Last night my husband and I attended a “friend raiser” for our daughters’ school. One of my annual favorites, this event is centered on food as a way to build community. Hosts team up with cooks (sometimes they are one and the same) and put together a themed dinner. Everyone else is a guest and signs up to attend a dinner with a rank order list of themes preferred. The event committee does a little bit of matching, assigns guests to dinners and puts that information into a sealed envelope for each guest. All guests attend a gathering at the beginning of the evening where they socialize with the larger group, eat appetizers etc. and ultimately get their individual assignments. Neither the guests nor the hosts/cooks know who will be attending what dinner – it is, essentially, a mystery until everyone shows up. This year, I was delighted to work with two other mothers to put on one of the dinners. One mother hosted at her lovely home and the other mother and I teamed as co-chefs. Our theme was french and our dinner menu went something like this:
- Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme Verjus Dressing
- Potato Gnocchi with Garlic Butter, Mushrooms and Snails
- Beef Bourguignon & Haricot Verts (Mastering the Art of French Cooking/Julia Child)
- Chocolate Molten Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream
- Assorted French Cheeses
What a lovely evening it was – lots of fun preparing, cooking, hosting and enjoying each others’ company. I have included links or references above for anyone that wants to try the items!
insusanskitchen 