Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Menu planning

When I'm bored, I fantasize about either travel or food (go figure). Sometimes this takes the form of elaborate itinerary planning ("What's on sale this week? Hmmm...roundtrip flights to South Africa are on sale...Where would I go/eat/sleep if I flew to South Africa right now?") and sometimes I just plan elaborate dinner party menus in my head.

Fortunately, this week, I can plan a dinner party menu that is not in fact imaginary. Two very old and very dear friends will be visiting in a couple of weeks, and I'm pretty sure it'll be the first time they've laid eyes on each other in...12 years? 13? Far too long. So in their honor, I'm throwing a dinner. Here's what I've got so far:

Cocktail: bacon-infused bourbon (This is a good reason to try out that recipe!)

App: Proscuitto with peaches, sweet onion salad, and zinfandel dressing
Wine: Riesling

Dinner: some sort of slow-roasted pork shoulder, possibly sweet-tea cured
Gorgonzola/polenta cylinders
Braised rainbow chard
Wine: undetermined

Dessert: Fresh butter pecan ice cream, with a shot of bourbon or calvados poured over it. Or possibly a dried apricot/pistachio ice cream.

Feel free to invite yourselves over. The more, the merrier!

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