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Peggy
09-24-2000, 01:10 PM
Good Morning!

Last night our CL Supper Club had our monthly meeting and we selected most of the recipes from the North of South America article in the September 2000 issue. Since we haven't seen very many reviews for these recipes, we thought we would post our opinions. The following is our menu:

Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Excellent! Outstanding! Our husbands succeeded in devouring the entire dip before dinner, (and there was A LOT of dip).

Corn Cakes with Smoked Cheese and Chilies - We got this recipe off the recent appetizer thread. At first we were concerned that the cakes would not hold together, but we were pleasantly surprised. They cooked up like little pancakes. We served them with salsa. My husband's comments, "Light, flavorful, not filling... theoretically they could be a light dinner when served with a salad". Enough said...everyone liked these.

Watermelon-Cantaloupe Sorbet - Our palate cleanser. An unexpected crowd pleaser. A small part of the entire meal but a memorable addition. Delicious! The kids especially liked it!

Grilled Cornish Hens With Honey Mustard-Cilantro Glaze - Beautiful presentation, wonderful aromas, full flavored glaze. Much spicier than the name implied. More of a honey-pepper flavor than a honey mustard.

Grilled Sea Scallops with Pine Nut-Raisin Compote - The subtle flavor of the scallops very overpowered when served along with the "assertive" cornish hens. Perhaps they would be better matched with foods that were equal in their intensity.

Plantains With Balsamic-Basil Glaze - As we write this, we are still laughing about the size of the plantains brought to the party. Against what measure do we judge a good plantain? Does size really matter?? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif Everyone seemed to have an opinion on the subject. Made for very interesting conversation. But seriously, most people had never had plantains before and they were a hit and a hoot!

Peruvian Sarsa Salad - Everyone loved this! A good compliment to the cornish hens. Very bold flavors, yet refreshing.

German Chocolate Bundt Cake - This was very good, but we should not have baked it quite as long. The glaze was not as thick as it appeared in the picture. Our hostess kept adding powdered sugar in an effort to thicken the glaze. It was a nice close to our dinner party.

In closing, our dinner was a success. Lots of laughs, thanks to the plantains! It was a lot of preparation but not complicated. We recommend any of these recipes to those of you who haven't yet ventured North of South America Cooking Light style.

Peggy, Cindy, JoAnne, and Laurie

Grace
09-24-2000, 01:21 PM
Thank you Peggy for such a great review - I haven't tried most of those recipes (I have made the bundt cake and the spinach dip - I thought both were excellent), but your menu sounded wonderful, and I sure wish I'd been invited to your dinner!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I especially want to try those cornish hens and the Peruvian Sarsa salad - they both looked good to me and your review makes me anxious to try them myself! Just a quick question though, I know you had a big laugh at the plantains, but you didn't really mention anything about how they tasted...were they really good? Worth trying?

I've said it a hundred times here before, but I'll say it again, the thing I enjoy most about this board are the great reviews! Thanks again Peggy!



[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 09-24-2000).]

Peggy
09-24-2000, 11:20 PM
Grace,

The recipe for the plantains was very good. Would I make it again? Definately, if I was preparing a "theme" dinner and plantains fit the bill. Would I make it for just a regular side dish to a meal? Probably not, just because plantains aren't a regular item on my table. The balsamic-basil glaze suited the plantains well. They BBQ'ed very easily and even the more cautious guests said they really liked them. Hope that gives you a more serious evaluation of the recipe. We did get alittle silly last night!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Peggy