This past weekend was jam-packed with activity. And one of the finest activities was a wine-tasting event held by our friends at Gagnon Cellars. Their wines are primo and I still can’t believe we have friends who make wine. But we do, so there you go.
Anyhoo, I was asked to help with the food side of things. (For the record, I was asked because I offered. Don’t think for one second that my friends imposed, for they did not.) So I thought about the wines, and I thought about the wines, and then I thunk about the wines some more. I came up with 4 finger-food-type-thingies.
Medjool Dates Stuffed With Goat Cheese & Basil, Wrapped in Imported Prosciutto…
These are crazy-easy and yet they never fail to satisfy. The sweetness of the dates, the salt of the prosciutto, the creaminess of the goat cheese – of course they satisfy! I add the basil leaf for a hint of color, but it also brings a bright freshness to the palate. Four little ingredients add up to one big appetizer.
Spanish Tortilla Bites…
This recipe is killer, y’all. Not only is it vegetarian, it’s also versatile. I’ve served it for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. This time I opted to cut it into cubes. It was a fantastic appetizer, and the flavors didn’t overwhelm the wine at all. The potato, onion and zucchini brought a bit of heft (which some of the wine tasters needed – ahem), but the heft was quiet. Subtle. And here’s a crazy thing – there’s no cheese in it. It was pretty and delicious.
Polenta Squares Topped With Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Roasted Beef…
I don’t know what inspired this one, other than the fact I wanted to try it. I also knew there would be a few carnivores at this shindig, and I thought it might be nice for them to have something to chew. This one starts with the best polenta recipe I’ve found: the Barefoot Contessa’s. I mixed up some pesto and cooked a couple of steaks and that was it. I would definitely make this again.
Cucumber Cups Filled With Chopped Greek Salad…
These were just lovely, and provided another option for the vegetarians. I didn’t really think they were all that where wine pairings were concerned (maybe the Chardonnay was complemented), but I thought the wine tasters might want something a little less heavy. I love the idea of these appies, but next time I’ll work harder to make the cucumber cups as small as possible. These were a little too big to pop into one’s mouth, and that was okay. But why not make it easy to eat? Also, these cucumber cups can be filled with just about anything, yo.
An artist from a beach community did a couple of chalk boards for the event, and I thought they were the monkey’s eyebrows…
How much do you love the deer in this one?
This was an interesting event for me. When I first signed on to make some food, I didn’t think much about assigning a label to my service. I did spend time going over the wines and what I thought might complement their flavors, and I did spend time going over recipes and trying to come up with finger-food ideas. I had an expected guest list number and a budget. I had a time-line. Basically, I had all the things required when catering. But I was hesitant to use that word. I was unsure if my food would qualify as, well, worthy of being called catered.
And then I started putting it all together. I started working out the number of food pieces per guest. I started preparing the food. That’s when I looked at it all and realized that if I were at an event – any event – and the food provided was even close to what I’d made? I’d be in flippin’ food dork heaven.
So I not only relaxed, I also allowed myself to use the “C” word: Catering. And when I was introduced as the caterer at the event itself, I didn’t shy away from the compliments. I was happy to answer questions about the food. I did turn down a few job offers, however, and I’ll have to do some thinking on that. But the truth is, this was for friends. And I’m not entirely sure how I feel about doing this for others. For money. For reals. I guess I’m just gonna have to sit – and think some more. (If you don’t have the “Scarecrow” singing in your head right now, too bad for you.)
In the end, it was a successful event for Gagnon Cellars, for my friends. And the day could not have been more lovely. I was so happy to help my friends, and when the heart is involved and one’s intent is pure, it usually turns out good. I felt that. I feel that. What I didn’t expect to feel was pride. I didn’t expect to feel so competent in my work. And I am, to be perfectly frank, taken aback at these feelings, wonderful as they are.
I guess I really do have some thinking to do.