Après Fête: ribs

February 3, 2013

Winter Dinner. Food that was fun to serve.

For this family-style feast, I started with a food memory: a perfect bite. My mom and I had dinner at Prune in NYC ten plus years ago and ordered an appetizer recommended by our waitress. A plate with boquerones (aka white anchovies), shaved celery, marcona almonds and a drizzle of olive oil. I had never had a marcona almond, nor a cured anchovy, and the combination blew my mind. The plate had texture, acid, surprise and I've never forgotten it. So it was exciting to put the elements together, with a little fennel, atop a grilled piece of bread. Once I figured out the bruschetta, the rest of the menu fell into place. Ribs in the winter felt fun and chocolate pots de creme are always a perfect finish.

The Menu

sips

serrano margaritas

snacks

gherkins & curry pickled carrots

radish & butter tea sandwiches

duck prosciutto, finocchiona & soppressata

to savor & amuse

pacific gold oysters with champagne mignonette

to start

little gems with garlicky lemon vinaigrette

fennel, celery, boquerones & marcona almond bruschetta

fresh ricotta, pickled mushroom & shallot bruschetta

to share

baby back ribs with balsamic espresso bbq sauce

andouille sausage

creamy rosemary polenta

brussel sprouts with kimchi sausage

wilted kale with chili & citrus

sweet

dark chocolate pots de creme

August 1, 2011

Gingham in Venice

Is it really the end of August? Where did the summer go? For me, it was spent making parties. So many that I forgot to blog about them! Now it's catch up time and this gingham-heavy birthday party was one of my favorites. Our creative friend Shepherd wanted to throw his wife a surprise party with the following inspirations: gingham, picnic, Alabama, and catching fireflies in jars. We went nuts. Amy, who is historically afraid to dabble in color, reluctantly embraced all things red & white--with amazing results. She planted daisies in galvanized bins and mason jars, tied mini tabasco bottles to place cards and made use of a picture of the birthday girl in a grade school photo wearing gingham (how lucky is that?). This table really does scream fun and instantly put guests in a cheerful mood. We started with cocktails and appetizers inside where Amy and I may have eaten more corn nuts than the rest of the guests combined. My friend Deirdre, who lives in the South, swears by pimiento cheese, so it made its way onto cucumber rounds with a green olive garnish. Outside, the menu was classic bbq comfort foods. Many people have asked me for recipes (which I rarely use and need to learn how to write) so I've linked to two of my favorites below: the espresso baby back ribs and Martha Stewart's mac and cheese. Both are heavenly. This post reminds me where the summer went: eating good food, in pretty places with good people.