January 2013: A Vegetarian Harvest

2013 Started off with a warm and cozy dinner...

The Hostess

The Rookie

The Theme
A Vegetarian Harvest

The Menu

Appetizer: Gougères

Main Dish: Farro Risotto and Leek and Potato Soup
 Side Dishes: Marinated Beets With Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad
 Dessert:Torta di Sant'Antonio with Freshly Whipped Cream

Drink: Twelve Mile Limit Cocktail

Background

It was a cold and rainy night in December when I picked out this menu. Doesn't that type of weather make you want to curl up with a bowl of thick soup by a crackling fire? 

I didn't tell my boyfriend there would be no meat until our dinner guests had already arrived and were bringing their dishes into the kitchen. He was...less than excited. I think only one of the guys was "okay" with the idea. The other two filled up on meat products earlier in the day. Honestly, I didn't miss the meat. The farro risotto and the soup were very filling. The salads were a perfect accompaniment. The ladies began by toasting to our first dinner of Supper Club 2.0 with glasses of Twelve Mile Limit cocktails (the recipe described it as "potent" and I can confirm it is). Gougères started the evening's menu off as described on Saveur's website, but you'll have to check out that post for the final verdict.

After the men were fed and the children were tucked in a back bedroom with a few packages of glow sticks to entertain them, the ladies ended the meal in the kitchen with a slice of Torta di Sant'Antonio (a story all it's own)  and a dallop of freshly whipped cream. Perfection!

2012 ends and 2013 begins

2012 has closed out and I am happy to report Supper Club was a success. This blog, well...not so much. Though Six Kitchens met eleven months out of twelve, we did not find the time to share the recipes and stories with you all. The "golden wisk" goes to "The Writer" for attending all eleven dinner.

Like every year, there was lots of change. The typical trials and tribulations that occur when and group of six women come together.

I am so glad we made it through the year and we enjoyed it so much, we have decided to continue this journey into 2013. However, 2013 will see a slight change.

In 2012, we tried the concept of pushing ourselves outside our cooking comfort zones. Let's be honest, sometimes we only nudged ourselves beyond that line. The hostess for the month picked a theme and various dishes from the web and away we went.

In 2013, the menus will be more structured. We are selecting menus from Saveur. Good golly, so many yummy choices. I had the daunting task of selecting January's menu. First one out of the gate and so many ones to chose from. It was a cold rainy evening when I was looking through them. The type of evening when comfort food is what you want. Warm thick stew. Roasted vegetables. Steamy rice. That is what was calling my name and tempting my palate when I browsed page after page of menus. Stay tuned for January's menu to see what I picked and how the recipes turned out.

Thanks for joining us on our culinary journey as begin Six Kitchens Supper Club 2.0

Happy New Year!!