Well, we?ve arrived in sunny Adelaide, and I already have tons to tell. However, I?m creature of habit, and I can?t go out of order in describing the events of my life (I know, perfectionism at it?s finest!). So first, highlights from our going away party. My only intentions for the evening were to boogie down with all my pals, past and present, and to have tons and tons of food. Thankfully, both wishes were fulfilled and I have pictures to prove it. The food didn?t last very long, which was the only down side, but the food was SO good and cooked by a handful of kick-ass chefs (and one kick ass sous chef named Amanda), the fact all the food disappeared quickly is really a compliment to their work. I think over the course of the evening, around 50 people graced the party, and if I try real hard, maybe I can remember all the good food we ate(I was four ciders to the wind by that point in the evening!). I made palmiers with puff pastry, sun dried tomatoes, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions (I make them extra kick ass by throwing in a splash of balsamic vinegar towards the end of the cooking time), mini apple pies with a dulce de leche dip, truffles filled with raspberry jam and dark chocolate ganache, and also dulce de leche with orange zest (they tasted like those little Brach?s flavored caramels you get in the grocery store). My fellow culinary school pal and kick ass chef #1 Lynsi and #2 Evan made bbq shrimp wrapped in bacon, vegetarian spring rolls with sesame dip, andouille sausage crostini, guacamole, wap-style beef crostini, melon and prosciutto plate and hot wings. My cousin and budding chef Steve made two giant cheese balls which were personally my favorite dish of the evening. Another friend Katie made a veggie tray.
Here are the chefs, but they look a little sad. People just don’t get their prosciutto and melon tray! By the end of the night, all the meat was gone, but the poor melon was left standing all by it’s lonesome.
This is what I love most about my friends and the parties we throw; they are truly a group affair. Everyone understands that we are young and have little money, but we like to party it up in style. So inevitably, everyone chips in for or brings drinks and food. And when you like to eat as much as I do, it is certainly appreciated. All in all, it was a good send off for the Land of Oz The next week, we hit our favorite restaurant in Chicago, Blackbird, with my partner in food crime Bobby and his friend Zach. Oh. My. God. I must have died and gone to food heaven with Paul Kahan as the chef. Every single thing we ate tasted amazing, and it was totally worth the high price tag on the meal. The only thing that disappointed was my appetizer, a salad of endive with poached egg, pancetta and wrapped in skinny fried potato strings. The endive was a bit too bitter for my liking, and the first time I had it, the waiter did this cool trick where he sliced the whole thing into two and mixed it perfectly, but this time the waiter was a bit clumsy and it didn?t have the same pizzazz. I had a stellar knefla soup of oxtail and sturgeon, which is quite possibly the greatest fish I have ever eaten. I ended the meal with a chestnut crepe filled with ricotta and served with maple ice cream and pomegranate molasses, the perfect combo of rich sweetness and tartness. Pretty much everything the rest the table ate was amazing as well, but after three glasses of wine and a glass of port, the memories are a bit hazy to me. Suffice it to say, it was a stellar evening. It wouldn?t be a goodbye to Leena if several gourmand meals didn?t accompany me on my way out! ~LTG
