I’m down in Phoenix for the week on Spring Break visiting my parents, and my mother and I have started this tradition of inviting people over each time I’m down to dazzle them with our culinary skills. I’d say I get 50% of my culinary inclination from my mum, and the other 50% from my stepmom, and when I’m with either of them we inevitably do a lot of cooking.
The menu this time around was as follows:
Crostini Appetizer
Appetizer: truffle oil-brushed crostini with pear, brie, basil, and drizzled with pomegranate molasses
Roasted Butternut Squash Thai Curry Soup
Soup: Roasted butter nut squash, sweet potato soup with red thai curry paste, coconut milk, smoked turkey stock, and crushed peanuts and cilantro garnish. Served with a wedge of lime and garlic basil flatbread. Adapted from the recipe found here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/09/thai-curry-butternut-squash-soup/#_a5y_p=1293175
Filet Mignon with Red Wine Demi Glace, Sweet Potato Chips, Caprese Salad
Main: For the main, we grilled bacon-wrapped tenderloin, and topped with an oyster mushroom red wine demi glace (red wine, malt vinegar, sugar, rosemary, beef stock, sauteed oyster mushrooms). We served the steak with sides of sweet potato chips (sliced thinly on the mandolin and baked in the oven) and personal caprese salads (idea adapted from my pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/526850856377700142/).
Mini Lemon Meringues
Dessert: Mini lemon meringes – crushed Nilla Wafer in the bottom of the cup, lemon pie filling and meringue topping found here: http://www.food.com/recipe/the-ultimate-lemon-meringue-pie-63712; to toast the meringue topping we went out and bought a kitchen torch, then garnished with some grated lemon zest.
