memoirs of a palate

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES







Dan came by after work this evening and following some email chatter earlier in the day, Meena and I agreed to a) cook for our friend and b) go the pizzetta route. And although the pizzettas are different every time based on ingredients that are around and what sounds good, I feel like we stick to a couple standards ... the barbecue, the tomato based and the pesto (toppings vary). Tonight I thought I'd mix it up just a bit a try a couple new ones that may or may not become standards.

* Take One, The Reuben - This one was envisioned by Meena and created by me. Due to cravings based on a delicious Midwest appetizer she recently sampled, we made the following:
- swiss cheese
- sauerkraut
- thousand island dressing
- corned beef
- flour tortilla

I know I typically review them all at the end, but there are many this time and I feel the need to break it into little feedback bites. So the Reuben ... In theory, this one was really good. The only problem was the ingredients. Our kraut wasn't up to par and the thousand island was pretty terrible. Although everyone seemingly enjoyed this first take, I think it could be improved with higher quality stuff.

* Take Two, The Italian - This one was made with Dan in mind. I don't really know why, but it just sounded like something he would enjoy. It contained:
- balsamic reduction
- field greens
- prosciutto
- parmesan
- garlic
- flour tortilla

I know I haven't told you about the others yet, but this one went down as the clear fan favorite. The reduction really made this one. It was tart and sweet and the ham and field greens brought just enough salt and pepper to even it all out properly. This one will, without a doubt, make a return to our table.

* Take Three, The Steakhouse - I'm not sure why I went with this one, but I couldn't come up with a bistro or thai option no matter how hard I thought. So I just went with some "typical" steakhouse elements and ran with it:
- horseradish cream
- mushrooms
- corned beef (we had it from the other, so I just used this rather than a roast beef)
- crispy onions
- bleu cheese
- flour tortilla

This one was a winner, but I'm not sure it was perfect. I'll have to work on it a bit if it makes a return to the table. It was really creamy and rich and the bleu cheese gave it a nice bite. Two points for creativity ... I just need to refine the flavor.

* Take Four, The Extra - Although the first three options were well received, we were a house full of hungry people. So I went back to the stove and whipped up one more steakhouse (without mushrooms for Dan) and a random salsa option. It featured:
- black bean salsa
- pine nuts
- fresh mozzarella
- field greens
- pepper

The final creation was really just a garbage operation. Meena liked it quite a bit. Dan thought it was a bit too full of salsa flavor. I agreed. But it wasn't bad ... just a final shot to make sure everyone went home full.

The only other thing I wanted to mention was this wonderful Malbec we started buying when Grant and Sara were here. Again, I'm not going to get into the habit of listing wine, but this one is so good. We've tried lots of Malbecs that are more (and less) expensive and this one is far and away our favorite. For 13 dollars, it's a little pricey for a Wednesday, but it's just so good. And I can't forget that nice bottle of Coppola Merlot Dan picked up.

Wonderful evening!