I cooked my parents a big meal before my dad entered the hospital. Tonight's was the big meal to celebrate him leaving the hospital. This was supposed to be lamb chops. But, my mom's brother, Chuck is in town and I got a call from my mom Monday night that Chuck doesn't eat anything that begins with an "L." Oookay. No Lamb. So, I needed to change my menu. I considered making only things that begin with an "L" like Vichyssoise (leek soup), lasagne, lentils, etc... but I couldn't come up with a menu of "L" items that would actually be good together. I abandonded the plan. Chuck brought my grandma too, which is always a treat. (Look at my June 8th entry for more about my very sweet grandmother.) But, this also meant that I needed to be concerned about her dietary needs. I needed to avoid dairy and really spicy things. I was going to still make some unusual things and hope they weren't too weird for her. I figured pork loins were a safe (non-"L") alternative as long as I didn't use the word "Loin" around Chuck.



The Plum Soup was a terrific starter. It is pretty unusual but it was delicious. I made it Tuesday night so it was nicely chilled and I served it in chilled bowls. The skeptics were won over quickly. Nick even liked it (except for the almonds).

The Fennel and Orange Salad was the weakest link of the meal. No one except Alex and I had had fennel before. I used too much orange juice in the dressing so it didn't cling to the fennel very well. When I was plating it I knew that there was supposed to be something on top and it seemed natural that it was crushed black pepper. Actually, the recipe called for chopped mint - which I chopped and had waiting right next to me on the counter. Actually, the pepper was better. I should have put even more on. In fact, it should have been called "Peppered Orange and Fennel Salad."

I was very pleased with the flavor of the pork. I cooked it to 170 degrees just to make sure it was done enough for my Grandma and Uncle but it would have been a little juicier at 160. However, the bacon, garlic, and spices were delicious and I think it was some of the best pork I've ever made. I prepared three loins but we only needed two so I'll be making Cuban sandwiches in the next few days. I've got to find the right pickles.

The sweet potatoes were very lemony. I cut the glaze recipe in half and it still almost totally overpowered the flavor of the sweet potatoes (or yams - whatever). But they made a nice balance with the spicy pork.

The sorbet was terrific. The mint with the melon almost had a banana flavor. I considered just putting a few dots of balsamic glaze on the sorbet but instead opted for a (shamefully store bought) ginger crisp and some tasty small strawberries macerated with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Good.

I roasted some Guatemalan coffee for after dinner but wanted something to go with it. I didn't think that the melon sorbet would go good with coffee. So, I made the Chocolate Chipotle Brownies I made a few weeks ago. I made them Tuesday night so I had a few that I took to work too. When I made them for the pig roast, I wasn't able to get many people's reaction to them. This time, I was able to watch 12 different people try them.

Their reactions were so similar as to be comical.
1) Skepticism and doubt
2) A Reluctant taste
3) Mmm, good chocalately brownie
4) Puzzled because they taste the cinnamon but not the pepper
5) Relief that they survived the experience
6) Oh wait! It's getting hot - "I taste it now."
7) Wow, that's really good

I don't think I've ever made something that generated such entertaining reactions. My grandma was watching the reactions and decided to try one so she had the unenviable position of EVERYONE watching her reaction. She reacted just like everyone else.

This was a pretty elaborate meal but I really enjoyed making it. I had been looking forward to it for over a month. Both my grandma and uncle said some very kind words to me and I was gratified that they appreciated the meal. Chuck mentioned several times that my cousin Karen and her husband would really like cooking with me. So, Karen, I'm looking forward to it.