I forgot to take a picture of the Pea, Mint and Lemon Hummus, which is a pity as it was a beautiful vibrant green and utterly delicious. L. mentioned that he thought it was the best part of the dinner, which I wasn't sure I should take as a compliment or not. It was a pretty simple combo of blitzed peas, lots of chopped mint, preserved lemon, lemon juice and salt but the taste belied the simplicity of the ingredients.
Summer Peach and Tarragon Salad with Baby Leaves
Mixed baby leaves, ripe, peeled yellow peaches and a huge bunch of tarragon bought from the farmer's market that morning and served with a mustardy vinaigrette and sprinkled with sunflower seeds. Not a spectacular or unusual appetizer but certainly a fresh and seasonal addition to the meal.
Cold Poached Chicken Thighs and Chicken Meatballs with Sour Cream-Walnut Sauce
Spiced Lentil and Bulgur Couscous Salad
When finished, this dish didn't look like much, hence the addition of micro wasabi to brighten up the presentation, but it was truly delicious with back-notes of cumin, coriander and Aleppo pepper. Both variations of the chicken were tender and juicy, and the salad (if I say so myself) was perfectly seasoned and the lentils perfectly cooked. Last, but certainly not least, the sauce was utterly delicious and could give tonnato sauce a run for its money, maybe not in umami but certainly in versatility of potential use and creaminess.
S’mores Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream
I have had an idea for this trotting around in my head for a while now and a dinner party for friends, with 2 confirmed chocolate dessert lovers, seemed like a good time to try it. I built a very tall graham cracker crust, melted a mass of marshmallows in the bottom, filled the crust to the brim with homemade double chocolate pudding and flung Bourbon whipped cream in generous drifts over the top. This went over a charm as they say in old novels. It was rich and decadent and of an impressive presentation though it is unfortunate that I lacked the nerve to remove it from the bottom of its cooking pan before placing it on my cake plate. If I make it again, I will trust my crust's capacity to stand up to whatever I throw its way and make it thinner and I might make multiple layers of marshmallow and chocolate on the inside.
So there you have it. A summer dinner party for 8.