A Gourmet Dinner Party

It's a life long passion for Bill who delights in whipping out exotic bottles of condiments and multiple species of mushrooms on his tile island in the center of his kitchen. Often he tries out new recipes, not knowing how the food will turn out, but guests depend on his expertise. Known for his impeccable taste and his penchant for highest quality ingredients, guests like Sally rarely question his quirky requests to pick up an item from the grocery store. Whether it's a connoisseur's wine or a rare balsamic vinegar, you know it's important. For in Bill's kitchen, everything is made from scratch!

"Bill has an amazing way of getting you involved and making it fun," says Ken, another guest. "Most of the time I don't even know what I'm making---I'm not allowed to cook at home.

"Once he told me to be in charge of the crackers, so I thought I'd pull out a box out of the pantry and line crackers on a plate," says Ken. "Little did I know that he expected me to actually make the crackers!"

It helps to invite friends who are in the business of cooking, though. His step-daughter's best friend, Elizabeth, just happens to be married to a pastry chef at one of the top restaurants in the country. So, Bill knows desert will be a treat.

"I've been coming as long as I can remember, " said Elizabeth as she chops
matsutake mushrooms for the spring rolls.

Guests know that dinner will take a while because the cooking doesn't start until 5 p.m. and they may eat by 11 p.m. But people are too busy chopping scallions, squeezing lemons or drinking wine to notice hunger pangs.

"It's worth the wait," says Fonda as she arranges red apples in a green bowl on the tile kitchen island. A free-lance prop stylist formerly with a leading cooking magazine, Fonda's role is to help decorate. She displays red candles on a whimsical table in the den to add to the general festive decor.

"Instead of the old tradition with the men in front of the television watching the football game and the girls are doing the cooking, we're all in here cooking," says Bill.

"It's called equal opportunity cooking," says Elizabeth.

"Bill's personality and his passion gets people juiced up," says Ken. "There becomes an energy and loving spirit around the food.

"It's not as matter of, 'let's throw some steaks on the grill and eat in five minutes,'" says Ken. "Bill tries things that some chef hasn't tried in his own restaurant until after some years of perfecting. And it may be from any corner of the world. You don't know if you're coming for Middle Eastern food, an American dish or something from the far east. It's always an adventure."

Bill combines simple as well as complex recipes. "I look for things that are easy and can't miss, but then I'll find something that's more of a challenge to make. Tonight's poached pears is the challenge; but whatever happens, we know we'll have the potatoes to eat."

Wife Sybil does her share of preparing for the holidays. Her already festive decorating style is enhanced with Christmas wreaths on the windows.

"I love lots of color," says Sybil whose paintings include some of her husband's as well. Bold hues on the walls are reminiscent of Van Gogh or Matisse. Sybil finds many of her treasures at the Pepper Place.

Joe is on hand to grill the tenderloin as wife Sally helps chop salad makings. As Nolen and Suzanne prepare salad dressing, they chat about their wedding held in Bill's home in November. Sybil, also a wedding coordinator, transformed her home for the outdoor brunch reception, embellishing the dining room with the warm hues of red and orange flowers the bride chose.

One of Bill's idiosyncracies is carrying his industrial strength juice extractor around because he just loves a glass of freshly squeezed juice. "It rolls around so much we have started calling it R2D2," quips Ken.

[Football friends can be found at Allposters.com]

Appetizer:
Mushroom Spring Rolls

Main Menu:
Ginger Soy Glazed Beef Tenderloin, Potatoes Au Gratin, Salad with Lemony Goat Cheese Salad Dressing

Desert:
Poached Pear Stuffed with Milk Chocolate Custard

2 tablespoons grape seed or canola oil
2 pounds mixed mushrooms chopped
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3 scallions minced
24 -6 inch squares phyllo dough

Saute mushrooms in oil on medium high heat. Add ginger salt and pepper. Cook until dry. Stir in scallions. Let cool. Preheat oven to 350. Brush half phyllo squares lightly with oil. Place remaining phyllo on top of them. With the point of the square facing you, put a heaping tablespoon of mushroom mixture in the center of the square. Roll into a 4 inch long log. Brush a bit of oil on top. Place rolls on lightly oiled baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Serve with peanut sauce or Bong's hot sweet and sour sauce.

Several Ceps and One Chanterelle can be found at Allposters.com

1 whole 3 ½- 4 pound tenderloin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoons ground ginger

Moisten tenderloin with soy sauce. Rub in fresh ginger. Dust with dry ginger. Wrap in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Build fire in charcoal grill. Let coals burn for 30 minutes or until fire is medium. Grill tenderloin directly over coals for 1 to 2 minutes per side to caramelize all surfaces. Then place away from fire, cover and grill for 30 to 45 minutes until meat thermometer registers 140 degrees. Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice 1/4 inch rounds.

[image downloaded under a creative commons license from Flickr user Fotoos VanRobin]

2 large or 3 medium sweet onions peeled and thinly sliced
12 russet potatoes sliced into rounds
3/4 cup to 1 cup milk
butter
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly oil a 12 x 6 x 3 inch baking pan. Cover pan with 2 layers of potatoes. Add one layer of onions. Dot with butter, salt and pepper. Repeat until pan is filled within ½ to 1 inch from top finishing with layer of potatoes. Add 3/4 cup to 1 cup milk. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for one hour. Uncover and continue baking for 30 minutes.

Photo of the potatoes can be found at Allposters.com

6 to 8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1 cup half and half
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine cheese and half and half in a electric mixer. Mix until smooth. Stir in salt, pepper and lemon zest. Cover and refrigerate up to 30 minutes. Stir before serving. Serve over salad greens.

Lemons in a Copper Bowl at Allposters.com

4 Bosc pears, peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
½ cup sauternes or muscat wine
pulp and pod of 1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ cup heavy cream
3 ounces chopped milk chocolate
4 egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ripe black mission figs,
½ cup simple syrup

Combine in a medium sauce pan: pears, cinnamon sticks, wine, simple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and enough water to cover the ingredients. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until pears are tender. Remove pears and continue boiling poaching liquid until reduced by half.

Prepare an ice water bath in a medium to large boil. Bring cream to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate. In a separate double boiler, whisk the egg yolks and sugar for 10 minutes. Pour in chocolate and continue cooking, stirring continuously until it reaches a thick custard consistency ( 20 to 30 minutes). Place the top of the boiler over ice water bath for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

[Image fromWikimedia Commons.]