Seven Ladies and a Baby!

It was a gourmet miracle!  All seven GG's were together plus our newest addition to the group, Baby Henri at just 9 days old!  Congratulations Lara & Loic! We met at my (Bridget's) new place and all sat at one table (if you knew how small my former table was, you'd be impressed).  We started off the evening with appetizers by Lynley.  Jodi made a delicious Strawberry Wonton Salad (I've already re-created it for my family) and LS had a huge yeast success with her wonderful Artisan Bread.  Our main dish was Lemon Chicken Breasts (Barefoot Contessa).  We all commented on how we struggle with good chicken recipes, but this really was flavorful. Raquel brought a yummy side of Creamed Corn (Keeping Up Cookbook) and since Andrea had a rough afternoon in the kitchen, she treated us all to Nothing Bundt Cakes and homemade vanilla ice-cream. We had a wonderful evening together eating and planning our next gourmet adventure to The Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, TX!  Stay tuned for the best blog post yet!
Our table
Appetizers
 
 Strawberry Wonton Salad
 Dressing:
2 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
Mix together in blender until well blended.

1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cashews
melt sugar over stove, add nuts

1 large head of red leaf lettuce 
1 pkg fresh spinach, stems trimmed
1/3 cup bacon
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 purple onion (I prefer about 1/3 of the onion)
1 cup strawberries
15 wontons cut into thin strips (then fry)
1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese

  Artisan Bread
 

Creamy Corn
(Keeping Up Cookbook, page 114)
5 cups frozen white corn kernels
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)

Combine corn, cream, milk, sugar, salt, peppers, garlic and thyme in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce and simmer for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in flour.  Allow this mixture to  bubble and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add butter mixture to simmering corn and allow to simmer 3 more minutes.  Serve warm.

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