July 13, 2013 Dinner – Elaine and Wayne Chew’s Dinner Party

We were invited to Elaine and Wyane Chew’ for dinner, so we could meet Michael Orenduff, the author of the Pot Thief and his wife and Wayne’s sister, Lai and also Dave, the new dean of the Law School and his wife.   We volunteered to make an appetizer and we decided to make Gravad Lax salad, so in the morning Suzette cut down some greens and we cleaned them.

Then I emailed Elaine and volunteered to bring cake and ice cream for dessert.  Wayne called and said to bring the dessert.

At 5:00 we started cooking.  We harvested three stalks of fennel and I sliced them into thin slices and we poached the slices.  Then I chopped up about 2 Tbsp. of basil leaves and squeezed 1cup of orange juice and Suzette mixed the basil and some mayonnaise and basil in the Waring blender with the PPI orange/basil mayonnaise to remake the dressing and we bottled about 1 cup of it and the leftover orange juice in another bottle.  At 6:00 we grabbed a bottle of Sancerre from Costco ($18.95) and the cake and Suzette’s mango and peach ice cream and salad fixings and drove to the Chew’s.

We first had appetizers on their pool deck patio.  The served an aged Gouda, some brie and pate on crusty slices of bread and we drank sauvignon blanc.  First, their bottle of New Zealand S.B. and then our bottle of Sancerre.  I found out that Michael had served as President of NMSU and Lai is teaching art history at a university in Georgia.  Dave and his wife have only been in town for a month or so.

After appetizers we moved into the house to the dining room table and served our gravad lax salad. 

After that we poured red wine and Wayne and Elaine put out a pot of Chicken Marengo chicken baked in an enameled pot with mushrooms, olives, and tomato sauce and a cold orzo and feta salad and a salad Wayne made with carrots, cucumbers, salad greens and a smashed avocado dressing.  After more Italian Epicure red wine, we were ready for dessert.

First Wayne and Elaine served slices of Susan Palmer’s white cake with lemon icing.  Then Wayne plated up slices of apple pie from Flying Star with scoops of Suzette’s mango/peach ice cream.  We talked and ate until 10:30 p.m. when we said go night.

It was a wonderful evening of food and conversation.

Bon Appétit