Gourmet Group Party

September 17, 2012

Hello!  Please join me for our late summer gourmet group,
this time at Helga and Doug's.


It was another beautiful evening and we were able to sit outside,
under a cabana off the tennis court and pool, ahhh yes, very nice.

Mixing the sunflowers with burlap and black napkins was striking.

Beautiful outdoor sunflower setting.


One thing I can say about being entertained at Helga and Doug's,  we always know the food will be delicious.  She is German and the daughter of a baker, and cooking good food is second nature to her.  Their style is easygoing and friendly, yet your feel pampered the minute you drive up.  Candles are lit in the window and our hosts are waiting at the open door.  Entertaining in this welcoming way is an art.

Insalata Caprese, bella!

MENU

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon
Alsatian Pizza with Bacon and Caramelized Onions, recipe below

Insalata Caprese

Coq au Vin Blanc with Rice
Grilled Mixed Vegetables with Balsamic-Garlic Basting Sauce and Herbs

Prune and Almond Tart

They also babysit their granddog.  Here is Tucker, he is a special friend of our granddog, Dexter.


My assignment was dessert, a prune almond torte.  I made two and everyone loved them.


Alsatian Pizza with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
source, Epicurious, Fred Thompson

This recipe is for topping only.  You can make your own thin crust pizza dough, or purchase it fresh from your local pizza store like our friend did! 

3 Tbls. butter
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbls. firmly packed light brown sugar
3 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into strips
1/4 lb. Gruyere, thinly sliced
2 Tbls. chopped fresh thyme

Cook onions with butter and sugar on medium-low heat, stirring, until onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  At the same time, in a second saute pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.

On partially grilled pizza crust, top each with the onions, bacon and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Return to grill and cook until each crust is firm and browned at the edges and cheese has melted a bit, 4-6 minutes.  Slice with pizza wheel and enjoy.  I loved this so much and think it would be great for a luncheon. 

I have two finished sweaters to photograph, when I can get my photographer in the mood!

I have some Kid Classic in off white and thinking about casting on another Tea Leaves Cardigan.  I loved knitting that pattern before and think Kid Classic will be a great pairing, plus I need (oh yes!) a winter white cardigan.

I'm having a luncheon this week and having some fun going through magazine clippings of recipes I liked and collected over the years.  I'll take some pictures and share what I come up with.

See you soon!



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4 Comments

  1. Good Morning Kristen, Your friends sound lovely and the food looked delicious. I loved the colours of the Insalata Caprese and the Prune and almond tart you made looked fabulous. Enjoy your luncheon this week. Best Wishes Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kristen, thank you so much for sharing your recipes and a bit of your life. You are an amazing hostess! Everything is so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You guys put Martha Stewart to shame! Lovely tarts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kristen, I love reading your blog about all of the dinner parties. The food and table settings are just beautiful and so much fun to read about. Thank You......You do amazing things......

    ReplyDelete

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