Parmesan crisps, ready to garnish the salad course for our Eat Your Heart Out dinner party
Does anyone remember February? Just two short months ago, seems like a lifetime. We had a surprise April snowstorm a few days ago which reminds me of winter which reminds me that I never posted our Foodies dinner from February. Let’s correct that now, shall we?
Shortly before Valentine’s Day Ilise and I hosted our friends for dinner with a theme of Eat Your Heart Out. A bit of research revealed that our group had never, not even once, worked with a hearts and flowers/Valentine’s motif so it was time to rectify the situation. Our little group rose to the occasion majestically. One could practically feel the love in the room all night long!
Shortly before Valentine’s Day Ilise and I hosted our friends for dinner with a theme of Eat Your Heart Out. A bit of research revealed that our group had never, not even once, worked with a hearts and flowers/Valentine’s motif so it was time to rectify the situation. Our little group rose to the occasion majestically. One could practically feel the love in the room all night long!
Menu:
- Drinks – Dan & Greg: Champagne; Jealous Heart cocktail; assorted wines
- Appetizers – Ellyn: Artichoke Fritters; Baked Hearts of Palm Dip
- Main Course – Ilise & Ann: Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Egg Noodles; I Heart Salad
- Dessert – Kathleen & Karen: Classic Chocolate Cake
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The Playlist: Given the abundance of love songs in the world, the playlist was easy to assemble. More of a challenge to excise the unbearably cheesy ditties while retaining the ironically sappy songs. So hit Play, feel free to sing along, and let the love flow!
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As with any good party, let’s begin with Drinks. Greg and Dan were in charge, setting the evening’s tone admirably well with kisses all around and bubbles in the glasses. As Greg noted,
To keep the passions from flaring while guests waited for us to prepare the cocktail, we shared a bottle of Champagne ... the real stuff, not cava or American sparkling wine.
You see? I’m in love already. The bubbles go straight to my head! Next up was a sweetheart of a cocktail that the guys named Jealous Heart.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we came up with a cocktail that interprets themes related to the holiday: love, passion, and occasional bitterness and jealousy when things go wrong. Kiwi fruit cut into a heart shape plays namesake jealous heart. Passion fruit was an obvious choice as the base. A special ingredient is the maca drink; maca—also known as Peruvian Viagra—is one of the few known aphrodisiac foods whose effects have been confirmed by scientific studies. Drink with caution.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
The Boys created an attractive and informative recipe flyer for you which may be downloaded below. Take a peek and you’ll see what a variety of ingredients and how much work goes into this cocktail.
| Print the Recipe- Jealous Heart Cocktail |
For further behind the scenes insights, have a gander at Dan and Greg’s worksheet that they used to finesse this drink in their mad scientist laboratory (aka the kitchen).
Note they are on page 2 of the formulas, so you know we got the best of the best once they were satisfied they'd achieved the perfect recipe.
Cheers, dears!
Note they are on page 2 of the formulas, so you know we got the best of the best once they were satisfied they'd achieved the perfect recipe.
Cheers, dears!
Next we nibbled on some luscious Appetizers from Ellyn: Artichoke Fritters and a Baked Hearts of Palm Dip. Both use the ‘hearts’ of the vegetable, you see.
We came, we saw, and we ate very well indeed! The fritters were not the least bit heavy or greasy – and we all know it can happen. They were light little bundles of joy instead. Crispy on the outside, melting and tender on the inside. Ellyn made a few modifications to the recipe as posted - namely more spices, less mayo, and kick the lemon sour cream to the curb.
And hoo-boy, that hearts of palm dip – luckily I restrained myself and allowed everyone else to get a few bites before I devoured the whole thing. Big time yum.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
We came, we saw, and we ate very well indeed! The fritters were not the least bit heavy or greasy – and we all know it can happen. They were light little bundles of joy instead. Crispy on the outside, melting and tender on the inside. Ellyn made a few modifications to the recipe as posted - namely more spices, less mayo, and kick the lemon sour cream to the curb.
And hoo-boy, that hearts of palm dip – luckily I restrained myself and allowed everyone else to get a few bites before I devoured the whole thing. Big time yum.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
For the Main Course, Ilise and I indulged in multiple interpretations of the theme beginning with a salad made from vegetable hearts: romaine, palm, and artichoke. (Also roasted red peppers for that little pop of Valentine's color.) And then, to gild the lily, each salad was topped with a crispy parmesan heart.
There is no recipe to share for the salad, it was pure improvisation. For the dressing, select a few green herbs that you like and add them to your go-to vinaigrette recipe of choice. Mine includes good olive oil, white wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Lightly dress the lettuce leaves, heap the chopped veggies on top, and gave a final drizzle of dressing.
All that's left is the very best part: the parmesan cheese crisp -- or frico -- that goes on top. Here are links to a couple recipes -- one cooks in the oven, the other on the stovetop. So delicious!
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
There is no recipe to share for the salad, it was pure improvisation. For the dressing, select a few green herbs that you like and add them to your go-to vinaigrette recipe of choice. Mine includes good olive oil, white wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Lightly dress the lettuce leaves, heap the chopped veggies on top, and gave a final drizzle of dressing.
All that's left is the very best part: the parmesan cheese crisp -- or frico -- that goes on top. Here are links to a couple recipes -- one cooks in the oven, the other on the stovetop. So delicious!
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Our second variation on the Eat Your Heart Out theme called for a hearty entree. Get it? Heart-y? Yeah, we're pretty funny, we know. For a minute we considered going down the Heart Healthy path, but opted for rib-sticking comfort food instead. (It was February, remember?)
We found a recipe for Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Leeks, Prunes and Apple in the Chicago Tribune and folks, I'm here to tell you, it called my name. We took it for a test drive and verified it would be A-OK to serve to our dear friends at this pre-Valentine's Day dinner.
We found a recipe for Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Leeks, Prunes and Apple in the Chicago Tribune and folks, I'm here to tell you, it called my name. We took it for a test drive and verified it would be A-OK to serve to our dear friends at this pre-Valentine's Day dinner.
Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Leeks, Prunes and Apple served over egg noodles
There's a bit of potschke-ing on the front end -- peeling and chopping the fruits and vegetables -- and you do have to start early because it needs at least one overnight in the fridge. But otherwise this is an easy-peasy dish which will satisfy most everyone. We served it with egg noodles but polenta, spaetzle, or gnocchi would also be good choices. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
| Print the Recipe- Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Leeks Prunes and Apple |
Finally it was time for Dessert, featuring everyone's favorite ingredient: Chocolate. Hey, whether it's Valentine's Day or not, the heart wants what the heart wants. Am I right?
Kathleen and Karen won our hearts with a classic chocolate cake topped with shaved chocolate curls and a perfect strawberry heart. Death by chocolate? Yes, please.
So there you have it. We've poured our hearts out to you, Dear Reader, sharing deep feelings about the feast we enjoyed lo those many months ago. The good news is these dishes are tasty year-round, so go on, cook something delicious and follow your heart's desire.
Want to read more about the Foodies Group dinner parties? Click here.
Want to read more about the Foodies Group dinner parties? Click here.
A lovely glass of port was a fitting way to conclude our evening.
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