Cake Dinner

Hosts: John and Monique

Appetizers:

            Pate Cake with Black Mission Figs and Walnuts

            Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Fresh Chevre Torte

            Wines: Jean and Dale

                        Dorte and Mark

Salad:

            Salad with Mini-Blue Cheese Cake and Port Reduction

            Wines: Peggy and Doug

Main Course:

            Trio of ‘cakes’

*Smoked Shrimp Cakes with Roasted Corn and Poblano Relish and Cilantro Vinaigrette

*Etta’s Dungeness Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade Sauce and Green Cocktail Sauce

*Chayote Succotash Cakes

Sweet Potato Gratin

            Wines: Jean and Dale

                        Peggy and Doug

Dessert:

            Individual Lady Baltimore Toasted Coconut Layer Cakes

            Wines: Dorte and Mark

Below is the recipe….some notes:

1.       I used Madeira for the wine to soak the figs in; I quartered them before putting them in the wine (I see I was supposed to do that after – ooops); also I didn’t bother draining them after.

2.       The first time we made this we used the full amount of butter – it was extremely buttery – almost too much so (for us)…when we made it the second time (for Sat) we cut down to 1 ¼ sticks of butter.

Chicken Liver Pâté with Figs and Walnuts

 Bon Appétit | September 1999

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed 1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 small onion, thinly sliced cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon Cognac 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 cup dry red wine 3/4 cup dried black Mission figs 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts Fresh chives (for garnish) Red leaf lettuce (for garnish) 1 French-bread baguette, sliced, toasted

Spray 3-cup soufflé dish or terrine with vegetable oil spray. Line dish with plastic wrap; spray plastic. Combine chicken livers, broth and onion in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer until livers are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain cooking liquid; transfer chicken livers and onion to processor. Add butter, Cognac and salt to processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.

Bring wine to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add figs. Let stand until figs soften, about 15 minutes. Drain wine. Quarter figs. (Pâté and figs can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep pâté refrigerated. Transfer figs to small bowl; cover and refrigerate.)

Unmold pâté onto platter. Press walnuts onto sides of pâté. Garnish top with chives and some figs. Arrange lettuce on platter with pâté. Place remaining figs atop lettuce. Serve with toasts.

Lavender Dinner

Hosts: Mark and Dorte

Lavender Dinner

Friday, August 22^nd

Appetizers

Dried Apricots with Lavender Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Ligurian Focaccia with Caramelized Onions and Olive Tapenade

Wine Request

2006 Steele Mendocino Chardonnay DuPratt Vineyard, Susan & Joe

Foss Marai Cuvee, Mark & Dorte

Soup

Butternut Squash Bisque with Lavender Cider Cream

Wine Request

2006 P Ferraud & Fils, Saint-Veran, John & Monique

2006 Smasne Cellars Bunkhouse White, Yakima Valley, Doug & Peggy

Main Course

Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender

Herbed Rice Pilaf

Lavender Lemon Buttered Carrots

Wine Request

2003 Lowden Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Pepper Bridge Vineyard.

Doug & Peggy

2003 Isenhower Wild Alfalfa Syrah, Columbia Valley, Dale & Jean

2005 Waters Forgotten Hills Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Susan & Joe

Dessert

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Topped with Chocolate Lavender Brownies

Wine Requests

2006 Trio Vintners Zinfandel, Semi-Sweet Dessert Wine, Wahluke Slope, Dale & Jean

2000 Cockburns Vintage Port, John & Monique

Malbec Tasting

Host: Dale and Jean

Malbec Before:

Malbec After: 

Malbec: An Evening to Taste, Compare and Enjoy

We will compare six Malbecs (with six glasses each) in a side by side, blind tasting: two each from Cahors, Argentina and Washington State.  Glassware trinkets will match stocking-covered bottle trinkets to help avoid confusion.  Scoring cards will help us compare color, general appearance, bouquet, flavor, weight and overall impression. 

To “enliven our palates,” we will start the evening with a Torrontes accompanied by a light appetizer.  Torrontes is described as the “symbolic white grape of Argentina.”  I was told that an evening of Malbec tasting simply had to include a Torrontes. 

Although we plan to sit around the dinner table during this event, we will complement the Malbecs with “finger foods” allowing everyone (including the hosts) to concentrate on the wines distinct personalities.  We have chosen more robustly flavored foods to complement the full-flavored Malbecs. 

The menu will include the following:

Ceasar Salad Spring Rolls

Proscuitto Rolls with Arugula, Goat Cheese and Figs

Polenta “Pizzas”

Picadillo Empanadas with Mango/Pineapple Salsa

Chorizo/Sweet Potato WonTon Cups

Macrina’s Almond Cake with Light Chocolate Cream and Raspberries

Fondue Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Classic Swiss Fondue with a Twist—Emmentaler and gruyere cheeses with carmelized shallots. 

Wine:  A dry crisp white perhaps?  As background, the Swiss used to use Neuchatel wine in the fondue, which is described as dry, pale gold, light-bodied, lively, crisp.  These days they use the most available local wine.  I assume this also goes for wine to drink with the fondue.

(Monique and John) 

Cilantro Clam Broth with Seafood—

Wine:   Dry white again suggested…

(Jean and Dale)

Roasted Pear and Radicchio Salad with Gorgonzola Cream and Toasted Hazelnuts

Wine:   Who in the heck knows…

(Monique and John)

Mixed Grill Fondue—Hot oil fondue—lamb, beef tenderloin and one other as yet to be determined meat.  Side dish—potato gratin.

Wine:  Something like a Burgundy—at least that’s the traditional choice—it’s open though—let’s say “red.”

(Jean and Dale--Dorte and Mark)

Fondue Chocolat-Noisette—Bittersweet chocolate fondue with hazelnuts.

            Wine:  You’re the experts.

             (Dorte and Mark)