Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When I was trying to come up with a menu for my mom's birthday dinner, I put out the ask for suggestions. One of my foodie pals posted: "My grandma used to make pheasant. I swear I remember marshmallows in the recipe..." Staci ended up asking her dad who said that it wasn't marshmallow, it was heavy cream. Sounded perfectly decadent and just the ticket for my mom's Crème de la Crème birthday dinner. I sort of made up the recipe as while I went along...and it turned out fantastic. Quick note: my friend, and boss, told me to just cook it here at work, so I didn't have to run home and then leave my oven on while no one was there. He wants it mentioned that he provided the oven and deserves some credit. Okay, credit given. Thanks for letting me fill the office with delicious smells without sharing anything with you! First, I have a funny story about acquiring these birds! I called the grocery store where I remember getting a pheasant a few Thanksgivi...

To go with the main dishes, I opted to make a version of Pommes Anna. Only I forgot to take a photo of the completed dish. Whoops. What this lacks in photographic artistry it made up with in earthy, fabulous flavor and texture. The classic French dish is made, traditionally with sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter. I've made a version that included apples and cream as well. But for tonight, I decided to add in the flavors of black truffle, wood ear mushrooms, and carrot top greens. 6 T chopped carrot top greens 6 T chopped wood ear mushrooms freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices black truffle oil Preheat oven to 450°. Brush your baking dish - I used a round baking stone - with truffle oil and arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potato slices in a circular pattern in pan. Brush the potatoes with truffle oil. Sprinkle freshly ground salt and fresh...

While my uncle, my mom's brother, declared that it was the first time he'd ever had brie, I shared that it was the first time I've ever made a buttermilk dressing. It was easy and the salad was delicious. 1-2 handfuls of greens per person fresh radishes, halved fresh fennel, thinly sliced 1½ t ground mustard 3 T seasoned rice wine vinegar 5 T  extra virgin olive oil 8 T buttermilk 1 T fresh carrot top greens, washed, dried, and finely chopped freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Place all of the dressing ingredients in a mason jar with a lid. Shake to emulsify. Toss to coat. Serve chilled.

For the first course of Nonna's birthday Crème de la Crème dinner...we poured Holman Ranch 's 2012 Virgin Chardonnay. Click to read about the first time I tried the wine: The Magical Caves at Holman . I warmed two small brie rounds and one goat cheese brie in the oven.  For the larger round, I sliced it in half while cold, then I filled it with a Fennel-Cherry Mostarda . I heated it till soft to the touch. To serve, I spooned more of the mostarda over the top. As surprise tidbits, Riley served some of the mozzarella he had made with Nonna - more on that soon! - while he was home sick from school yesterday. He wanted it on crackers with a kalamata olive and a piece of basil leaf. And Dylan opened up a jar of his Pickled Green Tomatoes . This was the first time we've tried them. They were a fabulous part of our antipasto plate.

When Nonna requested a birthday dinner, I immediately came up with a theme when the boys declared, "Nonna is the best!" Okay.  She's the crème de la crème…so I created a cream-based menu, paired the courses with some of my favorite wines from Holman Ranch , and showcased two creamy creations from the brand-new Kai Lee Creamery . Recipe posting to come. Warmed Triple-Crème Brie with a Cherry & Fennel Mostarda Autumn Greens with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing Paired with Holman Ranch’s 2012 Virgin Chardonnay Roasted Pheasant in Cream Sauce with Mushrooms Truffled Pommes Anna with Crème Fraîche Paired with Holman Ranch’s 2010 Hunter’s Cuvée Pinot Noir Tiramisù Lemon Cream Pie  and Ginger Honey from Kai Lee Creamery Served with House-Roasted Coffee Beans from Guatemala These are the mini-ghost pumpkin candleholders that Dylan made for Nonna last night.