First I need to apologize for the lateness of this post, and that subscribers would have seen the previous post twice. It seems our server had a nasty DDoS attack. I ended up losing the last 2 posts, when we recovered a backup. We are now on our own dedicated IP, which should help…. Now on to our regularly scheduled blogging.
Anyone who has read this blog, the past while, has read about the Pax Christi Gala. I had strict instructions not to give too much of the design for the event away, before the event. Well the event was on Saturday, so now I can retroactively spill the beans. The event was lovely, with everyone all dolled up and looking elegant. The food was impressive, the auction had some amazing items, and the wine was an inspired choice (it’s a good thing we had some in reserve). Highlight’s of the night were our musical guests. Having Catherine Robbin come out of retirement, to regale us with Italian art songs, was a treat. She is so engaging. After dinner Francesco Pellegrino performed traditional Italian songs for us. Even with 120 people there it felt very intimate.
I would like to share some pictures of the venue, for our readers who could not attend the event. I would just like to note that these decorations used 1900 coffee filters, 2 dozen venetian masks, over 50 feet of feather boas and another 50 feet of tulle, and every Christmas light my brother owns (which is a lot).
With the Gala over, we are on vacation, but we are not leaving until after Monday Night Dining and Pax Christi Chorale rehearsal. This gave us Monday to re-arrange some décor stuff and prep our meal. Our trio is joined by NMJ and Enzo (although he will have to watch from the sidelines). I think our group is looking forward to de-programming after the event, and having a relaxed meal.
We have not served much seafood lately, so this was a good opportunity to head to the local City Fish Market, to get something nice. Tonight was all about the seafood…. We started with one of Shawn’s signature dishes, Seafood Risotto. This was one of his better efforts. Homemade seafood stock, creamy Arborio rice, white wine, but the star is the seafood. Shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels, all fresh from the market. The flavours are amazing!!
Now that was a great start to the evening. For the main, we found some beautiful halibut. Halibut these days is getting very pricey, but still worth every penny. The Halibut was cooked en Papillote (in parchment bags), with white wine and roasted lemons, and served with Beluga Lentils, which were flavoured with cumin and turmeric, to give a hint of spice and aroma.
To round out the meal, we wanted to stay with lighter flavours, that would not overpower the other courses. Shawn had posted a list of 50 cakes and Steph mentioned 3. We chose a Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze. What I love about this dessert, is that it uses the zest of lemon, orange and lime in both the cake and glaze, and the liquid in the glaze is the juice from the same 3 fruits.
This cake and a cup of herbal tea and we are replete…. Since we had things prepped ahead, it seemed a relaxed pace tonight. I have to say, with the record setting cold of February, there were weeks when we did not want to face leaving the table and heading out to rehearsal. This week I am looking forward to venturing forth. It’s warm (at least by comparison) and CHH Parry has gotten under my skin. Tickets for Judith are going fast, so get yours soon…
What can I say – seafood risotto – simply divine.