Our December Supper Club Dinner was the weekend before Christmas and, unfortunately, I am just now posting our menu and reviews. Anti-Procrastination Day here!!Here is a record of our dinner:
Curried Crab Spread (CL - 12/03) - This recipe received average reviews. I think that most of us are used to a "warm" crab dip as an appetizer. This reminded us of more of a crab salad. In fact, we thought it would be very good in a sandwich or served as a cold salad. So I guess it is fair to say we liked it but not as an appetizer.
Chicken and Lemon Pot Stickers with Soy-Scallion Dipping Sauce (CL - 12/03) - This appetizer was excellent and a nice accompaniment to champagne! We thought they were the perfect appetizer for a holiday party or open house. They were not difficult to make but were a bit time consuming. We had a lot of extra filling - getting a yield of 42 pot stickers instead of the 24 stated in the recipe.
Red Cabbage, Cranberry and Apple Slaw (CL - 12/03) - Overall, I would say this salad was a nice surprise. It was very colorful which lent itself to a holiday meal. Some thought the flavors were well-balanced, others thought it was a bit sour because of the granny smith apples. The pecans were a great addition. One complaint was that there was too much dressing: an unusual statement for a CL recipe!
Orange-Glazed Carrots and Onions (CL - 12/03) - These reminded us of carrots and onions in pot roast. The vegetables held up well to the beef main course but we thought more orange marmalade would have improved them.
Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish and Roasted Garlic Crust (CL Recipe Finder) - This was one of the highlights of the meal. The tenderloin was so tender even though we ended up overcooking it a bit. The horseradish and garlic flavors in the crust were subtle but definately present. Some felt that it would have been appropriate to serve additional horseradish on the side. Great main course for a holiday dinner.
Saffron and Raisin Breakfast Bread (CL - 12/03) - Yes, I know the title says "breakfast bread" but we decided we wanted to give this a try at our dinner. It was wonderful, though alittle too sweet for a dinner bread. It would be very good served with a cup of coffee.
Potato-Gorgonzola Gratin (CL - 12/03) - Another dinner highlight. One of the DH's proclaimed these as "superb"! They were a perfect accompaniment to the beef tenderloin. The cheese sauce was very creamy with a yummy nutty after taste from the parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Delicious!
Hot Grand Marnier Souffles (CL - 12/03) - The running commentary of one of our DH's while he ate his first few spoonfuls of this dessert - "Oh my goodness! That's wonderful! Oh my - that's nice! Like being on a cloud..." Apparently he was pleased with our dessert choice!We served the souffles with the Creme Anglaise from the same issue. We thought the sauce softened the Grand Marnier flavor perfectly.
Cranberry Liqueur (CL - 12/03) - This received mixed reviews. Some said it was too sweet, others said it was too tart. Different ends of the spectrum. Go figure! Guess everyone's tastes buds are unique. Everyone did agree that it would be very good served over vanilla ice cream.
That wraps up the report of our holiday dinner. It was an elegant menu and a lovely evening!
Peggy
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I've been interested in trying the potstickers, gratin and souffles; glad to hear they are delicious.
