Pi day dinner party
Greg and I had some friends over for dinner last night. One friend is a vegetarian who is allergic to onions, so those were my initial parameters (no meat, no onions), but of course, being a Co-op food geek, I had to add the stipulation that my produce be at the very least seasonal, if not local.
Here's the menu I came up with:
Greek lemon soup
Roasted carrots & parsnips with Meyer lemons
Artichokes with mushroom pesto sauce
Lemon meringue pie
And it was all really good. I tried Greek lemon soup (Avgolemono) at a restaurant for the first time a few weeks ago, fell in love with it, and wanted to try my hand at making it at home (especially now, while Meyer lemons are oh so abundant). I used a veggie broth instead of the chicken broth the Joy of Cooking recommended, and it turned out just fine. The lemon meringue pie, especially, was a feast for the senses-- as beautiful to behold as it was to eat. I worried some that there wasn't enough food-- next time I make the carrots & parsnips for a group of 4, I'd double the recipe. The artichokes and mushroom pesto would've been a good sauce for pasta instead of the stand-alone main course I was hoping it would be. But the good thing about it was everyone had room for pie. Oh, and next time, I might slice up some beets to roast with the carrots and parsnips. More color!
I should've taken pictures of the pie, with its glorious glossy, perfectly browned peaks. My camera needs new batteries.
Here's the menu I came up with:
Greek lemon soup
Roasted carrots & parsnips with Meyer lemons
Artichokes with mushroom pesto sauce
Lemon meringue pie
And it was all really good. I tried Greek lemon soup (Avgolemono) at a restaurant for the first time a few weeks ago, fell in love with it, and wanted to try my hand at making it at home (especially now, while Meyer lemons are oh so abundant). I used a veggie broth instead of the chicken broth the Joy of Cooking recommended, and it turned out just fine. The lemon meringue pie, especially, was a feast for the senses-- as beautiful to behold as it was to eat. I worried some that there wasn't enough food-- next time I make the carrots & parsnips for a group of 4, I'd double the recipe. The artichokes and mushroom pesto would've been a good sauce for pasta instead of the stand-alone main course I was hoping it would be. But the good thing about it was everyone had room for pie. Oh, and next time, I might slice up some beets to roast with the carrots and parsnips. More color!
I should've taken pictures of the pie, with its glorious glossy, perfectly browned peaks. My camera needs new batteries.