Full Circle.......

Schramsberg.  This is the exclusive champagne of the White House.  Yes, that's right.  The only champagne served in either plastic cups (my style) or crystal glasses (to the Queen of England).  How did this begin?  President Nixon wanted an American champagne (the most comparable to the best in the world) and he found it in the Napa Valley region of California.  What did he want this for, you might ask?  To toast for World Peace with the leader of China, at the time.  What does this have to do with our recent Monday meal?  We had our first dinner guest.....and, all the way from China!  There's a full-circle moment.

One of "A's" and mine good friends, whose been living in China for the past few years, came to visit.  What would we serve someone from this region, who hasn't been in the States in months?  My clever brain thought: "American Chinese food".  haha.  "J" had a better plan.

It started with a lean pork loin.

Which got a good pounding.

And rolled out paper thin.

Then, a layer of bacon was spread out.

Which became the "cast" for the pork.

That alone is good enough, but "J" had to JAK it up.  He stuffed it with spinach, goat cheese, blueberries, raspberries, sun dried tomatoes and onions.  I have to admit, upon hearing the fruit as a stuffing item I was skeptical. 

Another view.  Wowsers, right?

Stuffed and rolled and ready to cook!

As the pork cooked, we enjoyed a sampling of cheeses, olives and caper berries.  The darkest cheese was my favorite.  It was spinach flavored, and just delicious.  I swear, I could live off of cheese.

While the gals snacked and gabbed, "J" continued the meal.  Poaching and cooking on the stove-top two apples.

Stove-top, with cinnamon.

Reduced down.  Yep, a homemade applesauce.  A perfect accompany to the pork.

Next up, an assortment of fresh herbs from the garden.

He pounded those together, with butter and oil. 

Making a dreamy sauce for the mini-potatoes.  These marinated in this sauce, before being baked in the oven.  So buttery and flavorful!

Potatoes cooked.  I love the different colors and shape of these.  And again, the buttery herb mixture "J" made was perfect. 

The pork, out and being tested for the right temperature!

Done and served.  How beautiful.  Just the perfect (fancy) American home-cooked meal, for our special friend visiting from China.

This makes a very impressive dish.  Once you cut it, all the layers of flavor show.

My serving, ready to be devoured!

Meal #30, done!

We each got a single serving of the homemade applesauce.  Although we all agreed the pork was excellent alone, this was a great side-dish to help cleanse our pallet. 

For dessert?  A homemade tartlet.  The dough.  Wasn't just your average (haha, sarcastically) homemade dough.  This was an almond infused dough.

Rolled out. 

A trick "J" has used before.  Beans to weigh the dough down into the containers.

Baked golden, and ready for the filling!

The filling was goat cheese with cream.  Delish!  The perfect smooth texture and flavor.

How beautiful is that?  Fresh cut fruit, and a cherry on top!  The crust was perfect, with the simple almond flavor.  Crunchy, and flaky, and worked perfectly with the cheese mixture.  I could have just ate it without the fruit toppings!

So, full circle.  We ended our evening with a toast.  To good friends, and great (catching up) conversation.

Leslie, it was so wonderful to see you and we were honored to have you as our first Not So Mundane Monday dinner guest!  Safe travels. 

Until next time......A la cuisine!

PS: JAK will be taking the next few Monday's off (vacations, business meetings, etc.).  We will see you back here on August 22nd!

Getting old isn't so bad......

I just have to say this first: I have the most amazing friends a girl could ask for.  Two I'm most particularly blessed with are "J" and "A".  Some back story: I was recently made aware that I was selected as an OKC Biz 40 under 40.  This recognizes 40 individuals who are under the age of 40 and who are "seen" to be making a difference in their community.  I was truly honored when I found out, but it was also very ironic.  "I'm old enough to be a 40 under '40'!!??" is specifically what went through my mind.   

But, when I arrived to this week's Not So Mundane Monday dinner I certainly wasn't prepared to feel as special as "J" and "A" made me feel.  They took away the "I'm getting old" feeling and replaced it with a very humbling feeling.

When I first walked in I noticed the beautiful tablescape (most notably the breathtaking flower arrangement and fine china and stemware.....hello Vera Wang).

Isn't the arrangement just beautiful?!?!  As "A" said "J" said: "So Kelli".  ha! 

"A" then had me walk over to an ice chest (and open it).  I have no idea why (perhaps because of a story I had told them a few weeks ago, about my father hand-carving a watermelon to look like a dolphin for my 9 year old birthday party) I thought, when I opened it, it would be a carved watermelon.  "Dead" wrong.  After opening, and giving my eyes time to adjust, I let out a loud *scream*!  Right in front of my eyes, and not "dead" yet: Three huge live lobsters!  Wow, what a treat.  I was speechless.  They wanted to make this night about me and making me feel special, and boy did they.

These lobsters were flown in from Boston.  If you have never frequented Super Cao, we recommend it (most of what you've seen "J" cook has been from here).  A wonderful Asian market in the Asian District.   

So huge!  Guessing they each weighed at least 6 pounds. 

Just had to post this, in addition to the beautiful flower arrangement.  The details, even with folding the napkin within the ring=Priceless.

The appetizer started with grated Parmesan.

And ended with a Parmesan crust cracker.  Delish, and so fancy!

The potato dish, had several different kinds of cheeses.  The cheeses were married together, into a gravy like substance.  Which then covered potato slices and baked.  Au gratin style.

Potato slices cooking with the cheese gravy.

 Dish ready for the oven!

And, out from cooking.  This rested for 10 minutes.  The resting allowed for the ooey gooey cheese to firm up.  Such a rich and savory side dish!

To counter the rich potato dish and lobster meat, fresh spinach. 

It was cooked down with fresh garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Yummo!

This is the pot the lobsters steamed in.  Very important here: Steaming compared to boiling.  If you boil a lobster (which is what you traditionally think to do) the water gets all in the cavity of the crustacean.  Steaming allows for the meat to cook without being soaked with water which makes for a much more enjoyable lobster experience.  This pot included lemons, onions, basil, garlic, parsley (and many other items).  If you stuck your face down in the steaming water, it had so much aroma!  Like a mini-facial!   

Per "J's" rules: We each had to put our own lobster in the steaming water/pot (basically, had to put our own lobster to its death!).  Although it looks like we are having a lot of fun, we all hated doing this.  The thought of actually killing something, that we would then eat shortly thereafter was disturbing.  But, only for like 5 minutes.  :)

"A" with hers!

The lobsters, after steaming for 10 minutes.  They steamed for a total of 15 minutes.

Can't have lobster without melted butter to dip the succulent meat into!

Bright red lobsters!  An interesting tip, if you are trying this at home: To determine if the lobsters are done you simply pull on the antenna.  If it pulls out easily, they are done!

As well, you know they are done when the tail curls up (as above).

Here is my plate!  Huge lobster tail, claws, potato and spinach (and dipping butter).

Folks, this is the claw meat (yes, OUT OF THE CLAW).  How unbelievably beautiful.  It was very interesting......the taste difference between the tail and claw.  The claw was more similar to that of crab meat (but still very unique in its own right).  Another tip (on getting the claws open): wrapping it in a napkin and hitting it with a hammer! 

For dessert?  Just ("just") some homemade ice cream bon bons.  Lemon, salty caramel and chocolate.  Great job "A"!

I just couldn't come up with the right words to let "J" and "A" know how truly special they made me feel.  So, I'll try here.  As honored as I am to receive a recognition such as 40 under 40; I am way more honored to call you two my friends.  You are my biggest cheerleaders, accept me for exactly who I am (I don't care what they say...ha!) and there for me no matter what the reason/situation.  I adore you both.

Getting old(er) (definitely) isn't so bad.   

Until next time......A la cuisine!