There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February, so
I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first draft
(and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any case):

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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!

Beverages: I think that our local ciders are very good[4]; that's what I'd
serve with everything but dessert. (The vinegary kale would probably make
wine taste pretty bad.) If dessert is the caramelized orange trifle I'd
serve an orange muscat (like Essensia), or I'd get a bottle of Hungarian
Tokay to accompany the butterscotch-banana trifle.

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

Bob

[1] <http://groups.google.com/group/rec.food.cooking/msg/b579244cb8cbce17>
[2]
<http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/desserts/quickly-does-it/butterscotch-and-banana-trifle-with-madeira.html>
[3]
<http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/caramelised-orange-trifle.html>
[4] <http://www.foxbarrel.com>

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

Christine wrote:

> 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...

I don't have any Paula Wolfert books on Sicilian cooking. Want to post the
recipe? As it happened, rhubarb hasn't hit the farmers' market yet anyway,
so I'll have to come up with something different.



>> Salad: <snip> 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.

The kale -- served alongside the chicken & dumplings -- *is* acidic. Also,
sour cream isn't high in carbs. Were you thinking of fat instead?

Turns out that the black radishes aren't all that woody, so I can make the
apple-radish salad quoted above instead. However, as jay pointed out, I
don't want to pile acid on top of acid either, and the kale is already in
the pickling brine, so I'll have to come up with a milder dressing for the
salad or ditch the salad altogether. I'm having a mental block coming up
with a salad dressing which is neither acidic (which would pile onto the
kale) nor creamy (which would pile onto the chicken & dumplings).



> 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...

Simple fruit desserts call for top-quality in-season fruits. Blueberries
aren't in season. The only fruits currently in season here are mandarins,
kiwis, and pummelos.

Bob

Christine wrote:

> 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 found this recipe at
http://mysite.verizon.net/ldbails/Pumpkin/Sides/23.htm; it's attributed to
Wolfert, but it's not marinated for a few days.

Sweet and Sour Pumpkin
makes 6 servings

2 1/2 pounds pie pumpkin, peeled, halved and seeded
coarse salt
olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons mild white wine or rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 sprigs mint plus additional for garnish

Cut the pumpkin into 1/4-inch thick slices, then into 2 by 2-inch squares.
Sprinkle them with coarse salt and let stand a few minutes. Blot up any
surface moisture with paper towels.

Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch skillet, preferably nonstick, over
medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin in batches and fry until golden brown on
both sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Reduce the heat to medium. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the olive oil;
add the onions to the skillet. Sprinkle with sugar and cook until the onions
are soft and golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Add the
vinegar and water. Increase the heat to high and cook until the liquid is
reduced by half, stirring up any brown bits.

Mix the salt and pepper and season the pumpkin. Arrange them on a platter.
Pour the contents of the skillet over the top and sprinkle with torn mint
leaves. Serve at room temperature, adding more mint leaves.

Origin: Mostly Mediterranean, by Paula Wolfert

Might that be the Wolfert recipe you're talking about?

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
> so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first
> draft (and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any
> case):
>
>


Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
"relax and enjoy" to it.

Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
ambitious for a single meal.

gloria p

On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:49:16 -0700, gloria.p wrote:

> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
>> so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first
>> draft (and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any
>> case):
>>
>>
>
> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>
> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
> ambitious for a single meal.
>
> gloria p

i'm with you, gloria, but you have to admire bob's industry. i wouldn't
mind sitting on my butt at his table.

your pal,
blake

On Jan 29, 10:49*am, "gloria.p" > wrote:
> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> > There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
> > so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first
> > draft (and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any
> > case):
>
> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. *There's no
> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>
> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
> ambitious for a single meal.

Nah it's just "keyboard cooking".....no sweat. LOL

PVC wrote:

> Nah it's just "keyboard cooking".....no sweat. LOL

In this case, you might be right, since it hasn't been confirmed that the
dinner party is going to take place.

Bob

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:45:37 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>PVC wrote:
>
>> Nah it's just "keyboard cooking".....no sweat. LOL
>
>In this case, you might be right, since it hasn't been confirmed that the
>dinner party is going to take place.
>
But you've already started the kale, so you're eating that for sure at
some point... right?


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"gloria.p" > wrote in message
...
> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
>> so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first
>> draft (and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any
>> case):
>>
>
>
> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>
> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
> ambitious for a single meal.
>
> gloria p


I'm with you, Gloria. His menus always sound "ambitious". I'm sure they're
wonderful. But that's a lot of work for one meal.

Jill

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:52:26 -0500, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>"gloria.p" > wrote in message
...
>> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>>> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
>>> so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first
>>> draft (and the whole thing is still in the hazy planning stages in any
>>> case):
>>>
>>
>>
>> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
>> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>>
>> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
>> ambitious for a single meal.
>>
>> gloria p
>
>
>I'm with you, Gloria. His menus always sound "ambitious".
>Jill

His menus always sound like a combination of fantasy island and
insecurity complex.
Twilly-Sqwartz : http://www.imdb.com/media/rm580687872/nm0898199

Da Plane! Da Plane!


Ricardo Mandlebrot:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...andelbrot-2792

"jmcquown" wrote
> "gloria.p" wrote
>>Bob Terwilliger wrote:

>>> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
>>> so I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities. This is just the first

>> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
>> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>>
>> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
>> ambitious for a single meal.

> I'm with you, Gloria. His menus always sound "ambitious". I'm sure
> they're wonderful. But that's a lot of work for one meal.

Same feeling here though we do get a little fancy by other's standards at
times. It's all actually fancy 'sounding' but simple to make stuff.

Jill wrote:

> I'm with you, Gloria. His menus always sound "ambitious". I'm sure they're
> wonderful. But that's a lot of work for one meal.

I like to teeter on the brink of disaster. The possibility of failure lends
excitement to the endeavor.

Bob
"a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
--Robert Browning

"Bob Terwilliger" wrote
> Jill wrote:

>> I'm with you, Gloria. His menus always sound "ambitious". I'm sure
>> they're
>> wonderful. But that's a lot of work for one meal.
>
> I like to teeter on the brink of disaster. The possibility of failure
> lends
> excitement to the endeavor.

Grin, thats kinda fun too!

Hey, with all the snow here in Norfolk area, an impromptu 'dinner party' has
formed for today. Ours are simple things, but there are often fancy dishes
as well as pretty much just regular home cooking.

I made bagette dough in the breadmachine and it's rising nicely now in
loaves. Ghiselle is breaking out her home made german sausages and making
up her german mustard. I made a batch of asian blend mustard (which is oil,
not water based). Sam and Clara are bringing a spicy corned beef brisket
and their son John (age 12) is making 'fantasy jello' (sponge bob square
pants candies swimming in jello). I have a batch of thick butternut creamed
soup in the crockpot.

Sadie's feeling poorly so not coming over but her husband Art dropped off a
green cabbage and 1/3 of a red one. Ghiselle is going to make it up into a
sort of hot german cabbage slaw at my house (Mini cooking lesson). Ghiselle
will bring hot food over to Art and Sadie who are between our house and
her's.

John's excited to check out our Wii so I've got the sunroom/gameroom all
warmed up for the kids.

Simple fun.

cshenk wrote:

> green cabbage and 1/3 of a red one. Ghiselle is going to make it up into a
> sort of hot german cabbage slaw at my house (Mini cooking lesson).

Please take notes and post them here!

Bob

Gloria wrote:

> Your menu makes my head hurt just reading about it, Bob. There's no
> "relax and enjoy" to it.
>
> Perhaps I'm just getting too old and lazy, but that sounds way too
> ambitious for a single meal.

Are you speaking as a diner or as a cook?

Bob

I have a recipe for a lattice-topped rhubarb tart in which beaten egg whites
are incorporated into the rhubarb filling. The result is that they rise
through the lattice like a little meringue, making a very pretty
presentation.

I would suggest that as a dessert instead of a trifle, which seems too much
of a creamy thing to follow chicken and dumplings. (Although I like a good
trifle, I personally prefer fruit desserts that are at least slightly tart.)

And it would seem to me to be a better way to use rhubarb in this menu. The
rhubarb/butternut combo sounds like glop, to me. The sweet and sour Wolfert
recipe someone else suggested sounds much better.

I'm not a radish fan, so I can't comment on that course.

On 2010-01-29, Bob Terwilliger > wrote:
> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February, so
> I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities.

Are you sure that's "tentatively planning" as opposed to planning a tentative
dinner party. If the party is definite, sounds like you don't know
whether to plan for it or not. If the party is definite, are you
definitely planning for it, even though it may not take place, or jes
not sure if you should actually plan for it. Or!.... is the dinner
party taking place in a tent? I'm confused.

nb

notbob wrote:

>> There's a chance I'll be cooking for company sometime in early February,
>> so
>> I'm idly musing about the menu possibilities.
>
> Are you sure that's "tentatively planning" as opposed to planning a
> tentative
> dinner party. If the party is definite, sounds like you don't know
> whether to plan for it or not. If the party is definite, are you
> definitely planning for it, even though it may not take place, or jes
> not sure if you should actually plan for it. Or!.... is the dinner
> party taking place in a tent? I'm confused.

You and me both! The party is not definite yet; I'm just planning so that
I'm prepared in case it becomes definite. Lin's the one doing all the
correspondence with the potential dinner guest.

Bob

Jay wrote:

>> Any suggested menu changes?
>
> The cider vinegar salad and pickled side dish both seem to be much of
> the same in terms of high acidity.

Good point! I've already put the kale into the pickling solution, so I'll
have to rethink the salad.


> I would keep the sides more wine friendly.

I'm sidestepping that by serving cider instead of wine.


> I like large fresh slices of tomato as a simple side dish to go with
> chicken and dumplings.

So do I, but only when tomatoes are in season.

Bob