
a slow roasted pork loin
And sauerkraut cooked with
True "Dutch" food for sure!
The pork prepared simply with salt, and pepper and browned on all sides
An onion and sprigs of thyme in the pot and slow roasted most of the afternoon.
The sauerkraut added about an hour before dinner
to absorb all those delicious pork juices!
And always potatoes
Mashed
A little chunky
With milk and butter
And fresh from the oven
popovers
And of course the start of any meal is dessert
One of our guests adores lemon
A lemon schaum torte
I think of it as an upside down lemon meringue pie
Meringue, lemon filling and topped with whipped cream
and garnished with blueberries
Everyone remembers dessert!
Served, of course, with coffee
LEMON SCHAUM TORTE
Meringue Shell
3 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
3/4 c. sugar
Filling and Topping
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 T. butter
1 t. grated lemon peel
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 c. whipping cream
Heat oven to 275°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or heavy brown paper. In medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy. Do not underbeat. On cookie sheet, shape meringue into 9-inch round with back of spoon, building up side.
Bake 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off oven; leave meringue in oven with door closed 1 hour. Finish cooling at room temperature, about 2 hours.
In 2-quart saucepan, mix 3/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat.
Stir in butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Press plastic wrap onto surface to keep it from drying out. Cool to room temperature. Spoon into meringue shell. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread over filling. Refrigerate until serving. Store in refrigerator.
It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.
4 comments:
I ask again..where is the beer? It is Oktoberfest after all....
Dogs are wonderful sneak-thieves are they not. My hunting dogs will pull the same type of stunt if not watched carefully when company is in and appetizers are out
It all looks wonderful! Fabulous meal and would love to sit down to this. I put sour cream in my mashed potatoes and a little garlic. Going home to left over chili, jalapeno cornbread and choc chip cookies.
Lovely! This torte is essentially what my mother used to make and call Angel Pie. She made it in a glass pie pan. It's from one of the old Joy of cooking books, the one with a sort of light blue and white diagonal design on the cover. It's what I always asked for for my birthday. (I'm glad your dog got his treat!)
I probably would have run with that bowl of mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm. Your meals are always tempting and love that you always use such beautiful china. Deb
Post a Comment