Duck, Goose & Turkey Eggs

Duck, Goose & Turkey Eggs

I am in a bit of a blogging blah…or end of winter blues. So things are quiet…even if I have a backlog of posts to do. But today I have a little picture essay post from an event that goes back quite a bit actually…Stef and I were just friends still at that time. So anyways we planned a day of shopping and cooking at his place afterward. But he had a trick up his sleeve for me.

He said we were doing a spin-off dinner on Iron Chef America. He had purchased plenty of food ahead and each service had a main ingredient. So it was not a meal from a secret ingredient but each service was a non-secret challenge ingredient. No written recipes to be consulted. So I have no recipes to share….just pictures and the notes we took that night.

1st service: soup and lobster claws

Chef Evelyne: Sea Route to the Land of Silk

Coconut base soup with curry paste and lobster stock served with pan fried quinoa flour breaded lobster claws and quinoa pancake.

Chef Stef: Nut Medley Lobster Bisque

Coconut base soup with peanut butter and fresh basil served with lobster claws, chopped bacon and roasted cashews.

2nd service: pork tenderloin

Chef Evelyne: Dijon VS Texas

Pork tenderloin stuffed with garlic, lacquered with Dijon mustard and crusted with hazelnuts, served with a hickory smoke tower of rep pepper salsa.

Chef Stef: Red Sea of Love

Seared pork tenderloin served with raspberry demi-glace, pan roasted red peppers and pomegranate seeds

3rd service: beef blade roast

Chef Evelyne: Three S’s

Sweet, Sour & Sliced. Seared blade roast slivers marinated with olive oil balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice.

Yes there is only one version of the 3rd service. Honestly after each eating 2 soups and 2 dishes of pork tenderloin we hardly had room for the beef. This was a challenge but a really fun one. Do it with friends or your loved one, it really makes for a fun night and let’s everyone shine in their own way in the kitchen. Salud!

Chef Stef: Pomegranate and Raspberry vodka shooter

Totally unrelated to the post but is that not just hilarious?

That is also what happened to me this week. Raquel, my adorable, sweet, 11 years younger (bitch), totally Goth, vegetarian, animal loving owner of 2 cute rats, just awesome very close friend came over for her birthday dinner. She knows my cooking and she can vouch for me saying this meal was beyond amazing. She even asked about 3 times if she could move in.

We chatted and snacked over a glass of wine and some left over Black Bean Hummus from a Halloween party I went too. By they way…no one guessed what was my mystery costume! I will tell you now: I was a character from a pop art painting by the 60′s artist Roy Liechtenstein.

Anyways, back to the meal. The appetizer was a Truffled Tomato Tarte Tatin which I already posted about and that was followed by the best veggie tofu curry EVER. I’ll be posting about that soon, did not take pics but I have a pot luck next Saturday and will make that. But the dessert, ah the dessert. I could not wait to see her face when she would see the cake. In my Halloween creepy recipe hunt I came across a cake shaped like a rat…a cute one. And she LLLLOOOVVVEEEESSSS rats. I had to make it.

I found the recipe on a site called Hungry Halloween and the cake is called Longtail. I looks really complicated but really it is super easy to make. And there are only 5 ingredients: oero cookie crumbs, cream cheese, powdered sugar, pink or red food coloring and 2 candies for the eyes. That is it! I did not pictures of the making of the cake so please follow the link above for all the details. They don’t mention it but toothpicks were really handy to make the parts they together. Here is the result….

Needless to say she was completely stunned. I even had trouble convincing her to eat a piece of cake and I had to do the cutting. It was so worth it. I wonder which other animal can be made this way?

Filled the crack in the ceiling with latex and repainted the ceiling

Filled the crack in the ceiling with latex and repainted the ceiling

Fixed the cracks in the wall

Started the floor, half done

Tomorrow I guess finish floor and varnish.

Will I be back in my bedroom for Saturday night? Please !!!!!!!!!!