Monday 18 June 2012

Perfect dinner party starter



Serendipity was hard at work- the lovely Jasper of fabulous indie band Northhighlands posted a link on facebook to Brooklyn gastro pub- DonnaBklyn , his friend had done the interiors.
I duly took a peek and found, courtesy of their chef, what had to be the perfect dinner party starter- Avocado a la plancha- Mexican shredded oxtail relish dolloped in half an avocado....can you taste it? ....sublime perfection- added bonus, the surprise of this decadent little dish as a starter.

Months later, a Thursday night was settled on -we gathered the seldom seen friends who flee to their holiday places come weekends. I realised my recipe needed Mexican chillies, not in this tip of Africa, then the night before, as I reached for the prunes, there it was in my cupboard still with its ribbon on, .....a gift from Marie over at 66 square feet, from her luncheon in January- thank you Marie!


I followed it with red pepper and tomato soup, then 4 hour slow cooked pork shoulder- I was so excited about my packet of 'los chileros de nuevo mexico', that I tossed it with the pork as well, along with cherry tomatoes, chopped red onions, cumin and lime juice.



All was not perfection- I found the pineapple and red pepper salsa that I should have served with the pork on the outside table the following morning...these things happen. I also dropped the ball with the mashed potatoes...let's call the lumps rustic, shall we?

The starter is a bit of work (here's recipe)- but trust me....throw in some great wine, good friends and you'll wonder why you don't do it every Thursday.



7 comments:

  1. Well we were the VERY FORTUNATE friends that attended this INCREDIBLE dinner! The starter Ive now told to so! Many friends, they ALL want the recipe. The soup, served in those beautiful cups were out of this world. Then followed the most amazing pork and PERFECT mash, Karen. And dont forget that most yummy desert! Now that recipe I certainly want. While driving home we decided that Karen Bekker is THE BEST CHEF in Cape Town!!!!! Thanks for GREAT GREAT dinner party K.
    Breggie

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    1. Ag dankie Breggie.....so great to see you guys again! xx

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  2. That looks very lekker. And beautiful.

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    1. Thanks Marie :) your aspic has me salivating this morning! x

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  3. The dinner party looks sublime. Who cares about potato lumps and forgotten condiments (that's happened to me, it means you're having such a good time...) when everything else is just perfect. Wonderful meal, and more oxtail...where can you go wrong?

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    1. Amelia- I'm so glad I'm not the only one who forgets thing randomly....I know, you can tell its cold this side and the only thing we're doing is eating hearty dishes, I've left the oxtail and now moved on to beef short ribs! x

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    2. Hmmm, you're making me wish it were Winter...well, not really. Can't wait for your short ribs recipes, I love them!

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