Disregard canned soup!!

Well I hoped you didn't take my pledge to serve canned soup at my next dinner to heart as I recovered and once again embracing all things culinary... Sunday we had dear friends to dinner and here is DH and Max admiring the table.

Last spring Max  (from Italy) made the statement that salads in the US were predictable and boring.  He was  pretty much right.. so it was like throwing down a gauntlet.  I couldn't have it said I served a boring and predictable salad..  Heaven forbid!!!


I found this fennel, apple, and celery salad.  It was basically these three ingredients sliced thin on the mandolin and had a apple cider/honey dressing and toasted hazelnuts added..  I'm not all that crazy about fennel cooked but it was amazing raw.  Definitely not boring!!






Since I was serving broiled halibut as the main course I wanted a special side dish and I served these "polenta towers"  I made the polenta (with caramelized onions) the day before and chilled it in a cake pan  and cut circles with a cookie cutter.  Just before serving I put the polenta rounds under the broiler and when they were crispy I topped them with a round of broiled eggplant and topped that with a round of broiled tomato and finally put a round of mozzarella cheese and melted it under the broiler.  Looked special and was delicious.

Dessert was the first sour cream plum tart of the season  (no picture)  served with Max's fantastic homemade zabaglione.

We are on Quinn's emailing list and I love to look at their special dinner menus. Quinn's is a resort hot springs in Montana that we occasionally go to for our anniversary.  It is in the mountains and they take dogs. They are always having special package weekends with music and/or dinners. This time it is a wine pairing dinner in October.  We can't go but I fell in love with this 5 course dinner menu and HAVE to replicate it.. I would eliminate the candied peppers and strawberry soup plus maybe make it 4 course with duck and a tweek here and there...  Doesn't it sound wonderful...