May 5, 2012 Cinco de Mayo dinner party

May 5, 2012 Cinco de Mayo dinner party

Susan and Charles Palmer invited us and Mark and Suzette Dawson for dinner and we were to bring a Mexican appetizer to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  I made Guacamole, Suzette Dawson made a wonderfully authentic Mexican style shrimp coctel, Susan made shrimp in an onion and olive oil and caper marinade.  I brought a bottle of Jillipepper Pineapple salsa with extra fresh pineapple added and Susan made fresh regular salsa. We sat and talked and ate all this with a pitcher of margaritas made by the Dawsons with Sauza Silver Tequila and Santa Fe Margarita Mix..

I brought fresh asparagus (Sunflower Market $1.43/lb) which we steamed in Susan’s tall cylindrical asparagus steamer.  Susan made a Veal fricassee with white rice and we served it with the fresh steamed asparagus and red and La Crema Chardonnay white wine.

Dessert – spice cake with pecan praline icing.  I could not believe how good the praline icing was.  It reminded me of being in New Orleans, where I first ate this type of brown sugar caramel soft chewy style of praline.  Perhaps the memory of New Orleans pralines was enhanced by the lilting voice of Suzette Dawson, who is from near there in Mississippi.

I loved the evening and the juxtaposition of the fresh Summery Mexican food and the hardy European comfort food was actually an interesting and pleasant contrast; like experiencing directly, instead of just seeing, two cooking shows on TV that show the country and its food, one after the other.  This is the kind of pot luck dinner I like, where there is a theme and we each bring dishes that complement that theme.

Bon Appétit