A Ladies Lunch In The Garden

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Here in the South, the irises are blooming, the lilacs are blooming, the peonies are blooming and the roses and clematis are starting their show.  What else do you need for a ladies lunch?  Yes, this is it.  If you have a decent garden, this is your time to host a ladies lunch and shine.  The temperature is perfect and the menu...the season for asparagus and strawberries and Meyer lemons.  What's not to like?

Don't be intimidated by the crab cakes.  Trust me, this is a no fail recipe.  You can fry them about an hour before the guests show up and crisp them up in a hot oven just before serving them.

The asparagus vinaigrette can be prepared way ahead.  It is just steamed asparagus in a vinaigrette sauce served cold.  You can substitute Meyer lemon for the vinegar and add finely chopped hard boiled eggs on top for decoration. The biscuits and the pickled shrimp can and should be made two to three days before and the soup and the tart the day before.

I like to serve Bellinis because they are easy to make and different.  When white peaches are not in season, you can substitute with a ready made peach puree mix you can buy at the liquor or grocery store.  I know its not the same but it's good.  Substitute your own favorite cocktail if you wish. Just don't get too complicated.

There is nothing like a French dry rose for a Summer or Spring lunch  Click on the link below for some suggestions.  If you must choose a white wine, go with a Fume or Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley such as a Sancerre.  They are dry, crisp and elegant  and go better with fish than a Chardonnay .

This really is an easy and elegant menu, one that will leave you free to enjoy your lunch and your friends on the day of the party.  Have fun.

A Spring Lunch In The Garden

Bellinis

Cocktail Cheese Biscuits

Pickled Shrimp

Chilled Spring Pea Soup

Maryland Crab Cakes

Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Meyer Lemon Tart
 or
Chocolate Torte With Walnuts*

 Fresh Strawberries

********

Domaine Houchart, dry rose

Homemade Iced Tea

*I have given you two desserts to choose from in case you cant find Meyer lemons.  Both go well with this lunch.  Notice I have omitted the word Bourbon in the torte.  To accompany with the strawberries it is best to make the original recipe with vanilla extract.  Serve with home made whipped cream on the side.  It can be made the day before and refrigerated.

Easter Menus

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It seems that Easter in this house is to be postponed again this year.  The culprit...the kitchen, of course.  We are planning a trip to Dahlonega on Easter Sunday where there is a beautiful Catholic church my daughter has been wanting to show me.  I will miss having Easter at home,  it is one of my favorite holidays foodwise and tulipwise; and of course,  I will miss the grandchildren and all the mess in the kitchen decorating the Easter eggs.  I will always treasure the year they stayed with us while their parents were away on a trip.

Here are some menus including the very first one I posted right after I started the blog.  I hope you get inspired!

Easter Sunday...Planning the Menu Tallying The Guests 2009

Easter Tables 2010

Easter Menu 2011

Easter Brunch After The Egg Hunt

Mother's Baked Ham With Pineapple Mustard Glaze

Easter Coconut Cake

My grandson Ben Easter 2012



Filled baskets while Nani weeds!

Top photo Tumblr
#3,5,6 Martha Stewart
last three photos Lindaraxa



 



The Perfect Menu For A Mardi Gras Dinner

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From the archives, four recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras:

 

 

 

 

Antoine's Oysters Rockefeller

 

 

 

 

Shrimp Creole

 

   

 

 

New Orleans Bread Pudding With A Whiskey Sauce

 

 

 

 

Café Brulot

 

 

 

 

 

top photo credit Flickr

 





A Grandmother's First Thanksgiving...Tips For A Kid Friendly Menu

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If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year chances are a small group of your guests will be little people, something we tend to forget as we get all wrapped up in planning a menu to impress our guests.    Children have different tastes than adults, a fact which should be taken into consideration when they are included in a family holiday like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This is something I neglected to see as a young mother, for which I am at fault and deeply regret. But it's never too late and I will not make that mistake as the grandmother of a five and a three year old.   This year I will  tweak revamp my usual menu to make sure everyone goes home well fed and satisfied.

When my children were small and we gathered at Madame Mere's for a mid day meal straight out of Gourmet magazine, I had a hard time making them understand that what they considered (a yucky) lunch was it for the rest of the day.  My son Ted was the worst.  He did not like anything in this menu and would not budge in spite of the fact that I would remind him that this was lunch AND dinner so he'd better eat up.   All the way home he would cry, demanding his usual dinner and yelling but that was lunch, not dinner.  We still laugh about it and I am sure we will again this year when he and his family come to my house for our first Thanksgiving together. I can't wait.

Armed with experience from all those years, I have decided to pick some of the things I think the children, as well as the adults, will enjoy.  No reason to sacrifice one group for the other.    Everyone eats turkey, so the bird is safe.  And if they won't eat my Madeira Sauce, no harm done.  There is plenty more to choose from.

I have chosen to serve the French Green Bean Casserole with French fried onion rings instead of my favorite Creamed Onions.  And instead of a fancy potato or sweet potato gratin, we will have sweet potato puree with marshmallows, the big ones! I wonder if they would like them served in orange cups?  And then there's the stuffing which no kid will eat.  But I have a solution...

Stuffing Balls

Set aside some of the dressing or stuffing you are serving, enough to feed the little ones.  Mine has either apples or pears.  Avoid chestnuts and nuts and visible onions or scallions.  For some reason, kids hate onions.  Remember when it comes to this kind of stuff, they prefer plain to fancy (they are not gourmets yet) and it's easy to pick these things out from their share of the stuffing. 

Shape into small balls, the smaller the better.  Place them in a small cookie sheet, brush them with butter and cook next to the dressing at 375 degrees until browned.  Remember, they will take much less than the dressing to cook.  If you are stuffing the turkey, proceed as above and cook for about 20 minutes.  It all depends on how large they are.

You can make them even more enticing by putting a small amount of cranberry sauce on top.  Anything to make them pop these babies into their mouths!

 If that doesn't fly, this definitely will!

 

and....My French Green Bean Casserole!

How am I doing so far? 

The biggest compromise for me will be dessert.  Nothing has ever stood between me and a Pumpkin Pie and a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie , one of the most popular recipes of the blog.  Nothing.  I always offered to bring the pies just to make sure they made their appearance, just as I liked them.  But grandchildren work in strange ways .  The Sous Chef is right, I am getting old and softie.   Since it's just the six of us and my daughter doesn't like sweets,  I want to make only one dessert.  Fortunately she loves cheesecake and has volunteered to make a pumpkin cheese cake with a ginger snap cookie crust.  It's called compromise and the older I get,  the more I like this word.  The little ones might not like this either so I will buy some of those pumpkin and turkey shaped cookies they have at Publix to be on the safe side.   Luckily they are not gourmets yet and won't know the difference between home made and store bought.  But not for long.  One day they will know the difference,  if it's the last thing I do.

Recipes by Lindaraxa

Photos 2 & 3 Google Images

Photos 1 and 4 Lindaraxa

Friday Night Dinner On The Deck...Crispy And Cheesy Zucchini

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Friday night is my favorite time to cook dinner.  Even when I worked,  it was a time to take out the pots and pans and cook something special perhaps in celebration of two days of R & R!  Now that I am retired I go at it with gusto and try to make it fun for my daughter and me.

Last night was the first Friday in a long time that we have not had a downpour.  The weather this year in this part of the country has been bad for those who work and look forward to a weekend at the lake.  Heavy rain and tornado warnings have been the order of the day and a couple of times already we have sat in front of the TV waiting for the sign to go down to the basement.  Yikes, and I thought hurricanes were bad...at least you get plenty of warning.  The only ones enjoying this weather have been the flowers in the garden; that is, except for the geraniums whose leaves turn brown from so much water.

One of my favorite dishes with steak is zucchini.  I have several ways of preparing them in the summer, usually in combination with tomatoes and onions and basil, of course.  Last night I decided I wanted them simple, crispy and with a little cheese, given the fact that my daughter had already asked for a cauliflower gratin and grilled potobellos.  You should see the amount of Parmeggiano Regiano we go through in this house!

There really is no recipe for making zucchini in this simple way;  but make plenty,  for once cooked they seem to evaporate!

If you are having company for dinner make a strawberry tart for dessert!

For 2 people

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice 2 zucchinis in fairly thin rounds.  Sprinkle some fresh oregano, salt and pepper.

In a skillet melt 1 TB butter and 2 TB olive oil.  Add 2 cloves of garlic, mashed and thinly sliced.  Sautee until golden and remove to a plate.  Add the zucchini rounds in a single layer and cook undisturbed until browned .  Flip and do the same on the other side.  Remove to a plate.  Cook the rest of the zucchini and if you need to add more butter and olive oil do so but sparingly.  Once all the zucchini are browned transfer to a gratin dish. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese and drizzle the oil from the pan over the cheese.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned on top.

A Night At The Oscars

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Just the fact that the awards are on a Sunday night makes this a casual affair.  NOBODY dresses up on Sunday night anymore.   This is one time when it is okay for the audience to be in casual dress while the actors prance around in their ball gowns and tuxedos. Unless, of course, you live in LA and are attending one of those parties catered by Wolgang Puck!

Grace Kelly and William Holden

I know, in the olden days, as my son would call them, an Oscar party would be a dress up occasion with champagne, caviar and the works.  Not anymore. Nowadays Sunday night is casual night, even by New York standards.  Let's face it, guys have to wear suits every day of the work week and they look forward to a more casual attire on a weekend.  They deserve it.  I remember my 12 hour days of panty hose and makeup and you wouldn't have been able to get me in that gear on a Sunday night if George Clooney himself came to escort me.  (I'm lying, of course)  That doesn't mean this has to be a slob fest as it is for the Super Bowl.  Just more relaxed.

My date, George Clooney

For a party like this I like to go heavy on hors d'oeuvre with a simple entree for the main course.  It's a long evening and you don't want to serve the main course too early. I think buffet style is the way to go if you have a crowd. Set everything out on the table including hor's d'oeuvre plates so guests can fix themselves what they want when they want it.  Set up a bar for the drinks and let everyone fix their own.  Serve the main dish around nine and later bring out a couple of desserts.  Plan on the fact that some of your guests might want to leave early, depending how boring the show (or the party) is.

Life Of Pi

I can't say enough about putting together a guest list for this kind of party.  Don't even think of inviting someone who is not a movie fan. They will just be bored and bore every one else in return.  Those friends who enjoy movies and go to every single one released will enjoy this immensely. They are your guests. I remember one year when I was living in NYC leaving my office with my friend Silvia to go to a "client meeting " so we could catch the one and only movie nominated that we hadn't seen.  The show ended just in time to taxi across town to her apartment and watch the beginning of the awards.  That's a movie fan for you.  It won two Oscars, including one for  Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor. Silvia and I still giggle every year about our adventure on Oscar night.

And guess who's nominated again...Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

This year with three nominated movies set in the East... Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and Life of Pi, I have decided to go native with my main course. Notice I only said main course, not the whole meal.

Argo

I think it would be fun to serve the Lamb Curry with Carrot Raita and Indian Bread (pita bread is fine) and some lemony dessert like a lemon mousse or even a lemon tart or tartelets.  Citrus goes well after a meal like this.  Somehow it seems to cleanse your palate after all that spiciness.

As to the wine, the sommelier at Daniel, an Indian himself, suggests a Syrah from the Rhone such an earthy Cornas wine from the Rhône Valley, such as Auguste Clape’s Cornas Renaissance 2009 ($74). “Gamey and rich, the Syrah grapes play off the lamb, and the herbaceous and smoky notes marry well with the spices in the curry,” says Vaidya.

Another good option is J. L. Chave Sélection Saint-Joseph “Offerus,” Rhône 2007 ($29), a softer and more aromatic Syrah.

Oscar Night Dinner Menu

Marinaded Goat Cheese Log

Thai Fried Chicken Wings With Hot And Sour Sauce

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat With A Pink Sauce

Bacon On A Date

Lamb Curry With Carrot Raita

Basmati Rice

Indian Or Pita Bread

Lemon Tarts

And here are the nominees.  Tell me, who are your favorites?

Super Bowl Menus And Recipes..Updated!

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This was originally posted on January 25, 2010.  I have added a few new recipes since posted in Lindaraxa and My Kitchen By The Lake

Okay it's almost here, the most anticipated sports weekend of the year... the Super Bowl! (yawn).   Frankly, I just sleep through it, play bridge or go to the movies.  I am not a football fan, but I am an avid baseball (Yankees!), tennis and golf fan, and oh yes...the Olympics are coming, must get ready for that.   I have decided that it's not so much the sports I like but the competition.  I am intensely competitive... inherited it from my mother, the one who doesn't like broccoli anymore, like old "41".

Perhaps the only thing I like about the Super Bowl is the food, and then again, not that much.  I am a fan of Chili, especially on a cold winter night;  but as I'm getting on in years, Turkey Chili has replaced  Beef Chili in my repertoire.  And the dips, love those too! I'm so glad dips are back.

Kentucky Beer Cheese

 
If you are on a budget and have a big plasma TV, you have just hit the jackpot.  There are lots of budget friendly recipes for this event so make a list and invite those you must, particularly the ones who hate to dress up for your dinner parties.  This is the time for casual and jeans, men... the only time!  Beer and wine are the drinks of choice and I don't know of a single male guest or fan who doesn't show up at one of these parties without a six pack under his arm. Testosterone and beer must go well together. I never allow guest to bring anything to my dinner parties but this is one occasion when it is okay and even fun to let them participate and show off some of their favorite recipes...it is that informal.  So take advantage of this economically- friendly, entertaining opportunity and invite everyone you owe.  There is no excuse  for not reciprocating and paying back all those invitations you've had during the last year.

Flickr

Here are some suggestions of things you can bring or serve.  They are all on this site or in my country blog, My Kitchen By The Lake.

Appetizers and Hors D'Oeuvres

Irresistible Clam Dip

Grilled Sausages With Chimichurri Sauce

Kentucky Beer Cheese

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Thai Fried Chicken Wings With Hot And Sour Sauce
Sausage Bean And Spinach Dip
Cowboy Caviar
Tequila Mexican Cheese Dip
Cheesy Spinach And Artichoke Dip


Salads

Bobby Flay's Cole Slaw

My Mother's Potato Salad

Tomatoes with Balsamic, Olive Oil and Basil
Creamy Cole Slaw With Caraway Seed
Fresh Tomato Salsa


Main
 

Hamburgers with Double Cheddar Cheese, Vidalia and Horseradish Mustard

Honey Barbecue Chicken Drummettes

Chicken Chili

Sausage, Peppers and Onion Sandwich

Ted's Babyback Ribs

Southern Pulled Pork Sandwiches
The Silver Palate Chili
Chorizo Mushroom And Cheese Pizza
Shrimp Tacos With Grilled Corn Salsa And Southwest Cream Sauce

Desserts

Brownie Pudding With Vanilla Ice Cream

Outrageous Brownies

Lemon Bars
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches

-OR -

Have a Sundae Bar !

and let everyone fix their own!!

If you want to keep it simple, serve only vanilla ice cream, (already scooped and served in a big bowl) and have different sauces (Hot fudge, Caramel or Butterscotch, and Strawberry) Make sure you have pecans or walnuts, whipped cream and some fun toppings such as Sprinkles, Oreo cookies, Heath Bar Crunch...you get the point!

More great recipes here

Cool Summer Menus For A Ladies Lunch

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One of the most visited posts on Lindaraxa's Garden is An Elegant Summer Lunch For the Ladies Who Lunch published three years ago.  I can gather from this that most of my readers are ladies who like to entertain other ladies, for lunch, in the summer.  Surprise.

With that in mind, I have given much thought to this post and the heat that has been prevalent throughout the country this summer. I, for one, don't think much about food and entertaining these days and haven't seen a soul since the heat started.  The dogs, which used to go out around noon for their late morning "stroll", now hide under the bed when I call them and won't budge until their bladders are ready to burst just before dinner time.  I have been staying indoors for most of the day, only venturing out to take care of my poor plants and an occasional trip to the grocery store for the essentials.  The rest of the time has been spent glued to my computer screen watching Mad Men episodes from the beginning.  Great show for those who haven't watched it and highly recommended.  I did two seasons in three nights and then I realized the dishes were piling in the sink and I couldn't continue to go to bed at four a.m and rise at noon.  As my daughter told me one morning, I was behaving just like a teenager.

Now, I do understand that most people are probably not affected by this heat as much as my dogs and I so for all of you with a social life, I am posting these two lunch menus.  The first is a fairly informal one, perfect for a ladies card party or get together.  The second is slightly more formal and appropriate for when you have to entertain an out of town guest or your best friend's engagement or birthday.  Here you would bring out grandma's tablecloth and silver service and your Limoges table setting.  Both are easy, simple, balanced and cold.  In this heat, the simpler you eat the better you will feel.  Both are appropriate to be served inside if the heat is bad or outdoors if you live in Alaska.    Everything, except for the popovers, can be made ahead.

The hor's d'oeuvres in both are the same.  They are summery, cool and simple.  A French dry rose such as Domaine Houchart, which is very reasonably priced and widely available, or the more expensive Chateau Romassan will be excellent with either lunch.  If it is very warm, though, you might want to have a pitcher of iced tea or lemonade as well.

For the menus, click after the break.

Mother's Day Lunch, Retro Style

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Why not surprise Mom this year with something she hasn't had in a long time.  Everything in this menu can be made the day before.

Oh, and if you want to be REALLY nice,  why not invite those of her friends whose children won't be around to take them out to lunch.  Just saying.....

Mother's Day Lunch 2012 

Whiskey Sours

Chicken Liver Mousse Canapes

Shrimp Newburg in Puff Pastry Cups

Tomato Aspic

Strawberry And Mixed Green Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing

Lemon Meringue Pie

Table setting Carolyne Roehm

Easter Brunch After The Egg Hunt....A Children's Menu

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Oh dear, pray for me.  This coming weekend we will be babysitting the grandchildren for four days while the parents go to a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina.  It so happens that it will also be Easter Sunday so the whole thing will be about kids, Easter eggs and bunny cupcakes.

I have been buying so much stuff to decorate and keep them entertained I don't know where to begin.  Keep in mind these two are toddlers, as in 3 and 18 months! By the time Easter Sunday comes along I know I will be exhausted but Easter is one of my favorite cooking holidays and we will go the full monty.  After all, these kids are gourmets.  They eat everything and they drink water.

A baked ham is a must.  Children love it and I wouldn't miss the leftovers for the world.  Don't worry about the bourbon...they get a dash, I get the bottle. Next week I will be parceling out freezer containers of split pea soup  and freezing leftover ham for croquettes.  These children love fruit so as a treat, I will be making the Ambrosia I posted earlier on the lake blog.  I know it's not the real Ambrosia but they will enjoy it, particularly the miniature marshmallows.  The omelet muffins should take care of the rest of the food groups and the biscuits are a treat for the Easter Bunny.  If you are having a mixed group of children and adults, you might want to dress this menu up a bit.  An asparagus tart would be great instead of, or in addition to, the omelet muffins.  It would definitely be my choice.

If you are new to this blog, don't despair, there is a menu for grownups here, booze included.

A Kids Easter Menu

 Bourbon Glazed Ham

Breakfast Omelet Muffins 

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

Ambrosia 

Southern Biscuits

Egg Nest Cupcakes

and a big batch of Bloody Mary's for the staff (wink)

Happy Hunting!

Photo # 1 Martha Stewart.com
 Photos #2 and #3by Jenny Steffen Hobbik for Williams Sonoma The Blender
Photo #4 Anna Williams

  

Reprise...Christmas Eve Table And Menu

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Lindaraxa Photo

The first Christmas in the new house is just around the corner and the good news is I am mostly unpacked.  The bad news is I don't have the stamina to even think of a creative new menu for this year's dinner.  Why bother when there are so many good ones from past years including this one from 1999.   One of the first rules of no hassle entertaining is to serve what you are familiar with and this menu has passed the test with flying colors.

Last year I made a standing rib roast with Yorkshire Pudding, a first for me;  but then again, I did not have the added stress of setting up a holiday table and overnight guests for the weekend including Madame Mere, as one of my friends likes to call her.  Next week will be spent digging out and polishing the silver,  making the pate, and organizing the dreaded beds for everyone to sleep! 


 In years past, I used to go all out for Christmas Eve and entertain my family and very close friends on a grand scale.  It was a formal affair and everybody would dress up to the hilt! Luckily,  I have a Sheraton dining table  with two leaves which will seat twelve comfortably and a smaller table for six was set up in the library. We would start with cocktails on the terrace, laid out buffet style, and move later into the dining room for dinner.  I have to say that even though it took a lot of planning and work, I enjoyed it tremendously.  I think the rest of the family did too.  It was a night meant to set all our problems aside and enjoy each other's company.  We always had the best intentions of making it to Midnight Mass but somehow nobody had the stamina to do so after all that food!

It has been awhile since I have entertained like this and frankly, looking at the pictures makes me a little sad and nostalgic.  But times change and so do lifestyles and I am blessed to have been able to do it and have the pictures and memories.

This year it will be celebrated on a much smaller scale, in another town and definitely without any outside help. We are getting together on the 25th instead of Christmas Eve as these are the plans that fit everybody this year.  It will be wonderful anyway and I will get to spend it with my brother and his family, something I haven't done in years.  I also have a new granddaughter which surpasses any Christmas I have ever had.

Christmas 1999

Smoked Salmon

Pumpernickel Toasts

Capers, Onions, Sour Cream, Lemon Slices

Pate de Foie Gras

Spiced Roasted Pecans

Champagne Veuve Cliquot, Cocktails

**********

Cream of Chestnut Soup

with Creme Fraiche

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary

Mint Jelly

Gratin Dauphinois

Haricots Verts With Toasted Almonds

Chocolate Mousse

Brazo Gitano

Thanksgiving On The Move

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So last year we had Thanksgiving on the road and this year we have it on the move...literally.  Yes dear readers we are moving over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Actually, the big move is on Friday which means that while all of you are out shopping the sales I will be packing and moving.  If it weren't for the fact that the new house is beautiful and my daughter is over the moon, I would be having a hissy fit, as they say here in the South.  In spite of the ruckus, there is no way I will be forfeiting my favorite holiday dinner.  It will be simpler and easier, but the basics will be there. If I had a fabulous restaurant nearby, well I might consider going out, but there is no such thing within 60 miles of where I live.

I will tell you that the one time I managed to have a spectacular Thanksgiving at a restaurant was in London, at Claridge's, in the early 90's.  I was there on business and managed to coincide with my friend Silvia who happened to be there for meetings also. There must have been a crisis or something because it is strange that both of us would have been away for Thanksgiving and in London at the same time. In any event, I was staying at Claridge's and invited her to come over and have dinner with me.  We were offered a choice of the regular or Thanksgiving menu and being the more adventurous I opted for the latter. Well, let me tell you, never have I ever had such a delicious Thanksgiving dinner in my life.  It was worth ordering just to see the enormous silver domed serving trolley rolled over to your table and a  perfectly cooked turkey sliced by the maitre d'  who was as elegant and, well, butlery as Anthony Hopkins in The Remains Of The Day.  What a treat and one I highly recommend if you happen to be on that side of the pond.  But I digress...

This year's Thanksgiving will be spent very far from those surroundings but it will be just as special, for I will be celebrating in the company of my daughter who has just bought her first house.  Unlike years past when I spent hours cooking and setting the perfect Thanksgiving table, this year's dinner will be probably enjoyed on a simple card table and rattan folding chairs surrounded by cardboard boxes and masking tape.    But there will be a real tablecloth and fresh napkins, wine glassses and silverware and the simple meal will be just as enjoyable as those of the past for there is nothing in this world that I would rather be doing than exactly what I will be doing this coming Thanksgiving Day. 

For those of you going the normal route, there are plenty of Thanksgiving recipes on the blog and I encourage you to take a look at some past menus here and here.  More on table etiquette and table setting can be accessed by entering Thanksgiving on the Search box.  I might be offline for a while but I will be back...promise.  It all depends how long it will take Comcast to get us back on.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, don't burn the turkey and, above all,  don't sweat the small stuff!


Photo Southern Accents


  

Buffet Menu Served At The Wedding Of The Duchess Of Alba

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This past 5th of October, the Duchess Of Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart and Silva, married Alfonso Diez at the Duenas Palace in Seville.  All of you, I'm sure, know the story.  She is 85, he is... well, a bit younger.  She is very rich... he is not.  She is a real trip.

What you didn't know, that is until now, is what the guests were served after the ceremony

It was a buffet served around the garden of the palace.  Here's the food.

Cold Plates 

- Gazpacho rebujito con hierbabuena

Gazpacho with Mint 

- Tortilla Española

Spanish tortilla 

- Ensalada de Nuyes con Angulas y Caviar

Salad of Nueyes & caviar

Hot Plates 

- Arroz a la provenzal acompañado con gambas blancas de Huelva y langosta en salsa americana

Provencal Rice with Shrimp and Lobster in American Sauce

- Tournedó de Ternera con Salsa Bearnesa

Tournedos Of Beef with Bernaise Sauce 

Sides

Pimientos de Padrón

Red Pimientos from Padron 

Cebollitas Francesas

French small onions 

Patatas Estilo Ducal

Potatoes Ducal Style

- Ave al limón en su jugo con verdura variada a la plancha

Grilled Lemon Chicken with vegetables

- Ensalada Mimosa

Mimosa Salad 

Desserts 

- Tocino de coco

Coconut Custard 

- Pastel de almendras con salsa de leche condensada

Almond Pie With Condensed Milk Sauce (??!) 

- Bomba de chocolate con salsa de turrón caliente

Chocolate Bombe With Warm Turron Sauce

Source and Photos Hola

Grilled Beer Bratwust And Warm Potato Salad

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Tonight, while I sat at the kitchen counter savoring my "light" Sunday evening fare, I couldn't stop thinking of all the occasions I could serve these at.  Here at the lake I would serve them on Friday night, arrival time for weekend guests.  How about for a tailgate picnic or a steeplechase?  Football night with the boys? Saturday lunch with hubby after golf game? Saturday evening's poker game? Dinner at the sky house? I could go on forever, but it is getting late and I want to get back to my book,  Queen of the Desert...Gertrude Bell...have you read about her? you don't know what you are missing!) 

Contrary to what you may think, this was not a heavy meal.  At least I haven't reached for the Pepto Bismol yet.  It is going down rather nice.....

Like cooking with wine, you don’t want to use the cheapest beer here, but don’t use your nice one either — just something good that you’d want to drink, preferably German and dark. The handy thing about cooking the bratwurst this way is that if you’re having a big crowd, you can grill the brats a bit ahead of time and put them back in the warm beer for awhile until you’re ready to serve them.  By the way, the brown sugar is my idea so omit if you want.

Warm Potato Salad

1 1/2 lbs. red bliss potatoes

1 cup leeks, sliced

2 TBs olive oil

3 TB.s chopped white onion

2 TBS. chives

2 mashed and chopped garlic cloves

1 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB white wine

2 TB Dijon style mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

Boil potatoes until tender depending on size.  In the meantime. to a skillet add the 2 tbs. oil and leeks and sautee until soft.  Remove to a bowl.  Add the mustard, chives, vinegar, garlic, wine and the 1/2 cup olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool a bit.  Slice them in 1/2 inch and toss with the dressing, being careful not to over toss and break the potatoes.  They can be served mildly hot or room temperature.

You can add the wurst to the potato salad or serve separately.

For the bratwurst or knockwurst

Ingredients

12 bratwurst (or more, depending on how many people you’re serving or how many sausages per person you want to serve)

1 onion, peeled and halved

1 or 2 cans/bottles of beer (enough to cover the bratwurst)

2 to 3 TBS. dark sugar (optional)

Saurkraut (optional) *

toasted hot dog buns or pumpernickel bread to serve

Directions

Prick each bratwurst a few times with a fork. Place them in a large pot or saucepan with the sliced onion.  Cover with the beer, add the brown sugar and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bratwurst are cooked through. Remove the brats from the beer and grill them on a hot BBQ for about 5 minutes, turning to make sure they’re golden brown on all sides. Boil down the beer, brown sugar, onion sauce and sauerkraut (if using) and return brat to skillet.  They can stay warm on top of the oven. Serve on lightly toasted hot dog buns or brown bread.



All photos Lindaraxa

on 2/15/14 I added sauerkraut* Next day cooked the leftovers on Naan for a delicious German pizza. Preheat oven 425.  Bake the naan until it puffs up a bit. remove from the oven.  Top with leftover sauerkraut, brats and potatoes.  Back in the oven for about 10 minutes until nam is crisp.