Samstag, 22. März 2014

Three-Course Dinner II


We looove having friends over. And feeding them. So this is the second time that we hosted a dinner for our four friends - and a couchsurfer from New Zealand.

Daffodils! <3






We did a bit of a Quentin Tarantino theme, played Tarantino film soundtracks during the dinner, played a couple of scenes on the tv during each course. We always publish a "secret menu" before the dinner so our guests can guess what we'll serve. The aperitif's secret name was "Seth Gecko's Relief" - obviously a Tequila Sunrise! :)



The aperitif | A Tequila Sunrise





I finally got to use my veggie carving skills that I learned at the Thai cooking class the other week. It still looks like an untalented third grader carved the parsnip and carrot flowers, but I think it still worked! :)


I used parsnip "flowers" for the wasabi.

I wish my kitchen was much bigger!

The Appetizer | Veggie Sushi

For starters, we had sushi - to live up to "Dead Williams Tale Chapter IV" (Kill Bill's Chapter IV goes by "The Man from Okinawa" and is set in a sushi bar).



The Main Course - Big Kahuna Burger with Cajun Fries

The main dish was quite a challenge! We made a "Hawaiian Tsunami" - A Big Kahuna Burger - and we played the appropriate scene from Pulp Fiction, of course. :) We couldn't serve a big Kahuna Burger without having Jules say "Well, if you like burgers give 'em a try sometime. Me, I can't usually get 'em myself because my girlfriend's a vegetarian which pretty much makes me a vegetarian. But I do love the taste of a good burger. Mmm."
 



The picture our couchsurfer took and sent me because
I forgot to take a proper picture of the burger.


How to make that burger? Here is the recipe for the burger patties. We made some mayo and mixed in some pineapple juice and curry powder to make a burger sauce. 
Further layers include: Lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, raw onions, Wilmersburger vegan cheese (cheddar style), and ketchup. I also sliced smoked tofu thinly, fried it in a bit of sunflower oil, seasoned with a bit of salt. Then I baked the tofu slices with some maple sirup! Plus: Fresh pineapple slices!

For the fries: I cut 2kg (for 7 people who were more than stuffed after the meal!) of floury potatoes into fries. Then I baked them with no salt, but some olive oil at 200°C/390°F for about 15 minutes in the oven. I let them cool down and before serving them, deep fried them for a few minutes. Then, I added some cajun seasoning [recipe].




The Dessert | Apfelstrudel with Vanilla Icecream



My friend Sarah is trying to establish a new proverb. It goes "There's always room for cake. And ice cream." Of course, she is referring to the world famous "dessert stomach" - you know, even if you're stuffed, you still have room for dessert. We didn't tell her what dessert was going to be, but when the boyfriend started serving the plates while I was still in the kitchen making more, I heard an incredibly happy sounding squeal from the living room! :)

So, this is a puff pastry based apfelstrudel with rum-soaked raisins and roasted pistachios, served with homemade oat milk-based vanilla ice cream. Recipes will follow!

I love having foodie friends! And my impression was that they didn't mind being my food friends, either. :)