Memory Of A Past Party

This past Sunday, on my daily walk, I ran into a couple who I catered parties for before I retired.  After spending about half an hour talking I went on my way and began reminiscing about the parties I did for them in the past.  My first party for this wonderful couple, married nearly 50 years, was a party for 80 of their friends, all members of their club.  I still have a copy of the menu and thought I would share it with you.  This party took place in April, 2004.  WOW!!!  The time sure does fly.

What I remember mostly about this party was the wonderful time everyone had and how much they enjoyed the food.  The couple hosting the party were the youngest people there so pretty many of the guests were in their 70’s and 80’s.  The drinks were flowing, the food was enjoyed with gusto and the party went late into the night.  It was a beautiful Spring night in South Florida so the outdoor setting by the pool with a  backdrop of the Intracoastal was beyond spectacular.

After the party that night I went on to cater several more parties for them and members of their family.  They also were guests at many other parties I catered.  We have managed to stayed in touch through my blog and I know that the cook of this dynamic duo is a loyal reader and has made several of my recipes posted on this blog with great results.

Thank you for the memories of parties gone by.

Here is the menu and two of the recipes I prepared on April 4, 2004.  Enjoy!

Passed Hors d’oeuvres

Mini Parmesan Baskets Filled with Herbed Goat Cheese Mousse

Maryland Crab Cakes Served with Traditional Remolaude Sauce

Kalamata Olive Tapenade Served on Toasted Garlic Crostini

Crispy Phyllo Filled with Wild Mushrooms, Scallions, Fresh Herbs

Bite Size Potato Pancakes Topped with Corn Relish and Crème Fraiche 

Dinner Buffet

Beautiful Field Greens Salad, Granny Smith Apples, Toasted Pecans, Gorgonzola Cheese, Roasted Apple Vinaigrette 

Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp, Tri Color Peppers, Plum Tomatoes and Fresh Fennel, Served with Pernod-Garlic Butter Sauce

Boneless Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Dried Fruit, Shallots, Watercress and Fresh Bread Crumbs, Served with Pan Sauce

Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak, Grilled Onions, Horseradish Sour Cream

Roasted New Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Saffron Orzo Pasta with Sweet Baby Peas

 Grilled Asparagus Drizzled with XVOO and Fresh Lemon Juice

Assorted Country Style Breads and Rolls

Dessert

Rich and Delicious Chocolate Torte, White Chocolate Whipped Cream

Pear Tart Frangipane, Caramel Sauce, Home Made Vanilla Bean Gelato

Key Lime Tart Topped with Italian Meringue

Roasted Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Dried Fruit, Shallots and Watercress

Here is a recipe for lamb that I love.  It’s a beautiful dish not only in flavor but also in presentation.  The sweet and savory filling looks great and the flavor compliments the subtle semi-gamey taste of the lamb.

Ask your butcher to remove the bone and gland and to butterfly the leg for you.  Discard the gland (the butcher will do this for you) and use the bone to make your stock.

The lamb stock for the sauce can be made the day before along with the stuffing and the marinating of the leg of lamb.

Serves 6 – 8

Preparing the Lamb for Marinating

1          6-7 Pound Leg of Lamb, Bone Removed and Butterflied

¾         Cup XVOO

12       Roasted Garlic Cloves, Smashed (Recipe Follows)

1          Bunch Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, Rinsed

1          Bunch Fresh Oregano, Rinsed

4          Sprigs Fresh Rosemary, Rinsed

2          Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Stuffing

1          Cup Dried Cranberries

1          Cup Dried Apricots, Finely Diced

½         Cup Dried Golden Figs, Finely Diced

½         Cup Dried Mission Figs, Finely Diced

½         Cup Golden Raisins

1          Cup Madeira Wine

2          Cups Water

1          Cup Shallots, Peeled and Sliced

4          Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

3          Cups Fresh Bread Crumbs, Chunky NOT Fine

½         Cup XVOO

2          Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

1          Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2          Bunches Watercress, Large Stems Removed (About 8 Ounces)

For Roasting the Lamb

2          Teaspoons Coarse Sea Salt

1           Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

6          Carrots, Cut Into Large Chunks

6          Celery Stalks, Cut Into Large Chunks

1          Large Onion, Cut Into Large Chunks

All of the Reserved Herbs Used for Marinating the Meat

The Rest of the Liquid from Re-Hydrating the Dried Fruit

A Few Tablespoons XVOO

2         Teaspoons Coarse Sea Salt

1          Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Lamb Sauce (Recipe Follows)

Lay the leg of lamb on a board lined with plastic wrap with the meat cut side up (Photo #1).  Place a piece of plastic wrap over the meat and with a meat mallet pound the meat to even out the thickness of the surface.  Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the freshly ground black pepper, rub in the XVOO and smashed roasted garlic.  Lay most of the assortment of herbs on top of the meat and fold the meat over as if closing a book (Photos #2 and #3).  Place the meat in a non-reactive dish, or pan, and rub the outside with any of the left over XVOO.  Sprinkle with 1 more teaspoon of pepper and lay the rest of the herbs on top.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In a medium large saucepan combine the dried fruit with the Madeira wine and the water.  Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low and slowly simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool before draining.  Drain the fruit and set aside.  Reserve the liquid.

Melt the butter in small sauté pan over medium heat.  Once the butter becomes hot and bubbly, add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the re-hydrated dried fruit, breadcrumbs, XVOO, shallots with the butter, salt and pepper and thoroughly combine.  Add half of the reserved dried fruit liquid and the watercress and once again combine.  Cover and refrigerate overnight (Photo #4).

After marinating the lamb overnight remove it and the stuffing from the refrigerator and lay the leg of lamb cut side up.  Remove the herbs and season with sea salt.  Evenly spread the dried fruit mixture over the cut side of the meat (Photo #5).  Roll the meat into the leg shape and tie with butcher’s twine every two inches.  Bring the twine completely around the meat length wise to secure the ends (Photo #6).

Preheat oven to 400° with the rack in the lower third of the oven.

Sprinkle the meat all over with the salt and pepper and place the meat in a roasting pan on top of the cut up carrots, onion and celery stalks, the herbs used to marinate the lamb overnight, the reserved liquid from the dried fruit and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of XVOO (Photo #7).  Roast the leg of lamb for 1 hour and 30 minutes for medium or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the Leg registers 140°.

Remove from the oven and transfer the meat to a platter.  Let stand for at least 30 minutes loosely covered with foil.  The Leg will continue to cook and reach 145° for medium.

Slice the meat into medium-thick slices and ladle some of the lamb sauce over each serving.

Hints and Tips:  Cover the meat lightly with foil to keep warm for up to an hour keeping in mind it will continue to cook.  This is a great way to get the meat a little more done than medium by using the residual heat of the meat instead of leaving it in the oven.  It will stay very moist yet be a bit more done.  You can also drain the juices from the pan using a baster or fat separator and add it to your stock before you make the sauce.

Lamb Sauce

The Bone From the Leg of Lamb

8        Carrots Cut into Chunks, Divided in Half

2        Large Spanish Onion Cut into Chunks with Skin On, Divided in Half

8        Celery Stalks Cut into Large Chunks, Divided in Half

1/2     Cup Fresh Garlic, Divided in Half

XVOO Olive Oil

2        Cups Madeira Wine or Red Wine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the bone and half of the vegetables and garlic into a roasting pan or large sauté pan and toss with olive oil to coat.  Roast for 1 hour until the bone and vegetables are nicely browned.  Remove all from the pan and place in a Dutch oven or stock pot with the rest of the vegetables.  De-glaze the pan with the wine scraping up the brown bits.  Pour this into the stock pot and cover the bone and vegetables with water by about two inches and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.  Simmer for several hours (I like to let it simmer for at least 8 hours and many times I will let it go over night).  Strain the stock and refrigerate until the fat comes to the top.

Remove the fat and make a roux using equal parts fat and flour (start with 8 tablespoons of each.  The amount of roux you will incorporate into the stock will depend on how much stock you have.)  Cook this mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring constantly.  This helps reduce the flavor of raw flour and makes for a more delicious sauce.  Bring the stock to a boil and add the cooked roux, a little at a time, whisking all the while ,until the roux is dissolved and the stock is thickened into a sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Strain into a serving bowl and spoon some of the sauce on to each portion of sliced of meat.

Roasted Garlic

1        Cup Peeled Garlic Cloves

1 ½    Cups XVOO

Place peeled garlic in a medium-small sauce pan and cover with extra virgin olive oil.  Bring the garlic and olive oil to a slow simmer over low heat.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool completely.

Store the garlic in the oil in an airtight container.  The garlic will keep, covered with oil, refrigerated for at least two weeks.  You can use the garlic infused oil to cook with replacing what you use with fresh XVOO to keep unused garlic totally covered.  This is called a Confit.

Key Lime Tart Topped with Italian Meringue

 

I prefer to make and eat Key Lime Pie as a tart instead of as a pie.  This is purely personal and if you would rather have a pie instead use the same amount of ingredients and press your crust into a 9” deep dish pie dish.  It may take a few minutes more to set.

For the Crust

1¼      Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

½         Cup Macadamia Nuts, Finely Ground

½         Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut, Finely Ground

¼         Cup Granulated Sugar

?         Cup Unsalted Butter (5? Tablespoons), Melted and Cooled

For the Key Lime Mixture

6          Large Egg Yolks, Room Temperature

2          14 Ounce Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

1          Cup Fresh Key Lime Juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

For the Crust:  Mix the cracker crumbs, macadamia nuts, coconut, sugar, and melted butter together.  Blend well and evenly press into the bottom and sides of an 11” tart pan with removable bottom.  Set aside.

For the Key Lime Mixture:  Mix the egg yolks with the sweetened milk and blend well.  Add the lime juice in a stream and beat into the egg mixture.  Combine well.  Poor into prepared tart pan.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.  Top with whipped cream or, If you want to WOW your guests, top with Italian Meringue (Recipe Follows).

Italian Meringue

6               Large Egg Whites at Room Temperature

½             Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Pinch of Fine Sea Salt

2  2/3      Cup Sugar

2/3           Cup Water

You have to do the two steps to this recipe simultaneously.  Have a standing mixer ready to go along side your stove.  You will also need a candy thermometer.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk beat the egg whites on medium speed to break up the whites.  Add the cream of tartar and the salt and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form, not dry peaks.

At the same time bring the water and sugar to a boil over high heat, swirling the pan in the beginning to help dissolve the sugar.  Do not stir with a spoon.  Once it begins to boil, cover the pan with a lid for a minute or two to help dissolve the sugar crystals that form on the side of the pan.  Do this instead of washing the crystals down with a brush (a secret I learned from Julia).   Remove the lid and boil the sugar/water mixture until it reaches 238 Degrees F on the candy thermometer.  As soon as it reaches 238 Degrees F quickly pour the mixture into a 4 cup measuring cup (don’t burn yourself).

With the mixer on low, slowly add the syrup in a slow and steady stream to the egg whites.  When all of the syrup is in, turn the mixer on high and beat until the meringue is cool.  This will take about 10 minutes.

Place some of the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a French tip or star tip and decoratively pipe the meringue onto the pie or tart.  Completely fill in the top of the pie or tart.  Then do a second layer on top of the first layer.  You will most likely not use all of the meringue but go ahead and be generous with it.  After the meringue is piped onto the pie or tart, torch it with your blow torch to give it a little brown color.  This also sets the meringue.  If you don’t have a blow torch (mine is industrial size) put the pie under the broiler about five or six inched below the heat.  Stand there and watch it turn a light brown color.  Don’t take your eyes off of it for it will surely burn.  It will take only a minute or two to brown under the broiler.

Refrigerate the pie for several hours before serving.

Please try the recipes and let me know your results.

You can always leave me a comment on the blog or email me at

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Enjoy