Due to trips, vacations and family matters, Monday Night Dining had to take a brief sabbatical. But we were very excited to gather together once again, for a double celebration. First our return to Monday Night Dining (even if it is Wednesday) and Canada’s 148th birthday!!! This was perfect timing, as Craig and Susan are in town, from Montreal. We also invited our friends Tom and Ann. The weather is perfect, so we decided to eat al fresco, in Steph’s yard.
This meal has been in planning and taste testing for a while. Mind you half the things we tested, we ended up not making, but that is half the fun. Tonight’s menu is our little tour of Mexico.
Once our guests arrived, we had some 13th Street Cuvee Rose, to get the gastric juices flowing, while Shawn whipped up some fresh Guacamole, with roasted Tomatillos. We served these with patriotic red and white chips, on the deck.
This gave us a nice chance to catch up on our lives, while I got the charcoal up to temperature, to grill the previously braised “Moroctopus”. This was served as an Amuse bouche with a ginger chipotle sauce and , topped with a cube of avocado and a pea shoot, then drizzled with a cilantro jus. Although we had tried this out previously, we peaked for performance and improved on it. The tender octopus, with a bit of heat from underneath and a little crispness, from the pea shoots, made this little bite come alive. It was so good, (the pictures below right were taken 30 seconds apart) we quickly made up a plate to pass with toothpicks. It also pared nicely with the sparkling wine.
Lately Shawn has gotten really good and deboning things. It doesn’t seem to matter what. This time it was tiny quails. After deboning, these were seared on the grill and then seasoned with a spice paste , and allowed to marinate in an acidic bath of chicken broth, white wine, sherry vinegar, carrots, currants and herbs, then covered with a red onion pickle (escabeche), and served and room temperature. So here is our Quail escabeche.
Again this dish was better than the test run. The quail was tender and subtle, with that crisp pickle on top. Shawn has been dying to try out this dish and we are glad he did.
For our main, we put together some old favorites in a new way. We served Pollo Pibil, with Mexican white rice and Rojas de chile poblano. Pollo Pibil hails from the Yucatan region of Mexico and it traditionally cooked in a pit (or pib). The chicken is marinated with achiote paste, bitter orange and spices. It is then wrapped in banana leaves and in our case barbecued in a tinfoil boat, to preserve the juices. The banana leaves allow excess moisture to escape, while imparting a unique flavour, as they release their oils. The Rojas is a succulent saute of poblano chiles and sweet peppers, the finished product is silky and succulent.
Unfortunately by this time in the evening our guests were getting a bit full. Luckily dessert is light and impossible to resist…. Caramel coated cream cheese flan. This is almost a cross between the traditional Mexican flan and a light cheesecake. Of course the whole thing is dripping with caramel and a few caramel shards to give it crunch.
It is Canada Day after all, so we needed to have a sing around the piano, with violin, spoons, ugly stick, ukulele, guitar and recorder. Try finding a common key with that selection. We ended, out on the lawn with sparklers and signing O Canada in at least 2 languages. The trouble with a holiday on Wednesday is, it feels like Saturday, but you still have to get up the next morning for work. It is so good to be back, after our forced sabbatical, to sharing with friends and family in the Monday Night Dining tradition, in this great country of ours.
Wow – what a fantastic looking meal!! I can picture it all and hear the laughter. The only thing missing is the actual eating… I’m feeling serious Toronto withdrawal here!! Looking forward to hosting Steph on our (hot) shores very soon!
It was another very memorable Canada day celebration .thanks so much to Shawn and Dave whose cooking I have really missed! SEE YOU SOON
That was an epic dinner, gentlemen… So grateful to have been on the receiving end of your culinary talents!
Gentlemen, you have outdone yourselves. So glad to see you back in action!