A Three-Course Dinner With Connoisseur Michael

The other evening my roommate and I decided to host a dinner for six friends.  What resulted were three courses of delectable deliciousness.  I have decided to lay the dinner out in detail with recipes so that one and all can enjoy it in the comfort of their own homes.  Happy cooking!

First Course - Pinwheel Salad with Asian Pear

What you need –

Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

Honey

Butter

Walnuts

Red Onion

Asiago Cheese

Baby Arugula

Multigrain Bread

Dried Oregano

Asian Pear

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Firstly, go about making your croutons.  Cube several slices of Multigrain Bread and place them in a bowl.  Dowse the cubes liberally with Olive Oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, and oregano. 

Spread the seasoned cubes on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven until the bread is slightly browned and dry. 

Next comes the candied walnuts.  Melt some butter (I recommend Il Presidente Normandy Butter) in a frying pan and then add the walnuts.  Drizzle with honey and sauté together until the walnuts, honey, and butter bind together.

Plating your salad – Lay out a bead of Baby Arugula and top this with a pinwheel of Asian Pear slices and Red Onion.  In the center goes the candied walnuts and then a few croutons and slices of Asiago Cheese around the whole thing.  Drizzle with a dressing made of Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar.  The dressing should be heavier on the olive oil side.  Finish everything off a dash of freshly ground black pepper.

Second Course – Roasted Chicken with a side of Skillet Roasted Red Potatoes

What you need for the chicken –

1 Roasting Chicken (I recommend Murray’s Organic Chicken)

Olive Oil

Garlic

Onion

Old Bay Spice

Sazon

Dried Oregano

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Thinly slice some garlic and stuff it below the skin of the chicken.  Stuff the cavity of the chicken with another head of garlic and an onion. 

Rub the skin of the chicken liberally with Olive Oil, Old Bay Spice, Sazon, Oregano, Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil.  Pop the chicken into a 350 degree oven and allow it to roast until done; time will depend on how large a chicken you have and your oven, but you can bet on it being at least an hour.  Uncover the chicken for the last 15 to 20 minutes of the roasting process.

What you need for the potatoes –

Red Potatoes

Healthy Sized Package of Bacon

Fresh Rosemary

Fresh Thyme

Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

In an iron skillet, preferably one that you’ve had for a while and that’s been absorbing the seasonings of your cooking for a good long time, brown some garlic in olive oil.  Once the garlic if fragrant and your mouth is watering add cubed Red Potatoes.  Leave these cooking on the stove while you cut up the bacon. 

The more bacon you use the more delicious your dish will be; this is a general rule for life.  Stir in the bacon chunks, Fresh Rosemary, Fresh Thyme, Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper. 

Let the whole conglomeration sit on the stove for a bit and then put it in a 350 degree oven for about two hours.  Stir the mixture a few times during cooking.  The potatoes are done when they melt in your mouth.

Third Course – Tapioca Pudding with Frozen Green Grapes

What you need –

Tapioca Pudding Mix

Milk (or whatever else the pudding mix calls for)

Green Grapes (the smaller the better)

This is the easiest dessert on the face of the planet to make.  Follow the directions on the pudding mix box.  Once done and thickened separate the pudding into cups and throw in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.  Keep the green grapes in the freezer for a few hours before serving.  Top the pudding cups with the frozen grapes and serve.  Simple, Sweet, and Sumptuous.

Of course you should be serving dinner with wine.  But what wine?  For this particular dinner I would recommend D’Alfonso del Sordo Casteldrione.  This red is from Puglia, Italy.  The wine is a blend of Uva di Troia, Sangiovese, and Montepulciano.  It is dark cherry in color and the fruit is also present on the palate.  My favorite thing about the wine, and the reason I would recommend it for this particular meal, is the strong flavor of earthy tobacco that is the true center of the wine.  The wine also has hints of black pepper and dark berries.  I would let it breath in the glass for ten or fifteen minutes before drinking to really get the most of the bottle.  If you can’t find this particular wine I would recommend any rustic Italian; especially one made of the grapes listed above, either blended or solo.