Dinner and then some...

I am so sorry to have left everyone waiting. The weather here has been extraordinary and I felt required to take up some of that time sunning on the dock. Perfection!


To get everyone up to date, we have missed 3 whole days of cooking. Friday, the fourth, we enjoyed a light lunch of...Gazpacho (see the recipe below) and Butterking Lettuce Salad to prepare our stomachs for dinner. Hickory smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs served with Blackeyed Peas, Cinnamon-Honey Sweet Potato Puree and Napa Cabbage Slaw. Dessert on the fourth was definitely a contender for the best of the summer...S'mores! Homemade Graham Crackers brushed on one side with a Milk Chocolate/Dark Chocolate Mix and then sandwiched with a homemade Marshmallows (that recipe is below as well) toasted over hot coals.


On Saturday I prepared a picnic for the group to enjoy on the party barge. Sandwiches of Goat Cheese or fresh Mozzarella with Arugula-Basil Pesto and Prosciutto, pressed on the the griddle and served at room-temperature, with a salad of chopped Tomatoes, shaved Cucumber and White Onion tossed with Red Onion Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The picnic food was great, the dead battery on the party barge did encumber the boat trip but the guests were great sports to enjoy lunch on the boat in spite of it all.

Saturday, the weather turned quite cool so I went for a traditional Beef Bourguignon. Lardons of Applewood smoked Bacon, Pearl Onions, chunks of Carrots and Celery, and the finishing touch of Montana Morels. I served the Bourguigon over creamy White Cheddar Polenta and finished the dish with a topping of Crystal Hot Sauce soaked Onion Rings and roughly chopped Parsley. Mint flecked Strawberries and Blueberries tossed with Sugar and New Orleans Amber Rum were served on Orange Drop Biscuits accompanied by Whipped Cream for dessert.
I enjoyed a easy day on Sunday, guests enjoyed lunch in Big Fork after a hike in the Jewel Basin.
An Asian themed dinner composed of Shrimp Spring rolls with Nuoc Mam for dipping and Char-grilled Pork Laska. Dessert was an easy Ginger and Honey grilled Peach with Mango Creme Fraiche and then sprinkled with Toasted Coconut.

All caught up, we will have more for you tomorrow.

NOLA Bean Gazpacho Recipe

2 pounds tomatoes, home-grown are best!

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 cup red bell pepper, diced

½ cup white onion, diced

½ cup lime juice

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

2 garlic cloves

1 medium jalapeno

¼ cup cilantro leaves

iodized salt and freshly ground black pepper,to taste

With a paring knife remove the core from the tomatoes. Split the tomatoes in half and over a strainer squeeze the seeds out reserving the juice. Run the tomatoes over the large holes of a grater, and rub back and forth to remove as much of the flesh from the tomatoes, leaving behind as much skin as possible. Set aside ½ cup of the chopped tomatoes along with ¼ cup of the cucumber, ¼ cup of the pepper, and 2 tablespoons of onion. In a food processor combine the remaining ingredients in a blender, starting with the liquid. Puree till smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill over night if possible. Serve the gazpacho in cold bowls and garnish with the remaining reserved diced vegetables.

NOLA Bean's Marshmallow's

4 envelopes Gelatin
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups granulated Sugar
1 1/4 cups light Corn Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Confectioner's Sugar

Lightly grease a half sheet pan with pan spray, line with plastic wrap (the pan spray will help the saran to stick to the pan) allowing the plastic wrap to overhang the pan by a few inches, and then spray the plastic wrap with the pan spray. Set the prepared pan to the side. In the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the gelatin with 3/4 of a cup of water and let soften. In a small sauce pot combine the remaining 3/4 cup of water with the sugar, salt and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves, cook the mixture for 9 minutes with out stirring. Be sure to use a timer. When your 9 minutes is up, remove the pan from heat and turn the mixer on low speed. Slowly add your sugar syrup to the mixing bowl. Once all the sugar syrup is added, gradually increase the heat to high and whip for 10-12 minutes. Once again, be sure to use a timer for this. Your final marshmallow mixture should be white and very stiff. Add the vanilla and pour into the prepared pan. This will be a sticky mess, so just focus on getting as much of the marshmallow into the prepared pan as possible. Spray the top of the marshmallow with pan spray and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top to smooth. Set aside, do not refrigerate, for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and turn the marshmallow onto a confectioners sugar dusted cutting board. Remove the remaining plastic wrap. Grease the knife with pan spray and cut the marshmallows into your preferred dimensions, reapplying pan spray to your knife as needed. Dust the cut marshmallows with confectioners sugar toss to cover all the sticky cut surfaces and store at room temperature in a tin or ziplock bag.