On Jan 29, 12:53*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:

> Amuse-Bouche: *The PlacerGrown harvest calendar says that rhubarb is
> supposed to be coming into season here in February. If that's the case, I'm
> thinking about making stewed rhubarb with butternut squash as the
> amuse-bouche. Otherwise it would be some other sweet-sour squash dish. This
> is just a single-bite course, so it has to pack a bit of a punch.

Hmm..I think the butternut squash would be wonderful just on it's own,
without the rhubarb... Paula Wolfert does a wonderful sweet-sour
butternut squash appeitzer that she says is a classic Sicilian dish.
It has always sounded wonderful to me. It it cold, I think..and
marinated for a few days in advance. I should look up the recipe: I
keep on meaning to make it myself...
>
> Salad: I want to use black radishes, but the application would depend on how
> woody they are. (Some are much more dry and woody than others. They're
> generally more like turnips than like red radishes.) If they're woody, then
> I'd make a salad with grated radish, grated carrot, chopped scallions,
> chopped cucumber, and sour cream. If they're not woody, I'd make a salad
> with sliced (peeled) black radish, apples, and escarole, dressed with cider
> vinegar, salt, and walnut oil.

You had me til the sour cream. On top of the chicken and dumplings
that you make which is very rich, the sour cream is a bit much. I
would want something acidy...to contrast. If you did the sour cream
in it, with the rich chicken and dumplings, plus the trifle, it would
be a carb coma inducing meal.
>
> Main Dish: Chicken and dumplings sound good to me, especially if it's cold
> and damp. I posted the Cook's Illustrated recipe here in 2005[1]; that's the
> one I would follow. Besides the chicken and dumplings themselves, the recipe
> contains celery, onions, carrots, and peas. (It's also got sherry and cream
> in there, which in my estimation elevate it to the status of "company"
> food.)
>

I have made this myself...

> Side Dish: Last spring, I bought some broccoli leaves at a farmer's market,
> and pickled them. Something like that would be great as a side dish, but I
> haven't seen broccoli leaves for at least four months. However, I think that
> kale would work equally well, so I'm tentatively planning on making
> pickled/marinated kale. The pickle is made by combining cider vinegar,
> sugar, salt, and water, bringing that to a boil and then pouring it (still
> boiling hot) into a jar over packed kale leaves. It has to sit for a few
> days before it's ready. The chicken & dumpling recipe is quite creamy and
> rich, so bites of something sharp like this would probably be welcome during
> the meal.

I think plain kale or one of the other cruciferous veggies would be
great...
>
> Dessert: What better time for a trifle? I'm thinking either a
> butterscotch-banana trifle[2] or a caramelized orange trifle[3]. Might as
> well get SOME use out of that trifle dish!

You trying to induce a carb coma? LOL.

Julia Child has a layered sliced oranges and blueberries dessert that
is served in a trifle bowl... I personally think a simple fruity
dessert would be better with the meal...but that is how my
sensibilities run...

> It was surprisingly difficult to come up with dishes to fit into a menu with
> chicken & dumplings! Any suggested menu changes?

Thinking on it...LOL.

Christine