Friday, September 5, 2008

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

I leave for France tomorrow and last Friday I had some friends over to have one last hoorah before I'm out the door. Of course, I had been planning the menu for weeks because to me the food really sets the tone for the party. For this night, I wanted the food to be relaxed but delicous. Even though it was a very small get together, it was a sort of mixed bag of guests: family, friends, coworkers from my summer job, etc. so I wanted to create a menu that would be customizable to different tastes, but full-flavored from every angle.

I settled on simple chicken served with three different sauces, a cheese plate, and a variety of salads that all had different flavor bases. It was probably the most interesting meal I've ever put together, considering how many different flavors I tried to incorporate in one spread. With the help of my mother (for the first time she was helping me in the kitchen...), the cooking took only a couple hours and I could kick back, relax, and say goodbye with all my favorite people.



Basil Pesto, Bobby Flay's Sweet and Sour Sauce, Mango Avocado Salsa



Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Goat Cheese

Megan's Zucchini, Cheddar, and (Turkey) Bacon Cakes


Cheese Plate of White & Multi-Grain Baguette, Fresh Mozzarella, Boursin, Fresh Basil, Tomatoes, and Avocado

Fresh Berry Salad with Sliced Almonds and Fresh Mint

David Lebovitz's Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream

1 comment:

Manggy said...

What a fantastic feast! Bon voyage and good luck, Sara! (You'd better show us those amazing French pastries, heh)