As an introvert, I really relish my time alone. Still, because I am now working and job-hunting from home, even I sometimes feel that I have spent a tad too much time in my head and am running the danger of becoming the stereotype of a typical batty cat lady who talks to herself. Hence the recrudescence of dinner parties in recent times. Perhaps I should make it a weekly Wednesday thing and put friends and family on a rotation...
All of the dishes served here were good though, as usual, I felt that I could make tiny improvements here and there. The stand out dish was the Coconut-Aquafaba Ice Cream with Shaved Coconut Brittle which I will definitely make again. It was sublime and the fact that it is suitable for vegans (if you omit the brittle which contains butter) in no way took away from the delicious flavor.
Moroccan Spiced Carrot Dip with Jerusalem Artichoke Chips
The dip in the picture above started out as this. Carrots are so gorgeous and sweet at the moment that I wanted something that would showcase them without overwhelming them. The dip basically consisted of carrots, heavily doused in salt, cumin, coriander and olive oil, roasted in the oven along with a couple of garlic cloves and a shallot. I then removed the tops and tails, the garlic peels and shallot skins, poured the roasting oil over the whole thing and roughly blitzed it into a delicious dip. Store-bought Jerusalem artichoke chips were the perfect foil but hearty whole wheat chips would work well too.
Charred Leeks with Blue Cheese and Almonds
This was very good and definitely a dish I will refine before posting the recipe, which is really all about the Worcestershire sauce based dressing. Next time I will cut the leeks into spirals rather than noodles and remember to sprinkle on the crushed almonds before serving. Sigh.
Veal, Cider and Apple Stew, Acorn Squash Mash
I have made this in the past and the meat has never disgorged as much liquid as this did. It is unfortunate because that meant that the usual unctuous sauce was a bit soupy. Not an attractive photo (the red wine may have kicked in a bit) but the flavor was good and this is a perfect dish for fall.
I was interested by this when I read the inspiration recipe and feel that I very much made it my own by changing the dish to my personal specifications. I don't know what the original tastes like but this was a fabulous dessert, even if you do eat dairy and eggs. The coconut brittle was so good that we ended up eating the entire remaining bowl of it after L. plated the dessert. The brittle contains butter so is not suitable for a vegan diner but the ice cream and fruit could stand on their own; the brittle is very much there to gild the lily.