• 4 knuckles of lamb (shanks)
• 1 carrot
• 2 onions
• 1/4 celeriac (we call it celery root, you could also use a stalk or two of celery)
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 6 potatoes
• 4 shallots
• Oil

    

There are many recipes for Sazeracs and I was looking for the most traditional I could find. The original Sazeracs were made with Rye Whiskey, an alcohol that brings back memories of a Canadian friend's wedding, partying with her family the night prior, "losing" one of the bridesmaids somewhere in the house and finding her late the next morning in the back of a closet!  It can be strong stuff!  Anyway, it was time to try it again but my memories of it were of something strong and a bit sharp.  I don't know if it was the brand or that I'm 20 years older but I really liked the Sazerac with Rye!  Definitely a grown-up drink but very tasty!  I also brought along a little bourbon whiskey, as that is sometimes substituted and it also made a tasty drink but I like the idea of the more traditional rye. 

The meatballs were pretty good, too.  I had modified the recipe pretty substantially as the recipe I had chosen had way too much cheese and Bisquick for my taste, which I realized as I was mixing them up.  The version I made was still a little solid (still a bit too much Bisquick?), I thought, but tasty.  I happened to have chipotles in adobo sauce open and I decided to make a little dip for the meatballs made with ketchup and blended chipotles.  It added a nice spark of heat to the dish.  It always amazes me how much people love deviled eggs!  For me they were such a common thing growing up that they've never seemed all that special.  Years ago when I thought I might go into catering, my partner and I catered a wedding for 200 and the bride and her mom wanted deviled eggs (and lots of them) as part of the buffet. I can't remember the exact number but I know we used something like 20 dozen eggs that night and they were all eaten!  But back to this dinner... I wanted something a bit unusual so I used Kathy Casey's  idea of adding blended chipotle to the yolk mixture and then I topped them with a little diced red onion for some color and a bit of sweetness.  Even the dog loved these! :-)      

M had requested that the next three courses be served all at one time and that salad actually be a vegetable of some sort, not a salad - did that make sense?  She had chosen fried chicken as the showcase main dish and, as in so many times past, decided to make two versions.  I think part of this was due to her new toy, a DeLonghi Deep Fryer, she'd purchased for this dinner - and says she has lots of plans to use! :-)

Both versions were good - perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside!  We all preferred the Tyler Florence version just a bit as it had more seasoning in the flour which added quite a lot of taste. 

R brought Collard Greens with Red Onions and Bacon.  How can you go wrong with that combo?  The smoky bacon and sweet onions were nice contrasts to the bitter greens.  I'd actually like to have them alongside scrambled eggs sometime.  K chose macaroni and cheese as her offering, but not just any macaroni and cheese!  She used a recipe from Grand Central Bakery that included five types of cheese!  Yum! It made a huge dish and this would be great as just the main dish for your meal accompanied by a little salad (to make you feel less guilty...) and a nice glass of wine. 

For the finale, M2 made Sweet Potato Pie! We had to take a little break before jumping in - two types of chicken, piles of greens and mountains of mac and cheese had taken their toll!  But once we took the plunge we were all very happy indeed!  Sweet Potato Pie is very similar in taste to pumpkin pie but a bit more dense.  M2 made a perfect crust - light, buttery, flaky - to hold the custard and then added more goodness to the whole thing by serving a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream alongside the pie.  I happen to like pumpkin pie, but several others at the table indicated they don't care for it that much.  However, they all loved this Sweet Potato version.  I think the denseness of the pie was more pleasing to them. 

With this meal we complete our third year of cooking club.   Hard to believe we've had eighteen wonderful experiences all ready!   I can remember when the club was just a glimmer of an idea... :-) 

Our next meeting is scheduled for later in January and we already have the theme, "Wine".  All dishes will need to included wine in some way!  Oh, the ideas are already racing through my head! 

18th Cooking Club:  Soul Food Menu & Recipes

We started with a great combination of rich and clean - the Crab Lemongrass Tartlets being amazingly rich but the Sake Sangria being perfectly cleansing!  It was a great combination.  The tartlets were crabby, rich with cream and eggs, yet you could taste the lighter element of the lemongrass.  The cucumber and the ginger in the sangria were light and refreshing.  One of the best things about it, was that R was able to make up a pitcher ahead of time and then just serve it as we requested a glass (or two...) without having to leave the party.  Wonderful! 

K's salad was another wonderful combination of peppery arugula, tart goat cheese and and a spicy lemongrass concoction. 

Simple yet tasty this salad was perfect alongside our main meal.  And it coordinated so nicely with the table setting, too!  (See the photo in the Menu and Recipe post.)

This salad is extremely versatile and would be great accompanying just about anything from a steak to a pasta dish. 

M2 and M plated the halibut and Crazy Coconut Noodle Toss on the same plate.  M2 had selected beautiful thick halibut steaks for our meal.  They were first marinated in a simple combination of soy, ginger and sesame oil.  After perfectly broiling the fish it was sauced with a bright green, fresh cilantro-lime pesto.  Perfection!  The fish was really lovely both with and without the pesto. 

We gave M a bit of a bad time about the name of her side dish, but that was only until we had our first bite!  She used a fettuccine noodle instead of the spaghetti the recipe specifies but I think it was a better choice. The vegetables and herbs mixed with the noodles was light and refreshing but the coconut milk added an element of luxuriousness to the dish.  These two dishes seemed like they were planned by the same chef seeking flavors, colors and textures that enhanced as well as delighted the palate. 

At this point we were really stuffed. It's amazing how a series of rather light feeling dishes can still fill you up!  We waited a bit for dessert but finally had to get to it before we all fell asleep at the table! I liked this dish as it was sort of an Asian version of gingerbread.  The candied ginger and cardamom cream lending an Eastern influence and a lighter texture to the normally robust gingerbread.  However, I'm not positive that I would make it again.  Mostly because the flavors are not necessarily what an average group of dinner companions might expect or appreciate.  I think that candied ginger is a bit of an acquired taste and it is defintely prevalent in this dessert. 

Overall I'd say this was one of our best coordinated meals!  We talked about how we've often picked one recipe or another to duplicate but in this case we could all see replicating this entire meal!  I'd say that was quite a success! 

17th Dinner Club:  Asian Fusion Menu & Recipes

Thursday night was a beautiful night!  We assembled at R's house at 7:00 pm and decided to take advantage of the evening and her view of Lake Washington by having our appetizers on her front porch. 

This was M2's second meeting and she is already into the swing of things.  (And she came back - we didn't scare her off last time!) She had appetizers and cocktails.  She plated two appetizers, Cumin Sticks and Dolmas, and brought out a bottle of Ouzo to be served with a little water over ice.  Before adding water we tried the Ouzo just over ice and decided it was smooth enough to drink on it's own.  This was a little surprising since all of our past experience with Ouzo had been with a harsher version - obviously we hadn't been too savvy about picking our brand!  The Dolmas was very good but what we all fell in love with were the Cumin Sticks!  They were savory and covered with cumin seeds - a perfect cocktail accompaniment!

We then moved inside for the next courses, which we had previously decided to serve all at one time.  R was very brave and cooked the lamb on her grill.  After the last cooking club grilling episode at her house she made sure she kept an eye on it all!  And it was a great decision!  The lamb was perfectly grilled; a little crusty on the outside, juicy and pink on the inside.  It didn't need the sauce but the hint of lemon was a nice contrast.  Yum!  K used an "old family recipe" for her Tzatiki and had warmed the pita just before serving.  I love that wonderful fresh taste.  It always feels so healthy to eat it!  I was happy with my salad, too.  It was also very refreshing and will find its way onto menus at my house this summer.  I used banana peppers, which kept the pepper taste from overwhelming the rest of the flavors.  I soaked the sliced onions in cold water for 15 minutes before adding them to the salad - that takes the bite but leaves the flavor in onions.  Although the recipe calls for 8 oz of cheese, I used about half that and it was plenty!  You can really adjust the amount of each ingredient based on personal tastes. 

To finish off the meal we had M's Fanouropita, a pie in honor of Saint Fanourios, about whom little is known!  This "pie" turned out much different than expected.  Based on the picture she found with the recipe, this should have been flat, almost like pecan pie.  As you can see, hers turned out more cake-like.  The recipe called for self-rising flour and she used the normal substitute of all purpose flour and baking powder but somehow it turned out very fluffy!  And very good!  It is an olive oil based cake and has that great flavor that the oil brings to the batter. 

We sat around and talked while finishing our cake and wine.  We closed a little on the early side, as this was a "school night".  My fault since I was going to be out of town for my nephew's graduation the next night.  (By the way I made the Market Stall Tart again, at the request of my sister and it was a hit again!)

One thing we decided at this meeting, though, was to try to meet a little more often.  Maybe it's because we've gotten into a rhythm and the planning isn't as much work as it used to be, but it seems to be a long time between meetings right now.  So we are going to try to meet every six weeks and see how that goes.  We actually have the next two meetings scheduled already!  I host next time and I'm really excited!  Look for the next write-up in about six weeks!

15th Dinner Club Meeting - Greece Menu & Recipes

Friday night we convened at K's house for our 14th Dinner Club meeting.  It's amazing that we are part way through our third year!  We talked about how it seems both like we've been together forever yet like we have barely started our meetings. 

Meeting time was 6:30 and I tried to get there a little early to do final assembly on the appetizers and then get going on the Ramos Gin Fizzes.  However, I guess everyone was anxious as nearly everyone was there prior to 6:30!  M2 arrived about mid-way through and we did introductions all around.  She seemed to fit right in and I'm sure that by next time it will be like she's been part of the group forever!

We started with the Profiteroles and Fizzes.  A couple of notes about the Profiterole recipe: the batter for the profiteroles themselves would probably make about 30 golf-ball size puffs - maybe more; the filling was the right amount for 20 (as the recipe states); I made 1/2 the butter sauce recipe and it was enough to drizzle over 20 and probably would have been enough for 30, too.  Also, I did not use Emeril's Essence as the recipe calls for.  Instead I just tossed in some of each of the ingredients used to make his Essence and that worked just fine.

At first I thought the Butter Sauce was just over the top for the Profiteroles but I really liked the buttery and citrusy elements it added to the spicy crawfish filling.  These were really good and actually fairly easy to prepare, even though they are rated as Expert for proficiency - don't let that scare you at all.  I was really happy with the Fizzes.  As you may know, I took some time to get these right!  And I really want to thank Danno for his perfect timing! Everyone seemed to enjoy them (even M wanted to and she really doesn't like gin).  They are just such a fun drink with their frothy texture and refreshing citrus tang.  I think you should try them out this summer!

Then we moved on to salad.  R's Italian Salad had everything but the kitchen sink in it!  She had arranged them beautifully, so they were a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.  She also mentioned that her recipe made way more than needed - especially of the muffaletta olive salad.  We all got some to take home! 

Next up was our catfish, dirty rice and maquechoux.  The sauce on the catfish was very similar to the filling in the profiteroles - in fact if you choose to make this recipe I think you could make a batch of either and use it in both - did that make sense? :-)  If you are in the Seattle area and are looking for crawfish and catfish, both K and I found our supplies at Central Market in Shoreline.  The catfish was fried to crispy perfection and the spicy crawfish sauce added the superlative New Orleans' bite of spice!  Yum!  The two sides were wonderful accompaniments - M did a great job in selecting these.  The maquechoux was a happy combination of crispy sweet corn, onions and tomatoes with just a hint of green pepper and spice.  It was the yin to the catfish's yang.  The dirty rice creamy and smooth with a bit of spice also but just enough to make it interesting not hot.  The combination of the three took me right back to Bourbon Street!  (Actually probably somewhere off Bourbon where the "real" people go to eat...). 

Although we were all pretty stuffed at this point we weren't going to miss an opportunity to indulge in bread pudding - especially one with bourbon sauce!  We all rested a little as M2 made the sauce and plated up the dessert, with M assisting.  (Although her recipe says it's for 8 - 10, it was really about enough for 6 servings.) 

Heaven.  Soft and cinnamony with a buttery bite of whiskey.  That's all I can say. 

At this point we were all in a bit of a food coma!  Our meeting broke up earlier than normal because we just had nothing left to give - that meal was so good that we just needed to leave K with all the dishes and head home to our comfy beds. 

14th Dinner Club - New Orleans Menu & Recipes

In late January, I shared with you that one of our cooking club members, V, had decided she needed to leave the club.  We were all sad: our group had been together for two years.  In those years we've shared a lot and become our own little family.  We understood V's decision but still it was hard. 

The search for a new member commenced.  A few weeks later I got together with several other Seattle Food Bloggers.  Prior to the meeting I had been wondering if one of these people might be a good fit for our group - after all they were interested in food!  I read their blogs trying to get a good sense of who they were.  As you know (especially if you've done any online dating!) what someone looks like on "paper" doesn't always match up with who they are in person.  It's not necessarily that they are trying to be deceitful but we all interpret information our own way and sometimes we just get it slightly skewed.  So I went to the meeting feeling there might be a couple possibilities but wanting to see in person how they might fit in with our group.

That first blogger meeting was rather chaotic.  There was a rather large group and everyone seemed to be talking at once, at times.  By the end of the meeting I hadn't really had a chance to talk to one person who I thought might be interested and be a good candidate for our group.  And this was not just about me checking them out, I had wanted to give them the opportunity to check me out and find out more about our club. 

The next couple days I debated about contacting the person and asking her but finally decided to give it a shot.  I was thrilled when she decided to accept!  So on Friday our new member M from I♥Bacon.com joined us for our dinner club meeting.  Since she is the second M in our group, she will be known as M2 in my references. 

We have a good group of people and, although it can be hard to join an established group, I think that M2 fit right in.  (Especially with the Whiskey Bread Pudding she contributed!) For this first meeting she was watchful and thoughtful, trying to get the pulse of the group and understand the members.  I bet that for our next meeting and those that follow she will be right at home as her history with us grows. 

So join me in welcoming M2 to the Table for Six Dinner Club!

So how early in the morning can you start drinking?  I mean for research purposes?  :-)

Tomorrow night is our next Cooking Club gathering.  The theme is New Orleans and I have appetizer and cocktail.  My appetizer is set - I found a recipe that just looks yummy and I'm pretty sure will be a hit - but I'm still working on my cocktail. 

My original plan was to make Ramos Gin Fizzes, a classic New Orleans cocktail.  There are actually several versions that vary just slightly and then there are also a whole line up of other varieties of fizz, such as Silver Fizz, Golden Fizz, Royal Fizz and the list goes on.  Most vary only slightly from the original Ramos Gin Fizz. 

So last night I decided to do a trial run as this drink has one ingredient that is rather uncommon in a cocktail - egg white.  (In the case of a Golden Fizz it's egg yolk and some versions use the entire egg.)  I know - this sounds a little weird but it gives the cocktail a little body. 

Well, I tried a couple different methods and I really didn't like either version.  But after the first two I just couldn't bring myself to mix another - I did want to get up this morning, and hopefully be hangover-free!  When I went to bed last night I was trying to think what I might make instead of the Ramos Gin Fizz.  New Orleans is known for a couple other drinks like the Hurricane (too sweet for me!), the Sazerac (also a good choice) and Milk Punch (served at breakfast to fix what ails ya.)  But when I woke this morning I decided I wanted to stick with the Fizz.  Which means I need to do some more work and I have a very busy late afternoon and evening so I pretty much need to have it nailed earlier today - hence we are back to the first question. 

You may wonder why I am so determined to make this Fizz thing work.  Well, we'd have to go back to a time long, long ago....

I grew up in a family where alcohol was part of daily life but always respected.  At dinner with my Italian grandparents I would be served a "glass" of wine starting at about age 12.  (The glass was actually a very small cordial glass.)  As I got into the late teens an occasional beer or bourbon and seven might be offered but it was usually sort of a reward or part of a special occasion of some sort.  So drinking with the adults wasn't foreign but also wasn't necessarily common. 

When I was in college I was an Industrial Engineering major.  Well, at least for some of the years - I actually had three majors at various times but that's another story!  I was a member of the local student chapter of IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers).  In my junior year there was a conference in southern California and several of us decided to attend.  I hooked up with three other people and we decided to road trip.  One of the guys, Jeff, had a car (bonus!) and parents who lived in Los Angeles (double bonus!).   If I remember correctly I had a crush on him, too. 

About 6:00 pm we took off from Corvallis, OR (home of OSU and the Fighting Beavers!) and started the 1000 mile/16 hour trip south.  Although we intended to switch off driving, Jeff drove the whole way - explaining that he'd done the trip so many times that it was no big deal (can you say speed?).  Besides a couple bathroom/food stops we only made one significant stop and that one was rather historic - at least before this last winter.  Coming into LA there is a stretch of Interstate 5 called The Grapevine.  Well, on that day The Grapevine was closed due to a mudslide.  We parked the car on I-5, broke out the Frisbees and played on the freeway for a couple of hours. 

Once the freeway was open we made our way to Jeff's parents' place, rolling in about 3:00 in the afternoon.  His parents lived in a really wealthy part of LA.  I can't remember the actual name of the area but I do remember that their neighbors were VPs from Disney and CEOs of local corporations.  Anyway, we all got cleaned up and by then his dad was home.  We were asked to meet in the living room for "cocktails".  And what was the drink that afternoon?  The wondrous Silver Fizz! 

I don't know if it was the drink, the trip, the idea of "cocktail hour" or what but I loved that drink!  I have never had one since but think about them every now and then.  I don't believe many bars serve them - they are a labor intensive drink - and even if they used to, with all the concern about raw eggs I'm sure they'd prefer not to. So I thought this dinner was the perfect time to take a walk down memory lane.  Now if I can just get it to taste like I think it should. 

And that, in a nutshell, is why I will be drinking around noon today...  :-)

January 2005

We started with light, refreshing Plum wine mixed with either soda or tonic.  R brought two different wines for us to try - Choya Plum and Takara Plum.  The Choya was a drier wine, while the Takara was a bit sweeter but also tasted more strongly of plum.  And then, depending on what mixer was used you could create several different drinks.  We busily sipped our way through the options while V prepared our starter tofu. 

The key to this recipe is the "silken" tofu which, according to the recipe, may also be called "cotton" tofu.  I can usually take or leave tofu, it's fine mixed in soups or as an ingredient in a dish but eating it on its own is not something I do often.  This silken tofu, however, will change that!  It is so smooth and creamy.  V served it with a Sesame Miso Sauce and a Garlic Soy Sauce, both complemented the tofu perfectly.  It was a lovely light start to our dinner. 

Next up was the Sukiyaki.  M had set a low table with a propane burner so we could experience the dinner in a traditional way.  (Although the cushions she used, that we both bought at Crate and Barrel last summer, may not be found in a traditional Japanese home!) We had beef loin and Kobe beef, green onions, (more!) tofu, enoki and other mushrooms and chrysanthemum leaves.  M started the beef in the pan, as it began to cook she added vegetables and some of the simmering sauce.  As items were finished we all reached in with our chopsticks and took what appealed to us.  In addition to soy sauce, some of us  chose to crack an egg in a little bowl which we then dipped the meats and vegetables into as we pulled them from the pan.  It added a richness to the ingredients.  Along with our Sukiyaki we enjoyed two types of Saki (we like sampling different types, as you can see...). We tried Hitorimusume Junmai Nigori (unfiltered) and Taru Kikusakari (cedar barrel aged).  I believe the unfiltered was my favorite but apparently I forgot to note that so I'm not positive.  We tried not to stuff ourselves with the Sukiyaki and almost succeeded as we knew we still had several courses to go!  

Next, the Cucumber Salad and Miso Soup were served.  The Cucumber Salad was a perfect light interlude.  The Miso Soup was heavenly!  This particular recipe, however, was more "stuff" than broth.  As a main dish it would be great! At this point in our meal we all could have done with a little more broth and a little less vegetable and tofu (yes, more tofu!) but that was our only complaint. 

We cleared the table and I tried to give the group a little break as we still had "dessert" or more properly "sweets" to go!  I normally find Japanese sweets to be a little too sweet and a bit cloying so I looked for a recipe that, while being authentic, might not be too sugary.  I thought I found the perfect combination in Dorayaki.  This sweet uses both Anko, the red bean paste common to many Japanese sweets, and little pancakes.  Interesting... The final product looked like little mini-hamburgers! :-)  And when I assembled them on the serving dish, I couldn't help but think of Wimpy ("I will gladly pay you on Tuesday..." ) and his burgers!  Along with the burgers, oops I mean, Dorayaki, I served a very special green tea that M's mom had brought back from Japan for me a few months ago.  They were actually kind of good and if I hadn't been completely stuffed I might have said they were even better.  Most of the group put a pretty good dent in theirs or ate it completely, which I thought was a good testimony considering how much we'd already had to eat. 

After dinner we all found an "American" seat and tried not to fall asleep, while we rested our full bellies and finished sipping tea. :-) 

We all enjoyed the interactive nature of this dinner.  That's something to keep in mind for the future.  And, as we've seen in some of our other dinners, certain ingredients came up many times in various courses.  I highlighted the tofu, which I must say I liked in all its renditions in this meal, and mushrooms, miso, garlic and soy all played key roles throughout this meal.

13th Dinner Club:  Japan - Menu & Recipes

November 2004

Early on V decided to change her main dish to Gigot of Rabbit with Mustard and Onions from her original plan of Boeuf Bourguignon.  We all had plenty of time to do our research accordingly.  I can't speak for the others but I was surprised at how little information I could find that was by French region.  I searched through cookbooks and online and found lots and lots of French recipes and information but most of it was broad, not regional.  One decent resource was the section on France on About.com.  And, if I had known about it sooner and been able to get my hands on a copy (which I am happy to report I now have...), Culinaria France has good information. 

We started the evening with Kirs.  While we were sipping them and chatting K warmed and assembled a beautiful Asparagus soup accompanied by Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts.  The soup was really astounding!  Lovely both to look at and to consume!  And the little toasts were a nice touch.  The simple salad provided a nice break in between the soup and the rabbit and gratins. 

The rabbit was delicious and perfect for a chilly November night.  The sauce was hearty and made you want to sop it up with a little bread.  The Potato, Apple and Pear Gratin was ... interesting.  I had selected this particular dish because I noticed that there were many potato/fruit gratin recipes and I read that it's a very common combination, I think believe potato/apple is the most common.  So I wanted to make sure we tried something that (for me anyway) was out of the norm.  It actually tasted pretty good, but it seemed more like a dessert than a side.  I think the main thing that kept me from really enjoying it was  my brain!  Some people took seconds, so it must have been okay.  The cauliflower gratin was really a "just in case" dish.  As in, "just in case that other one is inedible we'll have something to fall back on".  This particular recipe was good but had a tad too much mustard - it was very dominant.  And I think I could have reduced the cheese a little.  The sauce was pretty dense and not as creamy as I would have liked. 

We finished with a beautiful plate of cheese and grapes accompanied by a little baguette and champagne.  (You may have noticed we seem to be champagne-drinking girls, as it appears quite often at our gatherings!) R had arranged a plate of cheeses including: Bleu d'auvergne; Soumaintrain, a washed rind cheese; and Charolais, an aged goat cheese.  That last one surprised me with the name.  Charolais is also a breed of cow from France.  They are generally used for beef production and were introduced into the US in the 1930s.  So I was surprised that this Charolais was a goat cheese! 

It was a very nice way to end our 2004 meetings. 

12th Dinner Club:  Burgundy – Menu & Recipes

October 2004

This was an interesting dinner and the food was great but it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped.  At the previous meeting, when I had announced that "Lombardy" was the theme I presented a sample menu, copies of some information about Lombardy and stressed the simplicity of the food in this region. I also talked about that I really wanted the meal to be a typical Lombardian meal and as authentic as possible - one of the reasons I had picked a region and not just "Italy".  Although, I thought everyone caught on to my vision for this meeting either they didn't or as they began to really plan their contribution the "cooking club" mentality got the better of them. 

What I mean by "cooking club" mentality is that if something is too simple it's not perceived as being worthy.  When you are contributing to a cooking club dinner you want to cook, not assemble.  Unfortunately, much of the Lombardian food is closer to assembly.  As people began posting recipes I started noticing conflicts.  At first I thought there was confusion about who had what course but it turned out that wasn't the case.  Anyway, I won't go into all the sordid details but let's just say, I tried talking to people when I thought their recipes were out of line and it ended up causing hurt feelings (on both sides) and wasn't really taken seriously.  So, in my opinion much of the meal ended up being fussier than it should have been.  We talked about this at the end of dinner, especially since when the next month's theme was announced it was similar in concept.  But it didn't really seem that we came to a shared understanding.  I was disappointed. 

Having said that, the meal itself was actually very good! This was the first time I'd made Osso Buco and I was very happy with the way it turned out.  It was really heavenly. The sauce was hearty and the gremolata was a nice counterpoint.  The veal was falling off the bones and was perfectly tender.  The marrow was so rich and creamy it almost pushed me into sensory overload!  Yum! And it's actually a great company dish since the preparation is simple and it's all done several hours ahead of time.  I'll be making this again and soon!

11th Dinner Club Meeting: Lombardy - Menu and Recipes