so today i finally got my three course meal that Leo promised. so he served his sister Christine and me, and she and i pretended to be top chef judges. i chose to be Padma and she was Tom. well, i decided instead of giving Leo some instant feedback, i told him i would save my critique for a blog. thus, this blog. so Leo kept his promise and now i’m keeping mine:

First Course: Pancetta wrapped Halibut in Asparagus Coulis and Fennel Puree (the Halibut was finished in the oven in a burre monte in case you were curious)

judgement: originally this would have been Pancetta wrapped Halibut with Ravioli in Asparagus Coulis, but as you can see, there is no ravioli, but sometimes when you cook something, and it doesn’t turn out right, you just can’t serve it. leo said that during his taste testing the ravioli wasn’t right so he decided not to serve it: wise choice! i must say, this was my favorite dish of the night. not only is fish my favorite protein, but all the flavors came together really well. originally there was suppose be a separate course that was a Asparagus Fennel Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, but i guess he combined the two to get all those flavors in one plate? i don’t know, but it was a good idea though because generally i don’t eat salads. i really loved the flavor combination of the coulis and puree with the fish-all the flavors were there but they weren’t overpowering: very nice, light flavors. only complaint about the dish was that it needed more acidity, but that was quickly fixed with a squirt of a lemon. oh and actually i’d let the fish sit in the oven just a few minutes longer so that it would be a little more flaky. but overall, i really really enjoyed it: it had great summer flavors and would be a great addition to any picnic or summer party.

Second Course: Braised Cornish Hen with Pearl Onions in White Wine, Cognac, and Stock on a bed of Buttered Peas

judgement: i really enjoyed that there were two proteins in this three course meal. and chicken is my second favorite protein so it fit that it was the second course. so yesterday leo asked if i liked peas and i said that i’m neutral on peas so he said he hopes that i like peas after this meal. i’m not sure if i like peas now, but i know that i definitely liked the peas in this course. the flavors of the peas with the hen and onion was really good.  nothing was over powering and they all complimented each other. and the sauce with the white wine, cognac and stock was probably my favorite thing about this dish- i actually think it’s what tied everything together and gave it such a great flavor. he asked if it was too salty, and i wasn’t even thinking it was too salty til he said something, but i thought about it and it wasn’t too salty for me, but then again everyone’s tastes are different. so for me i think it was a very well executed dish

P.S. This was Christine’s plate:

i had to take a picture of it because we couldn’t figure out what up with the random line of asparagus hahah. i’m sure if Tom Colicchio got a random asparagus it’d be the topic of conversation at panel haha

Third Course: Chocolate Bread Pudding with Peanut Butter Sauce

judgement: so leo said that this was the weakest of all three of the courses.. and i have to agree with him. having had some very good bread pudding (at rachel’s house recently and at the carden’s house often), i knew i’d be judging this bread pudding very harshly. so here goes: it seemed like the top was over cooked and there was way too much chocolate. i’m sure that if you were a chocolate lover, you’d love this bread pudding, but i’m not that big of a chocolate fan.. but this isn’t really leo’s fault since i neglected to tell him that i don’t like large amounts of chocolate. but! i must say the bottom part of the bread pudding where it was nice and soft and moist and there wasn’t that much chocolate was very good. leo himself said that the peanut butter sauce was a little grainy since he cooked it on a higher heat and this was true also, but overall the dish had good flavors and the combination of peanut butter and chocolate was a good, classic combo (even if i would’ve preferred less chocolate, or else white chocolate-that’s my favorite)

so there it is: my honest review of tonight’s three course meal. i’m a moderately picky eater and a pretty honest critic so let it be known that if i compliment your food, it is the truth and not just me being nice. so if you’d like me to judge your food, i’d be very happy to eat it hahah. next promise for leo to keep: Jerk Chicken. so i can’t wait for the winter time for some nice spicy jamaican food.. and i also can’t wait to critique it hahah

so saturday night a few of my friends and i went to our friend shelby’s house to have a little bit of fall fun. well, shelby had found this great idea to hollow out apples and drink hot cider from them.

this is kathryn’s apple:

she doesn’t do hot drinks so she had to put an ice cube in her cider hahah

what was extra fun about these were that we could drink from our cinnamon sticks like straws!!

and the best part was [aside from the absolutely lovely company] that when we finished drinking the cider we had a delicious spiced apple to eat!

[not exactly an empty apple, but you can see the spices of the cider on the lip of the apple]

so all in all it was a great way to bring in the fall. and the weather here couldn’t be more perfect! yay for the changing of seasons!!

THE BREW PUB!!

let’s go to Madison’s again soon!!

sooooo much good food!!

but the real star of the show was Christine’s pig:

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE AND ALL MY OTHER GRADUATED LOVERS!!!!!!!