the best saturday

…ok, so maybe my wedding will win out over this one, but it was pretty damn fun spending all day cooking and baking and serving our friends what my accomplice and I were sure was a splendid meal. We were supposed to go to Toronto to see U2 this weekend, but with Bono out with a bum back, we made the best of it state-side.

The menu was:
Appetizer – Bacon-Wrapped Brussel Sprouts with pistachios and sage, Zucchini Latkes with sour cream and smoked trout, and Endive Salad with gorgonzola and maple vinaigrette
Soup – Vichyssoise with baguette croutons
Entrée – Shrimp Étouffée with wild rice and italian bread
Cheese course – Delicious cheese chosen by Tyler
Desserts –  Espresso Chiffon Cake with fudge buttercream, “Trifecta of Tartlets” (honey-cinnamon with apples, vanilla bean mousseline with fresh berries, lemon mousse)

I don’t mean to toot my own horn but uh….yeah, it was pretty good.

We even borrowed a fancy-pants camera to indulge ourselves a little further by taking photos of all the food we were so proud of. A slideshow for your viewing pleasure:

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Aren’t those some purdy photographs? We’re hoping to hold dinners like these roughly once a quarter until we can someday go live with our real restaurant. Stay tuned!

Zucchini hash

Last night I made what might be my new favorite quick go-to meal for dinner. Unfortunately, we were too busy stuffing our faces and running out the door to take any pictures of such a beautiful meal, but trust me when I say it was fabulous.

Zucchini hash with poached egg:
(enough for two people)

1T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large zucchini, chopped
1 small red potato, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
Salt, pepper
4 eggs

Pour olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat and let the pan heat up a minute while you fill a medium sauce pan with about 3 inches of water (you will use this to poach the eggs) and put that on medium heat.
Dump your chopped vegetables into your hot sauté pan and brown them, cooking for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and salt (I used seasoned sea salt).
Poach eggs one by one in the hot, but not boiling, water. Variation: You can also crack the eggs right into the hash and scramble them.
Once your veggies are browned, plate them and perch the poached eggs on top. Enjoy! You may need a slice of crusty toast to soak up all the beautiful yolk from the eggs.

*Need a poaching tutorial? Deb over at Smitten Kitchen has got some great tips. (link to be posted, as I’m currently writing from my answer-phone)