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| Cheese Fondue |
It was another memorable Dinner Club Night – for many reasons! Not the least of which is the seven or eight inches of snow we received from late afternoon and through the next morning! Our group, as always, was undeterred by adverse weather conditions – or anything else for that matter – that would distract us from our fun. We showed up at the “disco” donning wigs, interesting beards and mustaches, false eyelashes and enough polyester to offend even the Partridge Family!
We danced the night away before, during and after dinner to the sounds of the Village People, ABBA, the Bee Gee’s and so many others and truly feasted on a meal of fondue appetizers, dessert and entrée with some delicious side dishes!
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| My mashed potato and root vegetable casserole. |
The recipe I was assigned to make for the night turned out divine; however, me being me, I didn’t exactly prepare it as the directions stated. I love to experiment in my cooking and “go with my gut” so to speak! I made a few simple changes when preparing my ‘Mashed Potato, Parsnip and Rutabaga Casserole with Caramelized Onions’ (recipe posted to this blog on January 11th – see the blog archive). Personally, I felt when preparing it, that it was an awful lot of onions. I love the taste of caramelized onion, but I feel most people don’t want to be overwhelmed with them. I took it down from three onions to two and even then I didn’t end up using them all in the dish.
To incorporate the flavor of the onion, without overwhelming amounts of them on top of the casserole as the recipe stated, I took about half of the onions and pureed them in my food processor. I then incorporated them into the root vegetable mash mixture before spreading into the prepared dish. Flavor without overwhelming hunks of onions; Perfect! I put the small remaining amount of onions on top which made a lovely presentation without overdoing it and I added a sprinkle of parsley for color. Another note on the dish; I doubled the garlic! A must do!
We enjoyed two separate and very different cheese fondues for appetizers and they were fantastic starters to our meal. We also noshed on raspberries, strawberries and pound cake that we could self-serve at will from a chocolate fountain. We dipped, dined, chatted and discoed while enjoying every stage of this dinner!
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| The table was set perfectly to accommodate twelve of us cooking our fondue entree at the table! |
The flow of the evening was perfect! Our host and hostess had set a fun and funky 70’s table with a fondue pot for every four people. We were able to easily enjoy our appetizers and dessert while dancing and moving around, yet the main part of our meal was together at the table where we could talk and enjoy one another’s company! It was fantastic and well thought out! Watch for more this week on the “best dish of the night” and some notes on “best dressed nominees” for this crazy costume affair!
Our Dinner Club always “brings it” and they certainly did this time! It was great to be back together and it always makes me anxious to enjoy the next - and the next - and the next! What fabulous friends we have!
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| Raspberries dipped in chocolate - great party fare! |
One of our members prepared a side dish for with our fondue (in addition to my root vegetable mash) that was fantastic! You could truly enjoy the individual vegetable elements and it provided a gorgeous balance of color on the plate. Although I didn’t confirm with her that this is the EXACT one she prepared, she did mention it was a Julia Child recipe and, therefore, I’m attaching something similar (if not exact) here for you to try.
Ratatouille (Eggplant Casserole With Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers and Zucchini)
From: “Favorites from Julia Child That Withstand the Test of Time” – Article in the Washington
Found at:
For 6 to 8 people
1/2 pound eggplant
1/2 pound zucchini
A 3-quart, porcelain or stainless-steel mixing bowl
1 teaspoon salt
A 10- to 12-inch enameled skillet
4 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (makes 1 1/2 cups pulp)
Salt and pepper
A 2 1/2 quart fireproof casserole about 2 1/2 inches deep
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound zucchini
A 3-quart, porcelain or stainless-steel mixing bowl
1 teaspoon salt
A 10- to 12-inch enameled skillet
4 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (makes 1 1/2 cups pulp)
Salt and pepper
A 2 1/2 quart fireproof casserole about 2 1/2 inches deep
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper
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| My friend's delicious and beautiful Ratatouille! |
Peel the eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends and cut the zucchini into slices about the same size as the eggplant slices. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Dry each slice in a towel.
One layer at a time, sauté the eggplant and then the zucchini in hot olive oil in the skillet for about a minute on each side to brown very lightly. Remove to a side dish.
In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
Slice the tomato pulp into 3/8-inch strips. Lay them over the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated.
Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle over it 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Arrange half of the eggplant and zucchini on top, then half the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip casserole and baste with the rendered juices. Correct seasoning, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. Be careful of your heat; do not let the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the casserole.
Set aside uncovered. Reheat slowly at serving time or serve cold.
Per serving (based on 6): 116 calories, 2 gm protein, 13 gm carbohydrates, 7 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 135 mg sodium, 4 gm dietary fiber
Fondue
