Wow, this night was a night for the record books! Why, you might ask? One: "J" presented his first rendition of Tapas (JAK'ed up, of course) and Two: We had a dinner guest all the way from New York City. New York City? Get the hook! :)
Believe me, Picante Sauce was not used or harmed, in the making of any of the following dishes.
I had to start off with this photo. Isn't this a clever way to identify wine glasses? Forget the average wine glass charm, use fresh cut flowers! So unique!
The first round of tapas started with thick-cut bacon.
Sliced to perfection.
And skillet fried to perfection.
Next came a roughly chopped onion.
Which cooked in the bacon fat.
Then, fresh fennel seed ground.
Sliced apples joined the bacon and onions. Then went in the fennel seeds.
Looking good so far!
The mixture was placed in fried won tons (the perfect carrier). They go in the oven to bake a few more minutes.
And, walla! So unbelievably tasty. Bursts of apple and bacon. Then the fennel and onion hit you. A great start to the meal!
Next round starts with fresh mushrooms.
Finely chopped and browned on the stove top.
Next are perfect cuts of fillets.
The mushrooms and perfectly cooked steak go on top of pastry dough.
Then get balled up, and cooked in the oven to brown.
See, cooked brown and to perfection!
The mini beef Wellington's, get placed on a platter and a delicious dipping sauce (a lot like a thousand island dressing, but better) gets added.
Next round? Nothing other than short ribs.
They get a good coating of brown sugar and apple vinegar. Different, I know. But believe me, you'll never have ribs another way!
Next, homemade kraut. I unfortunately only have a photo of the final product (not the process). This kraut had the best flavor. Not overpowering, like some kraut's can be. Very smooth going down.
The ribs with a "dollop" of kraut.
So succulent. The meat fell right off the bones.
Round 4 starts with a homemade dough.
A great Parmesan cheese.
Which gets turned into cheese puffs. Delish!
Next round starts with lemon zest. You can see, we went heavy and are ending light.
A great zesty dressing gets added to a mango crab mixture. Hello!
The crab mixture gets put on top of grilled flat bread. A great finish to our JAK'ed up tapas meal.
But wait. There's more. You can't not have dessert!
A homemade caramel sauce starts dessert off.
And, APPLES! New York, New York!
Finished product? Cored apples with salted caramel sauce, and ice cream.
What a great evening. "C", we loved your company and hoped you had a fabulous time in little 'ole Oklahoma! Good luck in all of your adventures, and remember.......we'll be there riding your coattails.
Until next time......A la cuisine!
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