This week was the last Monday Night Dining experience, before Many of our Pax Christi Chorale family head off to tour England. With us being so busy at work, we had to go with a menu that would not need a tonne of prep. We also wanted to make sure these intrepid travelers would have a good feed, for the long trip across the big water. So we gathered with our trio, and dear friends Luke and Jared. Jared has been away, for quite some time, so it was a great opportunity to get caught up.
We gathered with beverages and had a bit of time to chat. We then moved to the table in the yard, to sample Shrimp Ball Soup with roasted pepper and tomato.
The shrimp balls are definitely the star of this dish. This is a lovely light soup, combining the shrimp flavor with herbs and the roasted peppers. It was nice start to he evening, except for Steph, who had to run off to lead a rehearsal, for the tour choir. Don’t worry, we left here some leftovers for afterwards.
When we were in London, a few years ago, we stumbled on a Michelin star restaurant and after the meal, I boldy stated, that we could do it just as well…. We did have a chance to try out this technique once before, so we had high hopes. Our main was Bistecca Fiorentina, braised green beans, and portobello mushrooms baked with smoked chile.
Our twist to this dish, was that the steaks were cooked laying directly on hardwood coals (never try this with charcoal). The sear on the outside of the steaks is second to none, being right on the coals, gets the maximum smokiness, from the mesquite quickly. You do really need to trust yourself, and just go for it. The mushrooms and beans are tried and true dishes, that pair well with so many dishes. We paired the meal with a Marynissen 2012 Bottoms up. I am assuming our guests appreciated the effort, by the amount they ate. We finally found someone who can out eat Luke…. Very impressive.
For the dessert, we wanted to feature the freshness of local ingredients. We enjoyed a lemon curd pound cake with Ontario strawberries.
I don’t often associate lemon curd and strawberries, now I am wondering why… Lovely fresh and tasty. I also love a dessert that slices well (not that I ever cut it myself). This came off very light and summery, with the fresh flavours.
This was a nice evening of dining al fresco, and catching up with dear friends. So we left Steph a little care package for after rehearsal, and headed off home.
I remember running off to rehearsal without a chance to have cake. I’m SO glad you blogged it so I can remember how beautiful it was. Glad you had two other guests who were in no rush!