Inventory Reduction

The remains of the day- as it were.

No mention has yet been made of the Picky Eater's father's favorite avocation- the study, tasting and consumption of wine. When we were young, fancy free, and sans infant, he regularly hosted impromptu Friday night inventory reduction events that went something like this-

I would drive up to the house after a long week at work and notice a number of extra cars parked in the vicinity. As I insert my key into the front door lock I detect the sounds of raucous laughter within. I step into my messy house to find the sofas overflowing with jolly engineers, who have clearly been quaffing whatever Dr. Hal is pouring for quite a while. Nubs of cheese and salami, and crusts of dry bread rest on the coffee table next to the innumerable empty wine glasses and bottles. I am allowed a corner of the sofa and my own glass of wine, but somehow it doesn't have that special sparkle one once felt as the only teenage girl in a crowd of boys. Eventually we get onto politics and much earnest discussion ensues.

After the advent of the Picky Eater and the landscaping of the backyard, inventory reduction took a more formal turn, and evolved into a Sunday afternoon of wine, food, and bocce, with as many as fifty friends in attendance. In the good years two such events take place, one around tax day and the other on the weekend closest to the Daddy's November birthday. (Here in the SF Bay Area outdoor parties in November are as pleasant as those in May.)

This being tax day weekend, Dr. Hal has been plowing through his wine locker in the garage, digging up those bottles that may be just at their peak, or as sadly is sometimes the case, a touch or more over the hill. I am consumed with getting the house cleaned up and hiding all the junk in the back bedrooms, and, of course, planning the menu. Famous for stressing out and making TOO MUCH FOOD, I am really trying to keep things under control this year, and not go crazy (famous last words.) My mind has been very much in my Paris fantasyland, and as the Picky Eater has recently become a David Lebovitz devotee, I was contriving to base my menu on his blog and books, along with some traditional favorites. Here's my preliminary menu, as of Friday night (keep in mind that guests bring food too):

The food table in all its glory

From David Lebovitz:

Spiced glazed nuts & pretzel mix

Salmon rillettes

Artichoke tapenade

The usual suspect recipes:

Knorr Spinach Dip

A vegetable platter

A pile of strawberries

Le plateau de fromages

Dr. Hal will barbecue up a pile of meat products, and I am still considering adding another recipe from Susan Loomis via  David L's blog, Feta Cheese wrapped with Prosciutto .

A beautifully decorated apple cake

And, of course, we can't forget dessert-

Apple Cake

From a now long gone San Francisco restaurant, Cafe for All Seasons

1 ½ c. vegetable oil  

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

½ t. nutmeg

2 t. cinnamon

3 c. coarsely chopped Granny Smith apples (unpeeled)

1 c. chopped walnuts

2 t. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325°.  Butter & flour a 10” Bundt pan.

Blend the oil and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift the flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Stir into the egg mixture. The batter will be very stiff. Fold the apples and walnuts into the batter with a spatula. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake for 1 ¼ hours, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn out and brush with as much maple syrup as the cake will absorb. Allow to cool completely. 

Devil's Slide Cookies

A 1970's recipe from famed East Bay chef Narsai David

Makes 15 cookies

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Tb butter

¼ c. flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

¾ c. sugar

2 tsp instant coffee

½ t. vanllla

8 oz. walnuts or pecans, chopped

Melt the unsweetened chocolate with 1 cup of chocolate chips with the butter in a double boiler. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In an electric mixer, blend eggs, sugar, coffee and vanilla until fluffy. Add the melted chocolate mixture, and then the dry ingredients. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and the nuts. Form dough into a 12 inch log, then wrap first  in plastic wrap, then in freezer paper. Freeze overnight.

Cut the frozen dough in ¾” slices; place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 12 minutes (no longer). Let cookies cool on the baking sheet until they are room temperature.

The Aftermath (the day after)

Wild Mushroom tart-
love the long narrow tart pans

In the end there were a few changes to the menu-  A Goat Cheese & Tomato Tart from David Lebovitz instead of gougeres and the addition of a Wild Mushroom Tart from Epicurious.com.

I also have to give a few thumbs up & thumbs down here:
Spiced glazed nuts & pretzel mix- a little funky, had to remove the pretzels

Artichoke Tapenade- no thumbs, okay but not a huge crowd pleaser

Salmon Rillettes- same rating as the tapenade

Goat Cheese & Tomato Tart- BIG THUMBS UP!!

Wild Mushroom Tart- DITTO!!

Devil's Slide Cookies- Thumbs up

Apple Cake- Double thumbs up when iced and decorated with cream cheese frosting and rainbow sprinkles by visiting junior chefs Sophia & Isabella.