Grace
05-26-2004, 11:35 AM
It was that time of the month again (HA HA HA !! :D ). We met on Monday night for our supper club. We sure did miss Maureen! :D
Everything came from the May issue except for the Pan Seared Oatmeal which came from June.
Bayou Catfish Fillets - This got rated 7-9. Mostly ratings of 9. I gave it a 7 because I'm not too wild about cajun stuff. But everyone said it was really spicy (in a good way). The catfish was actually really good - the hostess got it from the fish monger instead of the grocery store, and she cooked it to perfection.
Cajun Garlic Pork Roast - Again, ratings of 7-9. And everyone but me gave it a 9. Again, I'm not wild about cajun seasonings. And to me, the pork was kind of dry. But everyone else raved and raved.
Wild Mushroom Bruschetta - This got a solid 8 from everyone. Delicious. It needs to be eaten warm, though. Once it cools off it's not as good. Very mushroom-y.
Chilled Corn Bisque with Basil, Crab and Avocado - I made this because of the great reviews it got on the board (it piqued my curiousity!). We rated it a solid 9. I did use frozen corn (the super sweet kind) instead of fresh, and I used canned crab meat instead of fresh, but it was still good. I think though that using really fresh crab meat would have made a significant difference and if I were going to the trouble of this soup again I would make the effort to get it. But everyone agreed this is a great summer soup, since it's not a hot soup. And the bisque is silky smooth and slightly sweet. Delicious.
Spinach-Feta Tarts - This was a hit too. It got ratings of 8-10. These were really easy and looked really beautiful too. A perfect party appetizer. I imagine you could even make these ahead of time and put them back in the freezer until it was time to bake them.
Island Rice - This was a surprise hit of the evening. We gave it a 10! YUM YUM. Slightly sweet, full of flavor - I usually hate rice, but I couldn't get enough of this rice. A DEFINITE do over!!
Italian Garbanzo Salad - This rated a 7. Nothing spectacular. We decided we aren't big on fennel. It wasn't gross or bad, just nothing special.
Rhubarb Pudding Cake - This got ratings of 7-9. If you like pudding cakes, you'll like this (you hear that LynnB??!). Not too sweet, not too sour, the cake part was really good and moist - just a nice, simple dessert.
Chocolate Log - This too was a surprise hit. It didn't taste at all like you'd think it would taste by seeing the ingredient list or by looking at it. It had a VERY European taste and style to it. Wonderful. We rated it a solid 9. It would make a nice addition to a Christmas cookie tray too, IMO. Yum.
Pan Seared Oatmeal with Warm Fruit Compote and Cider Syrup - This was delicious too. There were many in our group who had never eaten steel-cut oats before. They all loved the texture. This would be a great brunch item. The compote was delicious too, and I think you could substitute just about any kind of fruit sauce you wanted. It got rated an 8.
We had an unusually high number of dishes this month (10!), which was great. Several of us made 2 dishes and one person made 3! And there were no duds in the group (except maybe the Italian salad which wasn't really a dud, just nothing special). All in all a great evening.
Everything came from the May issue except for the Pan Seared Oatmeal which came from June.
Bayou Catfish Fillets - This got rated 7-9. Mostly ratings of 9. I gave it a 7 because I'm not too wild about cajun stuff. But everyone said it was really spicy (in a good way). The catfish was actually really good - the hostess got it from the fish monger instead of the grocery store, and she cooked it to perfection.
Cajun Garlic Pork Roast - Again, ratings of 7-9. And everyone but me gave it a 9. Again, I'm not wild about cajun seasonings. And to me, the pork was kind of dry. But everyone else raved and raved.
Wild Mushroom Bruschetta - This got a solid 8 from everyone. Delicious. It needs to be eaten warm, though. Once it cools off it's not as good. Very mushroom-y.
Chilled Corn Bisque with Basil, Crab and Avocado - I made this because of the great reviews it got on the board (it piqued my curiousity!). We rated it a solid 9. I did use frozen corn (the super sweet kind) instead of fresh, and I used canned crab meat instead of fresh, but it was still good. I think though that using really fresh crab meat would have made a significant difference and if I were going to the trouble of this soup again I would make the effort to get it. But everyone agreed this is a great summer soup, since it's not a hot soup. And the bisque is silky smooth and slightly sweet. Delicious.
Spinach-Feta Tarts - This was a hit too. It got ratings of 8-10. These were really easy and looked really beautiful too. A perfect party appetizer. I imagine you could even make these ahead of time and put them back in the freezer until it was time to bake them.
Island Rice - This was a surprise hit of the evening. We gave it a 10! YUM YUM. Slightly sweet, full of flavor - I usually hate rice, but I couldn't get enough of this rice. A DEFINITE do over!!
Italian Garbanzo Salad - This rated a 7. Nothing spectacular. We decided we aren't big on fennel. It wasn't gross or bad, just nothing special.
Rhubarb Pudding Cake - This got ratings of 7-9. If you like pudding cakes, you'll like this (you hear that LynnB??!). Not too sweet, not too sour, the cake part was really good and moist - just a nice, simple dessert.
Chocolate Log - This too was a surprise hit. It didn't taste at all like you'd think it would taste by seeing the ingredient list or by looking at it. It had a VERY European taste and style to it. Wonderful. We rated it a solid 9. It would make a nice addition to a Christmas cookie tray too, IMO. Yum.
Pan Seared Oatmeal with Warm Fruit Compote and Cider Syrup - This was delicious too. There were many in our group who had never eaten steel-cut oats before. They all loved the texture. This would be a great brunch item. The compote was delicious too, and I think you could substitute just about any kind of fruit sauce you wanted. It got rated an 8.
We had an unusually high number of dishes this month (10!), which was great. Several of us made 2 dishes and one person made 3! And there were no duds in the group (except maybe the Italian salad which wasn't really a dud, just nothing special). All in all a great evening.