Tonight the girls and I cooked a South American feast for the Composer's parents and their friends--it was their lately-redeemed Christmas gift, a catered dinner! Fortunately for us, they chose to come to our house, so cooking and serving was much simpler than it could have been.
South American Feast:
Brochetas de Salmon y Piña (salmon and pineapple skewers)
Beef Tenderloin with Chimichurri Sauce
Ensalada de Papas con Chimichurri (potato salad with Argentinian chimichurri sauce)
Tort de Choclo (Colombian fresh corn souffle)
Couve a Mineira (garlicky collard greens)
Crema volteada (flan, with strawberries and blackberries)
It was fun putting together such an exotic menu (I broke the cardinal rule of entertaining and cooked things I'd never tried before!), and I did it all by looking at South American Food for ideas and recipes.
The diners were several couples who celebrate their birthdays together, so by special request the evening ended with a command performance from Bella: her special Show-Off Arrangement of Happy Birthday, with a lot of sustained high notes. Perfect!
Very adventurous! South American food has had quite a surge in popularity here in the last year or so. I take it the repertoire will expand to include Peruvian dishes once the traveller returns?
ReplyDeleteHow fun! It all sounds delicious! And I'm sure Bella singing was delightful!
ReplyDeleteChristina
That's a great idea for a Christmas gift! We need an updated video of Miss Bella singing, please!
ReplyDeleteI know how much you love Alabama Chanin style, and wanted to show you this conference I found where you can have a two hour session with Natalie Chanin herself! I just thought of you when I saw it.
ReplyDeleteLink: http://southernmakers.com/workshops/
Your dinner sounds fabulous!
Yum!!!!
ReplyDeleteI break that 'make it before you serve it' rule all the time. Sometimes to my chagrin, but it usually works out fine.
It sounds like a perfect birthday dinner to me, including Bella's gift.
Ooh, just wondering where the video link to Bella's performance is. It is so wonderful she blesses others with her gift.
ReplyDeleteI love how multicultural this dinner menu is, incorporating different S. American dishes. I suggest y'all give Peruvian food a try, it's the most ethnically diverse culture, and is reflected in its foods!
ReplyDelete