Epic Food – An 11 Course Meal

For about a week, my buddy Chris and I planned an epic dinner on Labor Day that would exceed all imagination. An homemade 8 course (count ‘em, EIGHT) tasting menu served between 8 friends at LeOnion’s place. We’re not talking about tastings of ordinary food either. Each course was going to be extravagant and to do that we had to unleash the good stuff. It was a team effort and everyone helped with the preparation. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, eight people in one kitchen is way too nuts for words to describe.

But wait, there’s more. Three more to be exact. Even after assigning groups to cook (Chris and I were going to do three dishes each and assigned two more dishes to others), we had some more dishes brought to the party that were all magnificent. So let’s summarize that up: an 11 course (count ‘em ELEVEN!) tasting menu served between 8 friends. Now that is mind bottling.

And now, the starting lineup (with some nice pics):

Round 1

We started off with some flavorful appetizers. The first tastings consisted of four dishes:

• Polenta Cakes topped with Carmelized Onions and Mushrooms & Tomatoes and Blue Cheese
• Broiled Mussels with Sweetened Salmon Roe
• Pan Seared Scallops
• Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna

Gloria made these tasty little round treats. The polenta cakes were nice and thick. Serving as a perfect bedding for a classic mixture of caramelized onions and mushrooms & small cherry tomatoes, basil, and blue cheese.

(unfortunately we didn’t take pics of these but trust me, they were good looking, great tasting appetizers)

The mussels. Now, if you’ve never had mussels with a layer of thick, sweet, pale-orange cream, then you’re missing out. These tasty bivalves were broiled under a hot oven, caramelizing the exterior and forming a handy little appetizer. They… come… with… their… own… spoon… folks.

Our scallops were a bit cold since they were cooked WAY in advanced. But either way, you could taste the nicely seared tops simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Mine had a great texture and didn’t succumb to the rubberization (yes I just made that word up, nice huh?) that overcooked scallops usually exhibit. Good job Chris, I had like five of these.

Chris made some phenomenal looking Ahi Tuna. There was a nice and thick pepper crust that added a bit of heat to the fish without overpowering the taste. Not only was the texture was great on this slice of fish but it was beautiful to look at as well. Nice job again Chris.

My plate: Hello, my name is Fat. You may have heard of my relatives, they reside at 123 Artery Lane.
Me: Oh why hello Fat. i heard many things about you. Are you really as tasty as they say you are?
My plate: Yes, very versatile too. I come in many forms. I can be an oil for deep frying, a flavorful component of a great steak, and an Omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fishes.
Me: Wow, that’s an impressive resume. Come hither and be consumed.

Round 2

We took a short break to plate the next round of tastings. Then the bell rung and Round 2 officially began with:

• Honey-Walnut Shrimp Doughnuts
• Sirloin Steak with a Red Wine Reduction
• Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass

LeOnion started us out with a cool twist on Honey-Walnut Shrimp. After carefully de-veining and peeling the shrimp (by hand guys, this was quality work), he wrapped them in French Bread dough and deep fried them. The result? A crispy outside with a nice and chewy interior filled with a tasty, pink shrimp. After dipping it in a honey, mayonnaise, and sweetened condensed milk glaze, my heart was in love… or was that an acute myocardial infarction?

Gloria made us a few delicious steaks with a red wine reduction. I don’t know too much about what went in there but the steaks were freakin’ delicious. They were seared on the outside with an absurdly hot pan (I know from experience) and cooked to a nice pink medium-rare on the inside. The reduction was a concentrated mixture of red wine, shallots, and garlic.

Up next was an enormous piece of wild Chilean Sea Bass. One of my all time favorite fishes to eat due to the ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ texture, this fish was not an exception. LeOnion marinated it with a miso, Mirin, and brown sugar blend and threw it in the oven until it reached an internal temperature of 130F. You want to try the best fish ever? Go buy a good piece of Chilean Sea Bass, do it right, and be prepared to get wow’ed.

Round 3

At this point, we needed a long break. The premiere of Gossip Girls came on so the girls (and Chris) watched that. Meanwhile, the others relaxed and pondered how they were going to work off the massive calorie intake. However, when Round 3 came along, we were ready to go again:

• Japanese Mushroom Risotto with White Truffle Butter and Piave Cheese
• Japanese Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu with a Lemon Soy Dipping Sauce

A risotto is a wonderful thing. Using standard Arborio rice, I prepared it the traditional way by slowly stirring in chicken broth until it was thick and creamy. Fusing Italian with a bit of Japanese, I stirred in some sauteed Hon Shimeji and Enoki mushrooms and at the last minute, infused it with cream, white truffle butter, and Piave cheese (a delicious hard cheese very similar to Parmesan). The risotto was topped with some fresh chives, a Piave cheese crisp and drizzled with some white truffle oil. Rich yes. Expensive yes. Worth it, oh my gosh yes.

This here ya’ll is imported Japanese Wagyu (Kobe-style) beef. Not the American stuff. Not the Australian stuff. The marbling of fat was so intense that the overall hue of the meat was a light pink instead of a deep red. I decided to prepare half of it by simply swishing it around some boiling water. The other half was quickly seared in a pan coated with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. I then made a soy, Mirin, lemon dipping sauce that rounded out the meat with a bit of salinity and tang. The beef was extremely tender and flavorful though I’ll be the first to admit that Wagyu or Kobe needs to be enjoyed in the form of a steak to be properly admired (only if you have an extra arm or leg to spend). But still, this was a delicious way to enjoy Kobe-style beef.

Finally dessert…

Yvonne said that dessert goes to another stomach. I will agree with her. We all know that scientifically speaking, humans have a separate glove compartment for storing after dinner sweets. So what is for dessert? Oh wouldn’t you like to know…

• Tiramisu
• Trio of Frozen Delights: Berry Sorbet, Mascarpone Sorbet, and Vanilla Ice Cream

Emily made this gorgeous Tiramisu in the living room. Yes… with the couches, the carpet, and everything… without spilling a drop. The kitchen was occupied by people making the savories of the night so she had to make her dish some where else. The cocoa powder and sugar even had to be sifted outside! Mmm taste the outdoors! Tiramisu needs no description. Just look it up on Wikipedia.

Without a doubt, the single coolest piece of kitchen equipment I own is my Ferrari-red Cuisinart ice cream maker. I went a tad crazy with it and churned out three ices: a luscious Mascarpone cheese sorbet (think rich cheesecake), a triple berry sorbet (blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), and a decadent vanilla ice cream. Once you have any of these home made frozen wonders, you’ll never want to eat store-bought desserts again.

After the night was over, I certainly felt sick to my stomach given how much I had eaten but the experience of it all was unforgettable. I’d like to think of it as the ultimate potluck. It was fun and educational culinary experience. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!