Supper Club - Austro-Hungarian

October 1 the Supper Club Marin gathered together for a feast from the Austria-Hungary region.  We were lucky to have someone with us whose background was Hungarian, having four grandparents from Hungary.  She brought this lovely Herend porcelain piece which company is named after the Hungarian village where it originated.

We started with appetizers, and Lana brought this lovely Liptauer (Hungarian Cheese Spread) that we munched while chatting in the kitchen while the chefs put last touches on many of the dishes following.

Tom M put lots of care into these tasty Irinka-Povarenok (Hungarian Chopped Liver) which were the first things served as we sat down.

Kathleen hand made the dumplings which went into the Leberknödelsuppe (Liver Dumpling Soup) as well as simmered soup bones and caramelized onions to make the complex soup.  The liver dumplings included liver, saltines and lard among other ingredients.

Bonnie and Barry brought a side dish to accompany the mains.  Barry made the Gebackene Kohlsprossen (Brussels Sprouts with Ham and Mushrooms) and people exclaimed that these were the best Brussel sprouts that they had ever tasted!  This was the lone dish of Austrian origins.  All the other chefs chose Hungarian dishes.

Emil made Hortobágyi Palatschinken (Savory Hungarian crepes) which were filled with a savory pork and veal mixture.

And here is what the center of the Hortobágyi Palatschinken looks like.

Connie brought Hungarian Goulash.  The first time she made it, it had more of a burnt than smokey taste, so she made it all over again and varied from the directions to obtain this smooth and silky stew of perfection.

Juliette brought the Oxtail Stew.  She had grown up with oxtail stew and was surprised at how hard it is now to find oxtails to cook with.  The sauce was reminiscent of a barbecue sauce, with ketchup and mustard among the ingredients.

Juliette also brought the mashed potatoes that were still sporting thei skins.  It made the perfect foil for the mails.

Tom H explained about  his quest to find an authentic recipe for his dish, and found an extraordinary number of variations.  The Csirkepaprikas (Chicken Paprikas) he chose tasted great!

Janice made Uborka Saláta (Hungarian Cucumber Salad) which was also done according to direction to be its authentic Hungarian self.  This dish got lots of raves!

Bill's contribution was of Austrian origin, a Salzburg beer - Stiegl Goldbrau Premium Lager.  Ir was described as smooth, refreshing and delicious!

Then we rolled around to desserts, starting with Karen's Havasi Kifli (Hungarian Nut Crescents).  These melted on your tongue and were perfect with the expresso served with dessert.

The final dish was Stephanie's Szilvas Gomboc (Plum Dumplings) which had a potato based dough around a  fresh plum.  The packet was steamed, then rolled in a breadcrumb and spice (cinnamon among the spices) mixture and topped with sour cream.  Delicious and necessarily heavy.  Food to eat in the dead of winter to keep warm in Hungary for sure!

And finishing off the dessert was my contribution of Zwack liqueur, a Hungarian digestif. It was created by Dr. József Zwack, the Royal Physician to Emperor Joseph II in 1790, and the first liqueur commerically produced in Hungary.  It has more than 40 herbs and spices in its recipe.

As our custom, each chef told a story of their dish's origin or special cooking notes - whether true or not!  The purpose is to have fun and that we did.

Supper Club - Thailand

After a rather long absence from the Supper Club Marin, I was able to join in last night for the Thailand theme.  We are a group of both professional chefs and advance home cooks who love to cook and share.  We meet about every 6 weeks and bring a dish around a theme chosen after the previous dinner.  We particularly enjoy geographic themes and sharing a story or piece of history about the dish or culture.  Naturally I brought my camera for this to capture the beautiful dishes prepared by all.  Wish that I could have also captured the aromas!  Thailand food has some wonderful scents!  Here is a pictorial view of the delicious dinner with the name of the dish and the chef behind it!  I added some notes where the photo isn't self-explanatory.

Appetizers

Meang Khum (betel leaf wraps - Malabar spinach substituted) - Tom H. Tom couldn't find betel leaves, so found this interesting Malabar spinach.  It is a bit misnamed as it is not in the spinach family at all, but a tropical vine.  The taste is mild and spinach-like however.

Khai Luuk Khuey (son-in-law eggs) - Tom M. Tom did not know the origin of the name 'son-in-law eggs', but these deep fried boiled eggs with a pleasant sauce were delicious anyway!  I did a little research this morning and found that "Almost Bourdain" has some interesting possible stories.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce - Victoria.  Victoria elevated this chicken by putting a spice rub on the chicken and making a peanut sauce that balances sweet and salty deliciously. 

Salads

Thai Beef Salad - James.  Not satisfied that any of the recipes he found really captured the best Thai beef salad, James took elements from several that he thought made one that matched his favorite Thai beef salad tastes.

Som Tam (green papaya salad) - Eddie.  Eddie learned that green papaya is not merely an unripe papaya, but actually a type.  He brought in a green papaya and another variety and taught us about the differences.

Side Dishes

Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk - Janis. This mixture of vegetables was so bright and the taste of fresh spices rang through.

Jasmine Rice - Bill O.  Yes, a bowl of rice doesn't look like much, but if I could put a 'smell' button here people would really get the aromatics of good Jasmine rice which was imported from Thailand.  We learned that a very high percentage of the Thai population is involved in rice making.

Mains

Dry Beef Curry with Peanut and Lime - Gillian/Richie.  This beef was so tender and the mix of peanuts and lamb was far better on the tongue than I imagined.

Basil Eggplant - Anna.  I made this classic Thai basil eggplant diesh.  I used tamari and rice wine instead of fish sauce and granulated sugar to add some complexity and keep it a vegan dish.

Pad See Ew (River Noodles with Beef and Broccoli) - Kim.  Kim found FRESH rice noodles for this dish, and the noodles were so soft and absorbent of the mellow sauce.

Massaman Curry - Bonnie/Barry.  Bonnie hand selected fresh spices to make fresh curry for this chicken based dish.  It also was one of the most fragrant smelling of the dishes and delightfully fresh.

Dessert

Thai Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream - Stephanie.  Stephanie used both rice and corn starch for the batter base along with some 5-spice.  This was a wonderful dessert to end the meal with.

And a group shot of the table as we were settling in for the first course of Thai appetizers.  Next up is the Eastern Himalayas in July.

Supper Club - Holiday Party 2009

I joined up with the Supper Club again for its annual Holiday Party - although this posting is after the holidays, these dishes are great any time of year.

First thing up was an amazing, and I do mean amazing, Poached Pear and Truffled Pate Mousse. Glenn made this masterpiece, and the fois gras with truffles and spiced poached pears topped with pistachios was one of the most delicious dishes I've ever tasted.

The Pecan Amaretto Baked Brie, although looking over-caramelized was totally delicious as well. Janice and her daughter Victoria teamed up on this, being Victoria's recipe and made by Janice.

I believe that Janice brought and made on behalf of her husband, Bill, the tasty Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. Glen recommended eating these hot, risking top of mouth burn. They are tastiest piping hot!

Our fearless leader, Tom H succumbed to food poisoning from a tea party the day before and left our party early, but leaving good instructions on how to finish of this smooth and savory Fennel Soup he brought.

Next up were the delicious main dishes, and their sides:

Dungeness Crab, Tom M. - peak of season perfection.

Gingersnap Style Sauerbrauten, Connie. Very good rendition and it used two different cuts of meat one leaner than the other for a taste comparison. Both were great!

Well, the plainness of my Whole Foods purchased Mashed Potatoes paired well with the Sauerbraten, but it wasn't the intended dish. The Scalloped Potatoes that I prepared, fell out of my hands in its crock, just steps from the party door and broke in pieces, yellow cheese sauce and potatoes streaming down the sidewalk in the rain! A clean up and a quick trip to Whole Foods yielded these... In fact when we went around the table discussing our dishes we found that many of us overcame kitchen disasters this time before coming out with our final dish.

Janice brought some wonderful corn pudding too.

Karla and Wayne brought a wonderful caramelized and pecan-sprinkled Brussels sprouts dish -

as well as taking the mystery out of bringing out the sweetness of both Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with careful roasting.

The meal was topped off by two lovely desserts - Karen's lovely Citrus Bundt cake and Stephanie's equally dazzling Chestnut Torte.

We have such fun at these events! I would recommend anyone loving to cook and enjoy good company create a opportunity for yourself and friends to showcase and experiment with delicious foods this year!

Supper Club - Turkey

The chefs gathered again in San Rafael for an evening of palate tantalizing Turkish cuisine. I had missed the last couple, and it was great to be back in deep conversation about a sophisticated cuisine. One of the interesting things we learned about Turkish cuisine is that it developed a certain refinement from the populace inventing and creating things for the taste of the royal family over time. Here is a visual tour of our meal.

Since I made an appetizer of Turkish Hummus with organic whole grain pita bread, and it shows the lovely table setting, I'll show this one first. Looking at the recipe, it seemed to follow closely they way I've been taught to make it. Upon closer inspection, the main differences were that cumin is used to season it, and all the skins on the chickpeas have to be removed before processing. Removing the skin leaves a smoother, more refined spread.

Janice brought Dolmas, which were stuffed with a mixture of ground lamb and beef, rice and spices, including curry, cumin and a little cayenne. These don't photograph so well, but this rendition was converting those who don't like dolmas to even requesting seconds.

Tom M's Etli Enginar Dolmasi, or Artichokes stuffed with beef also had rice and an unusual addition of dill.

Janis also brought some wonderful lentil soup, or Mercimek Corbasi as it's called in Turkey.

Karen's Borek stuffed with Leeks came out with the soup, and it made a nice pairing as the pastry was more crisp than expected.

Tom H. was thoughtful enough to bring Raki to accompany our meal, and particularly the appetizer portion. Caren, who actually lived in Turkey in the late '60s, said it was very reminiscent of times in Turkey. Very similar to Greek ouzo, the licorice flavored liqueur turns milky when mixed with water.

Emil brought Ahtapot Salatasi, a light salad of octopus. Even among food connoisseurs, there are some foods that are 'challenging' to borrow a word used in sushi bars. Light and delightful as though this is, having a ceviche like flavor infused with lime, one would not even try it, and a couple of others still would have preferred shrimp, although saying it was remarkably tender and flavors nicely balanced just as it was.

Although Gillian was not able to attend, she sent her dishes along with Tom H. Now that's dedication! And this Hunkar Begendi – or Sultan’s Delight that she made was one of the most outstanding dishes of the evening. This was a stew of tender lamb with an ethereal eggplant sauce. Everyone wants this recipe!

Tom H. brought the lovely salad featured on the magazine cover, a Gül Yapraklý Marul Salatasý, or a Rose Petal Salad with Parsley and Mint. The base of the salad was romaine lettuce, with generous amounts of the herbs. It was tossed lightly with a meyer lemon and EVOO dressing.

It was the perfect foil to his Yogurtlu Kebap, or Lamb Kebap with yoghurt sauce. This was also a stellar dish. The minced lamb infused with herbs and spices were flattened, skewered and grilled in the Turkish method. Another absent member, Judy, sent along a lovely Turkish red wine which paired nicely.

Finally, we are on to the desserts. First we enjoyed Caren's refreshing Anatolian Figs, and she had to go back and pour the cinnamon and vanilla infused orange sauce into a small pitcher as it was so good everyone wanted to smother the fresh figs with it!

Gillian also sent along a exquisitely light yet sweet and satisfying Turkish Yogurt Cake which we had with a strong expresso.

And finally, along with the previous dessert we exclaimed delight over Stephanie's Goat Cheese Cakes Baked in Syrup from another authentic source. It was sweet and slightly tart at the same time. One of our professional chefs, she took it to another level by adding the walnuts and a three honey sauce instead of a simpler one. We also applauded Stephanie for her recent television appearance where she demonstrated making chocolate soup.

So we had another fine evening with wonderful food and interesting culture. The group is exploring making a cookbook together from our experiences. Could be fun! After some lively discussion I had the privilege of making the call on our next cuisine to explore - Polynesia!

Here are links to our previous events:

Supper Club - Austria (I missed this event)
Supper Club - India (I missed this event)
Supper Club - Holiday Traditions
Supper Club - Sicily
Supper Club - Cuba
Supper Club - Greece
Supper Club - Vietnam (I missed this event!)
Supper Club - Chocolate!
Supper Club - Regions of Italy
Supper Club - Spanish Tapas
Supper Club - States of Germany
Supper Club - States of Mexico
Supper Club - Cuisine of Japan
Supper Club - Persian Style
Supper Club - Does Southern
Supper Club - French Regions
Supper Club - Morocco (Before I joined)