So guess who is the dumb ho that decided to host not one, but TWO dinner parties in one week because it sounded like fun? That would be me, folks. I also considered delivering a litter of puppies and solving world hunger, but I didn’t want to overfill my dance card, you know? Also, as you might remember from a few of my past dinner parties, this bitch knows how to cook some food. I put on some Jay-Z, grabbed an apron and got ready to throw down. Which mainly involved making a bunch of lists. I make lists of what I want to make, what to serve with it, what ingredients to buy, and when to make the food. I really enjoy having dinner parties where I don’t have to do too much work while the guests are there. This ensures that a few glasses of wine on my part will not result in a burned or frozen dinner. For example, at the first party, the second and third courses were able to be made a day or two in advance, leaving me to chill or heat them up and simply serve them. Second Course: “Elotes” soup: chilled corn soup with spicy guacamole, Parmesan cheese n hot sauce
I love this soup because I can make it in advance, and it doesn’t need to be heated up before serving. It also works well with a little cooked seafood on top, like crab or shrimp. The third course, the main, was a lamb curry served with basmati rice, garlic naan, and my homemade sweet mango chutney. This dish tastes even better when it is made the day before, and I have made it for several dinner parties. Without fail, guests love it. And if I’m really lucky, there is always enough leftover for me to freeze for a future dinner or pot pie.
The fourth and final course was dessert. I served a shortcrust tart shell filled with fresh vanilla whipped cream and a blueberry sauce, served with a side of passionfruit sorbet.
Now, I know I don’t need to tell you that every last bit of the dessert was homemade, right down to the whipped cream, because that is how I roll. You should be used to it by now. The tart shells were made a few days in advance, the whipped cream and sorbet the day before, and on the day of, I had planned on putting fresh, sweet blueberries on top. Sadly, the blueberries I had bought at the farmers market were a bit sour, so I threw them into a quick dessert sauce I learned back in the day: blueberries, a bit of Moscato d’asti dessert wine, sugar, and lemon juice. Simmered until most of the blueberries burst and the syrup thickens just slightly. SO good. We also finished with my new favorite port, Delaforce’s Curious and Ancient 20 year Tawny Port.
I love this port because it has the caramel-y, buttery aspects of a tawny that I love so much, but it finishes a bit dry, which helps keep it from getting syrupy sweet and overwhelming. It’s a bit expensive, but think of it like a nice bottle of vodka—you won’t be drinking this stuff every day, so splurge! At the end of the night, all the guests were sated, I didn’t kill anyone, and my awesome husband did the dishes. Not a bad night in my book. Stay tuned for pt. 2 of my crazy week of two dinner parties! ~LTG! ***************************************************** Leena’s Passionfruit Sorbet Ingredients 1 cup of passionfruit puree (I get mine from my local Mexican store’s frozen section if you can’t find fresh passionfruit) 1 cup of water 1 cup of sugar 1 TB vodka (will prevent it from freezing solid) lemon juice to taste Simmer the first three ingredients together for 15 minutes or until all the sugar melts, stirring occasionally. When it is finished, taste and if too sweet, add a small bit of lemon juice to balance the flavor. When flavor is balanced, add in the vodka and chill base overnight. Freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions. My machine takes around 20 minutes to form a creamy, delicious sorbet. Pack into a resealable container, and freeze for a few hours before serving.
