Purple passion was everywhere that night – in the beats, in the beets, and in the hearts and souls of thousands of Prince fans gathered in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Sometimes the elements converge to create perfection – a perfect moment, perfect song, a perfect happening. We experienced one such occasion last week at a movies-in-the-park screening of Prince’s 1984 modern classic, Purple Rain.

​Scheduled far in advance of the singer’s untimely demise earlier this year, this event turned into a tribute and celebration of Prince’s unique artistry, bringing an estimated 20,000+ fans to the Pritzker Pavilion for a soul-stirring evening that became so much more than a movie.

As usual, we brought a picnic to the park and made merry with good friends. Everyone enjoyed the tasty beet salad (it’s purple, you see) – details to come a bit later.
​
But first I want to share more about the powerful energy of that evening. The crowd was stoked, jazzed, psyched, and on fire. Man, it was contagious!

​From the movie’s first frame well past the final credits, we were singing, screaming, swaying, swooning, and waving our purple glow sticks in the air like we just don’t care. The vibe was that of a live rock concert, a hot sweaty night club, an intimate lovers rendezvous, and church all rolled up into one massive feel-good experience. Although we lost a masterful musician and true innovator when Prince left us in April, his gifts can and do still raise us up to the loftiest heights. Thank you, Prince Rogers Nelson.

Famously protective about his music’s distribution, Prince did not approve of online music streaming so we won’t post a playlist. But I’ve got the Purple Rain soundtrack on right now in my headphones and I encourage you to do the same as you read about the salad.  

We’ve posted few times this summer about delicious make-ahead picnic salads, and here’s another one that is simple to make, easily transportable, a crowd pleaser on day #1, and still good for leftovers on day #2. Downside = stains from the beets, if you’re as messy as I am. Don’t wear white while cooking or eating this salad. Trust.

Imminently adaptable, this salad hardly needs a recipe (but I’ll give it a try, below). Greens of your choice form the base; baby spinach is traditional. Slow-roasted beets sliced on top. Creamy goat cheese crumbled on top of that, and a sprinkling of toasted nuts. Do not dress the salad in advance but serve a vinaigrette of your choice on the side. (My favorite homemade version is this one from Thomas Keller’s recipe.) Over time the beets will tint the goat cheese a lovely shade of magenta, but don’t worry, it will still taste fantastic. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios  
Recipe source: Ann Johnson
Serves 4
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium-sized beets, scrubbed well, greens removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6-8 cups lettuce greens of your choice (spinach, romaine, arugula, or a mix), washed and dried, torn into medium-sized pieces if necessary
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled into large chunks
• ½ cup shelled pistachios, roasted and salted

NOTE: You may substitute other nuts such as chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts. Toast them for about 5 minutes in a dry skillet over low heat, in a toaster oven, or in a regular oven at 300°F. watching carefully so they don’t burn.

• ¼ - ½ cup Vinaigrette style salad dressing of your choice – to drizzle on top and serve alongside

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Place 2 beets (approximately the same size) on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the beets. Seal up the packet by crimping the top and side edges together. Make another packet with the 2 remaining beets.
• Set packets on a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 45-60 minutes.
• Starting at 45 minutes, check for doneness by carefully opening a packet to test the beets with a sharp knife. If the knife easily pierces through the beet, it’s done. If there’s some resistance, re-seal the packet and continue cooking at 5 minute increments until all beets are tender.
• Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and open the foil packets. Let the beets cool until they’re able to be handled. Peel the beets. The skin should peel right off, but use a paring knife if needed. NOTE: I use kitchen gloves.
• Cut the beets into wedges or medium-sized chunks and refrigerate until time to assemble the salad.

NOTE: I prepared the ingredients and stored separately about 6 hours before dinner time, and assembled the salad right before packing the cooler and leaving the house – about 3 hours before serving. Feel free to adjust the prep/assembly/serving times. This is an amazingly flexible dish!

• Assemble the Salad: Arrange the lettuce leaves on the serving platter (or large Tupperware container)
• Place the beet wedges/chunks on top of the greens.
• Top the beets with the crumbled goat cheese.
• Sprinkle the pistachios (or other nuts) on top.
• Right before serving, drizzle a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over the salad. Serve the rest of the vinaigrette on the side. 

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

Get stuffed! Pretty rude if said to a human, but when addressing the lovely rainbow trout that is about to become dinner, well, I think we know it’s all for the best.

I’ve tried a lot of new-to-me fish over the past 18 months thanks to my Hooked on Fish subscription, seeking to expand my piscine horizons. I was excited to cook a wide variety of seafood and expected to LOVE LOVE LOVE so many new things, and I’m happy to say the experiment has worked! Some of my new favorites include sea bass; arctic char; opah; and even that fugly mother, monkfish.

But sometimes the old faves are the best faves. I’ve always loved trout at restaurants and now I know that cooking it at home is fast, easy, and infinitely adaptable to suit your taste, mood, and the contents of your refrigerator. Stuffed trout rings the bell for me because it is mild in flavor; there’s a good chance it will be locally sourced; using the foil pouch technique makes cooking/clean-up a breeze; and best of all, the flavor options for stuffing the fish are endless. Herbs and lemon slices is a classic combo. Chopped fennel, orange, and parsley is also nice together. 

I found a recipe from the New York Times Cooking column featuring chopped tomatoes and garlic as the main stuffing ingredients and thought – great idea, this should’ve happened sooner! Better late than never, and this will definitely enter the rotation of Meals I’m Eager to Eat Again.

I made a few little changes to the recipe: I sautéed onions and garlic together before spreading a couple tablespoons inside each fish; this was instead of mixing raw garlic with the tomatoes and oil. I also subbed parsley and oregano for the thyme that the recipe calls for. Still delicious.

The Occasion: Welcome Home dinner for MIL Ina. I was able to make the fish packets several hours ahead of time, transport them to her apartment in a cooler, and bake them up there in about 15 minutes time. Easy-peasy and delicious-Aloysius. Ina enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Rainbow Trout Stuffed with Tomatoes, Garlic and Thyme
Recipe source: Martha Rose Shulman at New York Times Cooking

INGREDIENTS:

• Extra virgin olive oil for the foil
• 4 small rainbow trout, boned
•  Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes in season, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
•  Chopped fresh parsley or thyme for garnish
•  Lemon wedges for serving

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Cut 4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, or 8 sheets of lighter foil, into squares that are 3 inches longer than your fish. If using lighter foil, make 4 double-thick squares. Oil the dull side of the foil with olive oil and place a trout, skin side down, on each square.
• Season the trout on both sides with salt and pepper and open them out flat.
• In a bowl combine the tomatoes, garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon over the middle of each trout.
• Place 1 or 2 sprigs of thyme on top, and fold the two sides of the trout together. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon olive oil over each fish.
• Making sure that the trout are in the middle of each square, fold the foil up loosely, grab at the edges and crimp together tightly to make a packet.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, checking one of the packets after 10 minutes. The flesh should be opaque and pull apart easily when tested with a fork.
• Place each packet on a plate. Carefully cut across the top to open it, taking care not to let the steam from inside the packet burn you. Gently remove the fish from the packet and pour the juices over.
• Sprinkle with parsley or thyme and serve, passing the lemon wedges.

​Advance preparation: You can prepare the fish and make the foil packets several hours ahead. Keep in the refrigerator until shortly before cooking.

I don’t want to alarm you, but heads up: We’re nearly through the month of August, back-to-school will soon be upon us (it’s already begun in some areas) and a man on my teevee recently inquired whether I was ready for some football. The answer of course is yes but hold your horses, dude. I’ve got some more summertime fun to soak up before I can fully turn my attention to the autumn sports.
​
Good News: It’s not too late to throw one more (at least) dinner party before the summer’s over. Make it easy, make it delicious, make it a team effort by giving your guests a job to do. Casual classics with a few special touches is a good way to go. 

Today we’ve got 2 times the tips for you:

• A mouthwatering menu featuring everyone’s summer produce favorites – sweet corn, ripe juicy tomatoes, plump blueberries, and herbs right from the garden. With a little advance planning you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the party as much as your guests do. It’s time to fire up that grill!
• We’re sharing our top tips for party planning – especially the casual, good vibrations, hot-fun-in-the-summertime kind of parties. You’ll find our ideas after the recipe and food photos below. Please share your own party planning tips in the Comments!

We recently hosted a small group of friends for a patio party featuring Grilled Surf and Turf dinner – super-easy and extremely delicious. Our guests crowdsourced a cheese plate for the appetizer course, each bringing a chunk of their favorite fromage. It was a fun way for folks to participate in the meal without causing too much work, and it helped to break the ice conversationally. Personally, I could talk about cheese all day!  Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Menu:

• Grilled Marinated Flank Steak – from Simply Recipes (recipe linked here)
• Grilled Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Tomatoes – from Better Homes & Gardens (read and print the recipe below)
• Green Bean Salad with Garlic Dressing – we’ve blogged about this heavenly dressing before
• Fresh Corn Sautéed with Butter and Basil – the perfect non-recipe
• Blueberry Upside Down Cake – recipe from LifeIsGood; we blogged about it here

What makes this menu so special? High-quality ingredients, simple treatments, and get out of the way. That’s it.

The flank steak is a perennial crowd pleaser at our house and couldn’t be easier: marinate the meat overnight, grill it up but don’t overcook it, no more than medium. Let it rest before carving, and cut against the grain.

Tangy lime dressing added a little zest to the grilled shrimp salad while letting the fresh veggies shine through. I placed it all on a bed of arugula to make the dish a bit more substantial. We grilled the shrimp right before guests arrived and grilled the steak about 30 minutes before we served dinner. 

​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Lime Dressing
Recipe source: Better Homes and Gardens
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 limes
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp in shells, peeled and deveined
• 2 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced
• 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
• ½ sweet onion (Walla Walla or Vidalia), thinly sliced (1 cup)
• ½ cup packed fresh cilantro or flat parsley

SPECIAL NOTE: You’ll need wooden skewers at least 8 inches in length. Soak them in water for 2-3 hours in advance of skewering and grilling.

DIRECTIONS:

• For Lime Dressing: Remove zest from 1 lime; juice the lime(s) to get 3 tablespoons.
• In a small bowl combine zest, juice, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until combined.
• ​For the Salad: In a medium bowl toss shrimp with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
• Thread shrimp onto skewers that have been soaked in water for several hours.
• Grill shrimp on the greased rack of a covered grill directly over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque, turning once halfway through grilling.
• On a large platter arrange shrimp, avocados, tomato, and onion. Drizzle with dressing and top with cilantro and/or parsley.

​Please keep reading for Ann and Ilise’s Summer Party Planning Tips. (Click Read More if it appears in the lower right corner of this post.) There’s nothing especially original or earth-shattering about these tips, but they work for us. Maybe for you too?

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. ​​
​

Here is a bodacious amount of information about two stepping – of which the Fort Worth Shuffle is one variation, with polka steps added to the mix – from no less an authority than Texas Highways Magazine. 

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

​The Occasion: Pre-theater dinner to kick off Ilise’s birthday weekend earlier this summer

BTW Chicago-area theatre buffs: Writers Theatre in the northern suburb of Glencoe produces consistently excellent work and now they have a fancy-dancy new building in which to do it. Highly recommended.

The Menu:

• Lemon and Rosemary Grilled Halibut – Recipe source: Bobby Flay via Food Network via Hooked on Fish
• Baked Potato Salad – Recipe source: Alex Guarnaschelli via Cooking Channel
• Caprese Salad – The perfect non-recipe: Arrange tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil on a plate; sprinkle with good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and freshly ground pepper. 

The Verdict:  It’s important to get the grill very hot. You want a nice little char on the fillets. Delicious! This is a good, simple treatment for the fish making it easy to pair with other, stronger flavored foods. In this case, the herb-y, vinegar-y, pickle-y potato salad was the flavor bomb and the fish provided a neutral foundation for all the rest. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Born on this day in 1912, famed chef, author and television personality Julia Child died on August 13, 2004, just two days shy of her 92nd birthday. She packed a whole lot of living in between.

Beloved for her cheery personality, warbling voice and straightforward manner, Julia is best known for introducing the art of French cooking to American home chefs. 

Three to Know:

1. Julia Child served in the Office of Secret Services (OSS) as a top secret researcher during World War II. She was stationed in Washington, DC, Sri Lanka, and China, where she met her husband. They moved to France where Julia taught herself to cook and then organized with friends to teach others. 
2. Her iconic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking was first published in 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf, and ran a modest 726 pages. Co-authored with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, it has remained in print ever since and received its first e-book edition in October 2011.
3. Julia began a long television career in 1963 at WGBH-Boston with The French Chef. Her quirky personality comes through loud and clear whether appearing on her own, with a co-host (Jacques Pepin was a perfect kitchen partner for many years), or with a full cast of characters.

​Another famous “Julia” video comes to us courtesy of Dan Akroyd and Saturday Night Live (SEASON 4, 1978) -- this is definitely worth your time, whether it's your first viewing or your 101st. 

In November 2009 our foodie group’s themed dinner was a Tribute to Julia Child. Unfortunately there are no photos or blog posts to document the occasion, but I assure you the evening was a huge success full of culinary delights and a few good stories about Julia’s rich life. Here’s what we made, mostly using recipes from Herself:

• Appetizers: Gorgonzola cheese balls w/ chives or walnuts, country pate and potato leek soup
• Drinks: Upside down martini, bourbon & ginger ale and buttery nipple shot

This was our course, and perhaps I’d better explain. The upside down martini,made with 5 parts vermouth to one part gin, was Julia’s favorite cocktail. Her husband Paul was an enthusiastic mixologist and enjoyed his bourbon, hence the inclusion of this brown liquor stalwart. And as to the buttery nipple shot – well, butter was one of Julia’s favorite ingredients AND she seems like a good-time gal who would not be above sending a few shots down the hatch. So what do you think – a round of buttery nipples for everyone? Cheers!

• Main course: Coq au vin, baby red potatoes and salad w/homemade dressing
• Dessert: Chocolate cake w/almonds

​Finally, I simply must share a divine bit of music that honors Julia Child AND provides a detailed biography. WOW – this a capella-rap sound awesome, marching to its own beat and following a singular vision. Much like our birthday girl, Julia Carolyn McWilliams Child.
​

The Occasion: Two overripe bananas lounging on the counter, good for baking but not much else. We could’ve gone the banana bread route, nothing wrong with that, but hello COOKIES! It was meant to be.

The Verdict: There have been other oatmeal cookies I’ve enjoyed more (including a couple varieties from the legendary Cookie Suitcase). Then again I’m not one to look a gift cookie in the mouth either. It’s perfect for lunchboxes and brown bags – not necessarily pretty nor fancy, but a tasty treat nevertheless guaranteed to spark a smile. ​

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe source: Life Love and Sugar

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and mashed bananas until well combined.
• Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and cornstarch and mix until combined.
• Stir in oats
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Spoon tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Flatten dough a little bit, into thick discs. They will spread a little when baked.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to golden.
• Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 34-36 cookies

Otherwise known as the face – and the flute -- of classic rock band Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson was one of my musical heroes during my formative years.

As a high school flute-player, I was accustomed to a repertoire of conventional orchestral pieces: the Grand Canyon Suite, Peer Gynt, perhaps a little Mozart.

​The marching band got a little funkier – we regularly brought the hometown crowd to their feet with our version of the Theme from Shaft. 

But Ian Anderson brought flute playing into a whole new realm of rock and roll. Folk rock, hard rock, prog rock – Jethro Tull blended them all together to create a unique sound, distinctly their own.

While their influence has been seen in the work of many other musicians, they were outstanding in their field – and in my heart.  

Thank you, Ian Anderson, and many happy returns of the day! 
​

The Foodies (formerly known as the Supper Club) are a group of friends who love to cook, eat, drink, and laugh together – plenty of each occur at our periodic themed dinner parties. Friends and family like to live vicariously around our feasts so we’ll share the stories, pictures and recipes here from time to time. Click here for previous Supper Club posts, and here for the group’s origin story.

Did you miss the Part 1 post? Find it here.

So by now our foodie group road trip is well underway and no one is hollering “Are we there yet?” from the back seat. Maybe because they’re pleasantly sated by the yummy Route 66-inspired drinks and appetizers we devoured (and wrote about) last time.
​
One of the best things about a road trip is the opportunity to discover, explore, and enjoy new things, especially once you take a few detours off the main drag. Roadside signs lure you to untold opportunities in small towns and rural areas across the country. World’s Largest Ball of Twine, for example. I’d pull off the road for that. Well, Dan and Greg applied that principle of discovery to the wonderful meal they served at our dinner party. They borrowed well-loved recipes from truck stops, family diners, and fancy establishments alike all along Route 66 to cook and serve an amazing meal of barbecue and more sides than a polyhedron in a mirrored room. Yes sir, that many!

The Menu:   

Drinks – Ilise & Ann: Route 66 Cocktails; Various wines including a trio of Chasing Harvest pinot noirs from 2009, 2010, and 2011


Appetizers – Ellyn: Frito Pies, which originated either Texas or New Mexico – the debate still rages on


Main Course – Greg & Dan: Barbecue Texas Beef Brisket; Turquoise Room Pork Carnitas; Oklahoma Joe’s Best Beans on the Planet; Kansas Kreamed Korn Kasserole; Witmor Farms Macaroni Salad; plus several delicious sauces


Dessert – Karen & Kathleen: Banana Splits, the one dessert featured on nearly all truck stop menus along Route 66

​Keep reading for more of the story, recipe links, photos, and great music to help the miles fly by without missing a beat.  

​I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. Brown liquor in the summer time? Bourbon tasting, to me, is a fall and winter sport. Summer is for the blonde spirits – I’m a gin girl myself, but also on friendly terms with vodka and tequila.
​
But once fresh peaches enter the conversation – grilled, no less – it’s definitely summertime and the livin’ is about to get very easy indeed. 

Grilled Peach Bourbon Smash
Recipe by Ilise Goldberg, inspired by The Kitchn
Makes one cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
• 1.5 oz Grilled Peach Simple Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• Small Handful of Mint Leaves & mint for garnish
• 2-3 dashes Bitters

 
Directions:

• Combine the peach simple syrup and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add mint and muddle.
• Add bourbon and ice; shake until chilled.
• Put ice in a rocks glass, pour drink, and add 2-3 dashes of bitters.
• Garnish with a slice of peach and a sprig of mint.

 
Grilled Peach Simple Syrup:

• 5 Peaches, halved
• 1 Cup of Water
• ½ Cup of Sugar
• Grill the peach halves until soft (Optional: The simple syrup can be made with fresh peaches.)
• Combine the water and sugar in a pan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. 
• Add the peach chunks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
• Once the fruit is nice and tender use a potato masher and mash the fruit to release as much juice as possible. 
• Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to cool completely.
• Strain the syrup into a container, and store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. 
• If making far in advance the simple syrup freezes well. 
• Your yield may vary, but we got approx.  24 oz of simple syrup with this recipe.

The Occasion: Cherry season is here (and going quickly). Plus chocolate. Plus we all scream for ice cream. Is that enough of an occasion for you? Yes, I thought so, me too.
​
I am in love with my bright red Cuisinart ice cream maker and have vowed to make at least a few batches of the frozen good stuff each summer. I’ve tried many different recipes – for sorbet, Philly style ice cream, custard style ice cream, gelato – but none have resulted in a dessert as creamy, rich, and decadent as this one from David Lebovitz. 

So do not pass go, don’t wait another minute, go on and get you some! It’s going to take a little time and advance planning is necessary. Don’t worry, it’s worth it. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Chocolate-Cherry-Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
Recipe source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz via The Brewer and The Baker blog
 
INGREDIENTS:

For the ice cream

• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 4 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 5 oz good semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

​For the roasted cherries:

• 1/2 lb cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 Tbsp sugar

For the fudge ripple:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Warm 1 cup cream with the cocoa powder and whisk thoroughly.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
• Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Then stir in the remaining cream.
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible.
• Set a mesh strainer over the bowl.
• Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the saucepan.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk the yolks together.
• Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg yolks and then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of your spoon.
• Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
• Add the vanilla.
• Set the bowl in an ice bath (put several cups of ice into the sink and fill with a few inches of water).
• Stir every 15 minutes until cool and then chill mixture thoroughly in the fridge (~2 hours).
• While the ice cream is chilling, roast the cherries and make the fudge ripple.
• Preheat the oven to 425° F.
• Toss cherries with sugar and place in a small baking dish.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool slightly before chopping the cherries into small pieces.
• Transfer the cherries to a covered bowl and refrigerate thoroughly.
• To make the fudge ripple, stir together the water, sugar, corn syrup and cocoa over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges.
• Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and then remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Let cool and then store in a jar in the fridge (will keep for several weeks). The fudge ripple must be completely chilled to use.
• Pour the chocolate custard into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer directions.
• Transfer 1/3 of the ice cream into the storage container.
• Drizzle 2 Tbsp of fudge ripple and half of the cherries over top.
• Repeat, with the next 1/3 of the ice cream, 2 Tbsp fudge ripple and remaining cherries.
• Transfer the last of the ice cream to the bowl, drag a spoon or a knife held upright through the bowl in a figure 8 pattern to lightly swirl.
• Cover with a lid, and freeze completely.

The Foodies (formerly known as the Supper Club) are a group of friends who love to cook, eat, drink, and laugh together – plenty of each occur at our periodic themed dinner parties. Friends and family like to live vicariously around our feasts so we’ll share the stories, pictures and recipes here from time to time. Click here for previous Supper Club posts, and here for the group’s origin story.

Road Trip! That’s what our hosts Dan and Greg originally had in mind when selecting this theme, and then they sharpened the focus to Route 66 – one of the original roads in the U.S. Highway System and a major route for westward migration beginning in Chicago and traversing through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, ending the journey in California.

​Also known as the Will Rogers Highway, Main Street of America, and the Mother Road, U.S. Route 66 has earned its place in popular culture through song, television, and stories of road trips past and present. ​The famous song was written by Bobby Troup and first recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio in 1946. Since then it’s been covered by numerous musicians, several of whom you’ll hear on Greg’s fantastic Route 66 Playlist coming up just a little later in this post.
​

The Menu:

• Drinks – Ilise & Ann: Route 66 Cocktails; Various wines including a trio of Chasing Harvest pinot noirs from 2009, 2010, and 2011
• Appetizers – Ellyn: Frito Pies, which originated either Texas or New Mexico – the debate still rages on
• Main Course – Greg & Dan: Barbecue Texas Beef Brisket; Turquoise Room Pork Carnitas; Oklahoma Joe’s Best Beans on the Planet; Kansas Kreamed Korn Kasserole; Whitmore Farms Macaroni Salad; plus several delicious sauces
• Dessert – Karen & Kathleen: Banana Splits, the one dessert featured on nearly all truck stop menus along Route 66

​In this post we’ll do a drive-by of the drinks and appetizers. (Main course and dessert will be covered in the Part 2 post coming soon.) Please continue reading for the rest of the story, photos, recipes, and Greg’s road trip playlist celebrating Route 66.