COOKING WITH FRIENDS

It's been more than 30 years that our group of 6 friends have been getting together to cook, eat, and visit every three or four months. That's not to say we don't see one another in between, or want to, but with our busy lives, sometimes it's just at our dinners that we get to visit.

The host house is responsible for the main course and the other two couples bring first course and dessert. This time we were at Colesie and Frank's.



Colesie had a beautiful hors d'oeuvre tray ready to accompany before-dinner drinks. I especially enjoyed the almonds in the shell, something I've never had. Turns out that Trader Joe's sells these almonds.



The "boys" comandeered the hors d'oeuvre tray and seemed very happy to have done so.



Arlene made the first course, a salad of fresh Spinach, Arugula, Strawberries, and Goat Cheese, all purchased that morning at her local Farmer's Market.  It tasted as wonderful as it was beautiful.



We talk pretty much non-stop throughout the evening.



Colesie went all out with her main course: Moroccan Chicken Bastilla with a Carrot side vegetable. Again, beautiful to look at and a delightful complexly-seasoned dish. This dish takes quite a bit of time to assemble and prepare, but it is worth the effort.



My dessert was individual cherry Clafoutis, inspired by the fresh cherries at my Farmer's Market.  I made a special apricot Clafoutis for Arlene who is allergic to cherries.



 I topped the Clafoutis with pistachio ice cream.

Needless to say, we ate well and laughed a lot, enjoying our very long friendship.

Until the next time...

Remembering Ted 2012

Well, the years pass by and it is now 4 years since our dear friend Ted was murdered.

But, Ted lives on in the memories of many, including our little group. Once again, we got together for dinner at my house to celebrate our friendship and to remember Ted.

Our little group of Mary Ann, Liz, Ray, Jim, and me always enjoy these get togethers.





We eat, we drink, we catch up on our lives, and we simply relax. Four of us were close longtime friends of Ted and one, Liz, never met him, but was a neighbor. Liz is the one who rescued the one of his two cats who survived the fire that destroyed Ted's house.  We are a special group.

This year, we all shared in making the meal.

Liz brought some hors d'oeuvres (cranberry goat cheese log with baguette slices), Mary Ann made a salad (arugula, dried cherries, pecans, sherry vinaigrette), and Ray brought wines (very tasty Red and White).

I'm still reliving my cooking tour in Provence, so my hors d'oeuvres offering was the black olive tapenade and cheese sablés from my classes. And my soup and dessert were also from cooking class recipes.

Our main course was Mary Ann's salad, which I named "Salade Marianne," and Soupe au Pistou, a hearty vegetable soup with Pistou, a French version of pesto.





With much trepidation, I attempted the Red Wine Tart that I so enjoyed in Provence.




Amazingly, it came out perfectly. Before my cooking tour, I'd never even heard of a tart with a filling made with red wine.  It looks like some kind of chocolate tart, until you take your first bite!! Truly amazing! And, I served it with Lavender Ice Cream. We did make lavender ice cream in Provence, but, since I don't have an ice cream maker, I have not considered trying to make it from scratch.  As luck would have it, I've found Lavender Ice Cream at Whole Foods and it is outstanding and a perfect complement to the Red Wine Tart.

We laughed a lot and lingered at the table until close to midnight, enjoying the company and thanking Ted for bringing us together again and again.

Ted, we do miss you, but will never forget you.

And, for all the wonderful meals that you've prepared for us, we know, our gatherings at the table are a true tribute to you.

COOKING WITH FRIENDS September 2012

The weekend after I returned from France in September was the weekend that we hosted our "gourmet" cooking group at our house.

Of course, I had to try out some recipes from my recent cooking tour in Provence.

Since the meal was at our house, Jim and I were responsible for the main course. I also made a few things to munch on while we enjoyed drinks before dinner.

It was a warm late Summer night and we were able to have drinks on our patio.

I made Cheese Sablés (crackers) and served them with Black Olive Tapenade, Tomato and Mozzarella Tapenade, and Breakfast Radishes, fresh from Farmer's Market.





The six of us laugh a lot when we are together, and this evening was no exception.







Arlene and Jim were just back from a road trip to Oregon. Their first course was a Green Salad with Oregon Blue Cheese ("imported" by them), fresh Pears, Candied Walnuts, and Red Grapes.

The perfect first course for our dinner!!!

Next was the main course: A Compote of Chicken and Duck, White Bean Gratin, and Provencal Roast Red Peppers stuffed with tomatoes, olives. 

While the first two courses were enjoyed by all, the real fun did not begin until Colesie and Frank served their homemade Candy Apples! They made six different-flavored apples so that each of us could have a different taste.

Rather than going with the "program," we decided to share and to let Colesie, with the help of Jim, do the slicing. The slicing turned out to be more of a challenge than expected because the caramel shell was not cooperative to being cut through.

Even funnier was the eating of the apples because our teeth got stuck in the caramel. I will spare you the video that Jim shot of me trying to open my mouth and being unable to.

 As always, it was a wonderful evening with longtime special friends...can't wait to the next one which is not scheduled until early 2013.

Grand Mollaise final Results

After the day of cooking, we returned to Maison Mollans to enjoy the results. It was once to relax together for one final meal

And, finally, au revoir, Mollans.