Dinner For Six was originally published on Food and Fond Memories on December 7, 2009 by sandyaxelrod 5 Comments (Edit)
Dinner For Six
Our Dining Room Table Set for 6
Saturday night we had two couples that Steve works with for dinner. I had never met any of them so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The evening turned out quite nicely even though they were all young enough to be our children. They were all down to earth fun people and there was never a lull in the conversation. As I may have mentioned I like to get as much done in advance as possible when I entertain so that I can enjoy the company of my guests. I think it makes them feel more at ease too. I had a relatively simple menu to execute with very little to be done at the last minute.
A Colorful Dinner Table
Love to Mix and Match!
Herb and Cheddar Poppers
Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp Served with Cocktail Sauce
Aged Cheddar, Delice de Bourgonne, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Pinwheels
Assorted Crackers and Grapes
Vodka Martinis
Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
San Francisco Sour Dough Bread Served with Herbed Olive Oil
Spice Mopped Filet Mignon Topped with Crispy Onion Strings
Roasted Asparagus
Potato and Cheese Pierogi Served with Sour Cream
Sauteed Cremini Mushrooms and Garlic
Mark West Pinot Noir
Bananas Foster over Gelato with Shaved Chipotle Cinnamon Chocolate
Courvoisier VSOP
Early in the day I made my salad dressing, croutons, cocktail sauce, onion strings, mushrooms and mopping sauce. The Herb and Cheddar Poppers were in the freezer from a batch that I had prepared for Thanksgiving. They are do good and great to have on hand to pop in a hot oven for 10 minutes. I had made the pierogi a few days earlier as well and they can keep frozen until you need them and just cooked off in a little butter and olive oil for about 5 minutes. When our guests arrived I put the poppers in the oven and by the time we finished giving them the dollar tour of our home they were ready to come out. We had drinks and nibbled on hors d’oeuvre for about an hour and then sat down to dinner. Salad first, of course. While we were having salad the asparagus were roasting. Then I seared the steaks in 2 cast iron pans to give them a nice crust. One of our guests, Carl, likes his steak almost mooing so his was done after the sear. The rest of the steaks went into the oven at 350F right in the pans for about 5 minutes while I reheated the mushrooms and cooked off the pierogi. Steve and I plated the entrees and we all enjoyed dinner. After dinner I prepared the Bananas Foster which really had all been measured and slice before the guests arrived. Once the dessert was ready I brought it to the table in my Grandmother’s copper chafing dish and poured the hot rum over and lit the whole thing on fire – spectacular! And it is soooo easy. Our guests arrived at 7:30PM and stayed until a little after midnight – pretty good for a group of guests I never met before, huh?
PrintBananas Foster
My husband’s and my favorite dessert of all time! A true New Orleans experience. This is luscious with all of the bananas cooked in caramel and rum – yum.
- Total Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients
1 stick butter, 8 Tbsps.
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 bananas
generous sprinkle of cinnamon, at least a tsp or more
lemon juice
1/4 cup rum, dark or light – just not spiced
1/4 cup banana liqueur
Vanilla, Chocolate and/or coffee gelato or ice cream for serving
Instructions
Peel and slice bananas into discs. Add a generous splash of lemon juice and toss to coat. Place brown sugar and butter in saute pan. You can do this before dinner and let sit at room temperature until ready for dessert. Combine sugar and butter in saute pan cook over medium heat till melted. Add banana slices with lemon juice and continue cooking until bananas are slightly softened. Sprinkle with cinnamon and banana liqueur and stir continue cooking. In very small saucepan heat the rum till shimmering. Pour over bananas and ignite. When flames die serve over ice cream.
Serves 6-8 yummy portions.
Notes
I like to get everything ready except the cooking before my guests arrive. Then when I’m ready to serve dessert it takes 5 minutes and gives my guests a really impressive show.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: New Orleans
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