Wednesday, July 2, 2008

We're Gourmet. What, didn't you know that?



Last week was quite the culinary week for us!

On Tuesday night, we attended a Sur La Table cooking class. Amanda gave us a gift card there for a wedding gift and since our guests were oh so generous at the wedding, we decided to use the GC for a cooking class instead of more kitchen supplies (we're already bursting at the seams!). I wanted Patrick to take it with me, but I knew he wouldn't be willing to cook just anything...after I discovered the "4th of July Feast" I knew I had a winner. Our menu included:

-Baby Back Ribs with Ancho Chili barbeque sauce
-"Awesome Burgers" with a cabernet reduction, bacon, and blue cheese. Shannon, you would have LOVED them
-Asian Slaw with spicy peanut dressing. Henry, definitely right up your alley. I thought I would hate it but it was actually everyone's favorite dish!
-Sour Cream potato salad (only so, so definitely not the best thing we made)
-Lattice-Topped Berry pie (so good, I might be making that again tonight! And I never like pie!)

It was so fun to cook together and learn from such an amazing instructor. I asked a million dumb questions but I think that made me learn even more.(Look how serious he is, mixing that meat!)
It also made us feel more inclined towards cooking together in the future. Usually we're in a big hurry and I only like things done my way (I know, I'm working on it!) but we've decided to try and make a "gourmet" dish once or twice a month together to practice our skills.

The class was an absolute blast and I highly recommend asking for it as a gift (it was really expensive so I'm not sure if I would pay to go) as it's a great way to spend some quality time with family or friends.

Thursday evening was Heron and my "Thank You" dinner from Henry and John. A few months ago, Heron and I taught Henry how to grocery shop and prepare some simple, healthy recipes. It was really a great time, but we had NO idea what kind of "thanks" we were in for! We both showed up at 8 pm to incredible smells and smiles from the boys. We were instructed "not to lift a finger" as we were served up a culinary feast! The menu included:-Fresh fig and goat cheese drizzled with honey and served on endive spears-Gruyere and Spinach stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken served with sauteed tomatoes & onions and shallot/thyme new potatoes-Deluxe s'mores complete with fresh homemade marshmallows and delicious chocolate sauce and raspberries.

Could two girls ask for a better dinner?! We told them guys who want to date a girl don't even go to that extreme, let alone just good friends saying "thanks"! We had a fabulous night and are very excited to see what they whip up in the future! Not to mention what they're making for their girlfriends who are next!

Saturday afternoon I was sitting alone in the apartment waiting for Patrick to come back from his softball tournament when I turned to the "Macaroni and Cheese Tournament" on Food Network. This got me thinking about our first gourmet creation. I quickly researched recipes online and proposed the idea to Mr. Larsen when he got home. Lets just say it didn't take long for him to change and get back in the car! After browsing Whole Foods for the best quality cheeses, butters, truffle oil (yeah, we're that high class) and pasta we went home to whip up Martha Stewart's Mac&Cheese made with Pecorino Romano and Sharp White Cheddar cheese. We make a good team in the kitchen, but I have to say, I think we may have added a little too much Pecorino Romano because our end result wasn't the most delicious Mac&Cheese we've ever eaten. The Romano flavor was pretty overwhelming. We came to the conclusion that we like wimpy cheeses and are going to tweak the recipe to match our tastebuds next time (Read: Mozzarella, Provolone, Medium Cheddar, stuff like that).

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a little confused...this is the same guy who offered his family extra toast to go with the cereal and milk he had prepared when it was his turn to make dinner?!?!?!?!?!!??????

Okay, this means I'll be expecting plenty of fabulous recipes from you guys to include in the family Christmas recipe collection...

Emily Webster said...

your mac n cheese story reminds me of when you made gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese sauce and you let me have it all because the cheese was too strong for your taste! ;-) You go girl with your gourmet cooking! Looks yummy!

Shannon said...

I am so impressed by you guys and so glad you're finally making the plunge into the finer things of life!! Gourmet food!! Also, the blue cheese and Cabernet reduction sounds great, but you know I'll have to pass on the beef and bacon...

Megan said...

Wow that looks AMAZING. I am so impressed by your skills. I try Rachel Ray and that's about as "gourmet" as I get! Hats off to you two!

Bekah said...

What a fun idea... so does this mean you're cooking dinner for us soon??? :-) P.S. I haven't seen you forever!! Where are you??

Tyson and Heather said...

How fun, I hope you two keep up the gourmet cooking like you're hoping--what a fun thing to do together!

deveney said...

very impressive, my mouth is watering and I feel the need to brush up on my cooking skills now...I thought I was doing ok, but compared to you-time to upgrade!

Natalie | Make Today Great said...

I am so impressed. My mouth is watering from your culinary genius.