The Best Laid Dinner Plans of Mice and Women Oft Go Awry

By Billa

Often when giving a dinner party, stuff happens and you need to pivot from original plans. But this week was the first time that I had to totally change my whole menu at the last minute.

Here’s the menu I prepared for a recent dinner with friends:

Persimmon Soup

Roast Cod, Halibut, or Sea Bass with Artichoke Puree and Parsley Sauce

Sweet and Sour Carrots

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Olives and Feta

As I often do, I prepared the soup a week in advance and froze it. I also ordered all the ingredients (except the fish) two days ahead to be delivered the morning of the dinner.

Three days before the event, I realized that the soup in the freezer would not do. One of the guests is on a keto diet and persimmon is a big no-no. So, the first pivot was to make a zucchini soup instead. The recipe I used comes from chef Jose Andres. I was intrigued by it, as it included an unusual ingredient: Laughing Cow Cheese, a creamy combination of cheddar and semi-soft cheese that comes in a round box with eight 1-ounce wedges. Here’s the recipe:

Zucchini Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 pounds zucchini, peeled

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

1 cup water

4 wedges Laughing Cow cheese

Preparation

1. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and slice crosswise 1/2” thick.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle sizzle, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and translucent but has not taken on any color, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced zucchini pieces and water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer to a blender (in batches, if necessary). Add cheese and blend until the soup is very smooth. Adjust the consistency with water if desired and a good measure of salt.

4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cubes of raw zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Malden salt and a few turns of cracked pepper.

The soup was a good choice, as it turned out to be thick, luscious, and warming. Ignoring the chef’s topping suggestion of raw zucchini, I topped it off instead with a spoonful of Greek Yogurt and chopped pistachio nuts. I liked introducing a tangy, crunchy, salty element to the mix.

A day before the dinner, Amazon informed me that due to an e-coli outbreak, they were removing the two pounds of organic carrots from my grocery order. So, a second pivot was in order. I decided to make an impromptu tomato and artichoke salad with a truffle oil vinaigrette.

Here’s the recipe:

My Tomato and Marinated Artichoke Salad

Ingredients

12 ounces multi-colored cherry and grape tomatoes, diced

Small jar (6.5 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 medium red onion, slivered, and soaked in ice water for 15 minutes (to reduce its sharpness)

1 tablespoon truffle oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt

Preparation

In a medium salad bowl, mix together the tomatoes, artichoke, and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, vinegar, and salt and pour over the tomatoes. Serve.

The salad was colorful and refreshing. I regretted using the truffle oil, as I thought the taste was too strong, even though I added olive oil to tone it down.

Originally, when I created the entree recipe, I visualized a thick square of white fish sitting atop a mound of artichoke puree with a dark green line of parsley sauce encircling it. So, on the day of the dinner, when I went to my fish market, I expected to buy cod, halibut, sea bass or another thick fillet. Alas, it was not to be. All there was was thick salmon, which I couldn’t use as I knew that one of the guests was preparing gravlax (cured salmon) for the appetizer. There were, however, plenty of thin fish fillets like flounder, basa, and sole. So, for pivot number three, I chose the fillets of lemon sole.

There’s a recipe I cook often called Sole Bonne Femme (Good Woman Sole). Aside from the silly name, it’s a favorite dish of mine. Basically, it involves baking rolled-up sole fillets in a white sauce with mushrooms. Here’s the recipe:

Sole Bonne Femme

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 stick butter

4 shallots, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 pounds sole fillets (skinned), cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup fish stock (I used vegetable stock)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup flour (I used coconut flour as it’s keto-friendly)

Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In an oven-proof skillet, melt two thirds of the butter (1/2 a stick) in a pan and shallow-fry the shallots and the mushrooms. Stir in the parsley.

2. Roll up the sole fillets from head to tail, place into the skillet and season well with salt and pepper. Pour over them the white wine, stock, and lemon juice. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. (I had to bake it for 20 minutes.)

3. Transfer the sole to a warmed serving dish and place the skillet over medium heat on the stove. Mix the remaining butter with flour to form a paste. Add it, in small bits, to the boiling mushroom mixture, and whisk until the butter melts and the sauce thickens.

4. Pour the sauce over the sole and serve.

As I started to prepare the cauliflower for roasting, I had second thoughts about its accompanying sauce. Since the fish would have a creamy, buttery sauce, I wanted something non-dairy and zingier on the side. So, for pivot number four, I chose to make an almond/herb dressing to accompany the cauliflower.

Here’s the recipe I ended up using (It is by Julia Moskin of The New York Times):

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Herb/Almond Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower:

1 large cauliflower

Olive oil

Salt

For the Sauce:

⅓ cup blanched almonds

6 to 10 anchovy fillets (optional)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (or use olive oil)

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for basting

2 teaspoons wine vinegar (white or red), more to taste

½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, mint, tarragon, cilantro or a combination

½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the oven while you prepare the cauliflower: Place a heavy oven-proof skillet or a baking sheet in the oven and turn the heat to 375 degrees. Place a small pan of hot water on the floor of the oven, to create steam.

2. Break off and discard the outer leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the bottom of the stem, and then use the tip of a small, sharp knife to cut off the leaves close to the stem. Carefully cut out the hard core of the cauliflower, near the bottom. Leave the main stem intact and make sure not to cut through any of the florets.

3. Rinse the cauliflower (leave the water clinging to the outside) and place on a work surface, core side up. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to rub over the cauliflower until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt.

4. Place the cauliflower on the hot pan in the oven, core side down, and cook until very tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. During the cooking, baste 2 or 3 times with more olive oil. It should brown nicely.

5. Make the sauce: In a small frying pan, toast nuts over low heat, shaking often, just until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

6. Soak anchovies, if using, for 5 minutes in cool water. Rinse and set aside on paper towels.

7. In a food processor, combine almonds, anchovies, garlic and butter and pulse until smooth. Mix in oil, then vinegar. Mix in herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

8. When cauliflower is tender, remove from the oven. Serve cauliflower in the skillet or from a serving plate. Cut into wedges and spoon sauce around each wedge.

To round off the menu, my guests made an appetizer of gravlax and a strawberry/rhubarb pie for dessert.

The gravlax had a moist, silky texture. It was accompanied by wheat crackers, seaweed crackers, red onions, capers, egg salad and crème fraîche. It is one of my favorite appetizers - light and delicious.

The rhubarb/strawberry pie which was topped with vanilla ice cream was scrumptious, just the right mix of sour and sweet filling atop a perfect crust. It was a terrific ending to the dinner.