OUTER BANKS
WINTER VACATION
Menu and Event Summary
Saturday December 22 – Saturday December 29, 2007
Alison and Nick
Barbara and Donald
Elana and Larry
Jane and Ed
Linda and Mark
Suzi (Bagel) and Peter
Background - This was our second Outer Banks winter vacation. Last year we were five couples; this year we added a sixth. We again rented a mega-house on the beach with fabulous kitchen (e.g., three enormous refrigerators, four dishwashers, 2 double ovens with burners); 10 master bedroom suites; who-knows-how many bathrooms; cavernous two-story living room/dining room (50’ x 30’); fantastic full-wall rear projection screening room with state-of-the-art (four years ago when assembled) surround sound system; game room; indoor sauna; hot tub; wireless high speed internet; and plenty more.
We brought with us $480 in cheeses (international selections, of course) and olives. We purchased meat, poultry, and fish, loads of vegetables and salads, and breads. We brought with us or purchased 54 bottles of wine*, plus beer, soda, and through at least six trips to the local supermarket (Harris Teeter) after arrival. Total food/wine was $2905 for the group ($484 per couple) for the seven days.
Although the house was furnished with almost everything we brought along an ice cream maker, bread maker, juicer, and French press.
We also brought loads of books, videos, seven laptops (four were set up on counter so it looked like we were being served at a bar), and our usual cell phones and other communication devices. The TV was never turned on. We did buy a few newspapers (mainly to get the NY Times crossword puzzles, which we xeroxed for the puzzle aficionadi in our group).
Our days were spent preparing then consuming fabulous meals, walking on the beach, reading, discussing the politics and events of the world, watching DVDs, and generally excusing ourselves from the stressors of our day jobs (although several of the group are officially retired).
Three members of the group are vegetarians so every meal had main dishes suitable for them.
One of our group commented, “What makes this work is having one person who is not only a spectacular cook/baker (actually there are two with these competencies) but that he is hyper-active; he keeps the activities around the meals flowing and organized. He prepares lists of ingredients, assigns people to bring them or buy them, and generally ensures that the proper items for each meal are available.”
* We drank 48 bottles.
Saturday December 22
Dinner
Risotto Porcini Casserole (serves 8)
Adapted from the Silver
Palette Cookbook
|
2 oz. dried porcini |
1 stick unsalted butter |
|
2 bunches scallions, chopped |
3 carrots, peeled and mined |
|
2 cups Arborio rice |
½ c. white whine |
|
4-5 c. vegetable stock |
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced |
|
3 cloves garlic, minced |
¾ c. chopped fresh parsley |
|
Salt and black pepper to taste |
2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
|
1 c. heavy whipping cream |
2 eggs |
|
Pinch ground nutmeg |
|
1. Place porcini in a small bow; add hot water to cover, and let stand 30 minutes.
2. Melt 4 T of the butter in a 10-12” skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and carrots; sauté 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring to coat with butter and vegetables, for 1 minute. Drain porcini, strain liquid through cheesecloth, then pour over the rice. Add wine and enough stock to completely cover rice. Simmer covered over low heat, adding more stock as needed, until rice is tender but still firm, about 30 minutes.
3. While rice is cooking, melt remaining 4 T butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add porcini and sliced mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley; simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat oven to 350o F. Butter a 2-qrt baking dish.
5. Spread half the rice mixture in the bottom of baking dish. Top with all the mushrooms. Sprinkle 1 c Parmesan evenly over the mushroom layer, then top with remaining rice.
6. Whisk cream, eggs, and nutmeg together and pour evenly over the rice. Sprinkle with remaining 1 c Parmesan.
7. Bake until top is puffed and brown, about 30 minutes. Cool several minutes before serving.
*This particular evening we had homemade butter; but Plugra (which is an Anglicized term for the French words meaning “more fat”) is the purchased butter of choice.
Sunday December 23
Dinner
St. Germain Cocktail
|
1 bottle St. Germain Elderflower liqueur |
1 bottle seltzer |
|
1 bottle champagne |
Twist of lemon |
Combine 3 parts St. Germain liqueur to 4 parts each seltzer and champagne. Add a twist of lemon. Pour into a glass with ice.
You better have lots of this on hand, because folks will drink it all and then ask for more. For more info on this liqueur go here. For more recipes using this liqueur, try this site.
Bulgur-Stuffed Zucchini (serves 4-6)
Adapted from the Cookbook Chocolate & Zucchini
|
1T plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp for greasing baking dish |
8 long zucchini, about 3 lbs |
|
Fine sea salt |
Freshly ground pepper |
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1 cup bulgur, precooked* |
¼ c pine nuts |
|
¼ c dried cranberries |
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced |
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½ tsp cinnamon |
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional) |
|
2 oz semidry goat cheese, crumbled |
¼ c (packed) mint leaves, finely chopped |
1. Preheat oven to 400oF; grease a medium baking dish with olive oil.
2. Rinse and dry zucchini. With a paring knife, slice in two lengthwise, then carve out inside flesh to form boat-shaped containers. Reserve flesh.
3. Put zucchini shells and hats in prepared dish, drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. (This yields tastier results than boiling shells and will concentrate and caramelize the flavor of the zucchini.)
4. Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add reserved zucchini flesh and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove lid and cook 5 more minutes, until all the juices have evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. When zucchini shells are tender, remove from oven (but leave heat on) and put upside down on a plate lined with paper towels. Combine zucchini mixture, bulgur, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, goat cheese, mint, pine nuts, and dried cranberries in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Set the shells upright in a gratin dish; spoon in filling, distributing evenly. (Recipe can be made up to a day ahead at this point.)
7. Bake 10-15 minutes, until filling is heated through, and serve immediately.
*Bulgur
is ground wheat berries, available from natural foods stores and Middle Eastern
markets. Couscous may be substituted.
FILMS
When Do We Eat? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0392908/
Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478197/-
Monday December 24
Dinner
· Cheese Platter
· Salad with Greens, Avocado, Oranges, Almonds, and Dried Cranberries
· Plank-Grilled Fresh Tuna and Salmon with Chocolate Infused Spices*
· Wild Rice Risotto
· Home made Focaccia
· Grand Marnier Cheesecake
*The spice mixture used was Orange Chocolate Rub from Diva Chocolates.
FILM
Everything is Illuminated http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404030/
Tuesday December 25
Dinner
Hazelnut Encrusted Rack of Lamb (Serves 4)
|
1 c fresh bread crumbs |
2 T ground hazelnuts |
|
1 large clove garlic, minced |
1 T finely chopped parsley |
|
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves |
2 full racks of lamb(8 ribs each), trimmed |
|
Salt and crushed white pepper |
3 T olive oil |
|
4 T Dijon mustard |
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved |
1. Combine bread crumbs, hazelnuts, garlic, parsley and thyme in a medium bowl.
2. Cut each lamb rack in half (4 bones in each). Season well with salt and crushed white pepper.
3. For each half rack, heat 2 T of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sear both sides of the lamb portion until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Allow lamb to cool slightly before liberally coating top of each portion with Dijon mustard. Pat breadcrumb mixture evenly on top of each portion. Drizzle remaining 1 T of olive oil over the bread crumbs.
4. Transfer lamb to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 140o (medium rare), about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest for 7 minutes before serving.
FILM
Bread
and Tulips
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237539/
Wednesday December 26
Dinner
Gypsy Soup (4-5 servings)
|
2 medium ripe tomatoes |
2 T olive oil |
|
2 c. chopped onion |
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed |
|
1 stalk celery, minced |
2 c peeled, diced sweet potato |
|
1 tsp salt |
2 tsp mild paprika |
|
1 tsp turmeric |
1 tsp basil |
|
Dash of cinnamon |
Dash cayenne |
|
1 bay leaf |
2 c water |
|
1 medium bell pepper, diced |
1 ½ c. cooked chick peas |
1. Heat a medium-sized saucepan full of water to boiling. Core the tomatoes and plunge them into the boiling water for a slow count of ten. Remove tomatoes and peel them over a sink. Cut open and squeeze out, then discard seeds. Chop remaining pulp and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, celery and sweet potato; sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt, then sauté 5 minutes more. Add seasonings and water, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.
3. Add tomato pulp, bell pepper and chick peas. Cover and simmer for about 10
minutes longer, or until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them. Taste to adjust seasonings then serve.
*We whipped up a number of different crème brûlée recipes as an experiment for one couple’s grand New Year’s Eve dinner.
Thursday December 27
Dinner
FILM
The Man Without a Past http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311519/
Friday December 28
Dinner
FILM
Hero (1992) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104412/
MUSIC
Two of us had I-Pods and Nick brought 3 laptops one of which had his music files, so we had music going much of the time. Listened to some oldies I hadn’t heard in a long time, including Peter Allen’s “Fly Away,” as well as new music, such as Rufus Wainwright doing Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall.
PHOTOS
We have lots of pictures, which can be found here.
The one below is just a sampling.
Larry with a visitor from the neighborhood.
(Larry's the one on the left.)