May 26, 2014 Dinner party at Tom and Janis’ house Grilled chicken wings with Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, Corn and avocado salad, tossed salad and Clafoutis

May 26, 2014 Dinner party at Tom and Janis’ house Grilled chicken wings with Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, Corn and avocado salad, tossed salad and Clafoutis

I received a call from Janis around noon inviting us to their home for dinner at 5:00.  Suzette made it home by 5:00 but I was late due to a meeting that went past 5:00.  So we discussed what we wanted to take, the clafoutis, a bottle of 2010 Toulouse Rosé of Pinot Noir.  I picked her up at the curb and we drove the 1 ½ blocks to Janis and Tom’s house, after stopping at Lowe’s to buy an aerosol can of whipped cream.

Herb and Diane Denish were already there when we arrived and we were ushered into the covered seating area on the large patio in back of their house.  We talked and nibbled appetizers of mushroom mousse and tomato brushettas made by Janis, lovely deviled eggs made by Diane with olives and almonds and sipped rosé wine from Wolffer Vineyard on Long Island.  I enjoyed the opportunity to ask Diane and Herb about the Democratic candidates for governor.  I had last seen Diane and Herb at the post-election Democratic celebration in 2010.

  

Suzette and Tom grilled the scapes while we talked.  After about 45 minutes when the scapes were grilled to the point that they begin to change color toward charred, we removed them from the grill and plated them.  Then we moved to a large dining table, also on the patio and Diane tossed her salad in a large ceramic salad bowl and Tom and Janis brought out bottles of Eguia Reserva Rioja and we all helped bring out the platter of grilled chicken wings, a smaller platter with the scapes, the large bowl of salad and the corn and avocado salad and BBQ sauce.

It was a simple but elegant meal.  I liked the complement of the charbroiled chicken with the sweet BBQ sauce and the spicy corn and avocado salad and fresh greens, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes of Diane’s salad.  Everything was delicious.

We discovered that Janis and Diane are lifelong friends who grew up together in Hobbs and have known each other since they were ten years old and that Herb is one of those rarities, a person who grew up in and has lived in Albuquerque all his life. Pretty soon all three girls, Diane, Janis and Suzette, were gabbing together to the exclusion of us guys. 

A few minutes after dinner was finished, Janis and I served the clafoutis and decorated it with whipped cream and glasses of the 2010 Toulouse Rosé.

We enjoyed the evening’s wonderful food and conversation, but by 9:45 we all started yawning and it was time to say goodnight.

Bon Appétit