Sunday Dinner Party

This past Sunday my family celebrated my brother's 46th Birthday. We always have this one at my house. My family is fairly adventurous about food, so I can try new recipes or serve something beyond the "Sunday roast" The menu this time was: Spinach salad with maple vinagrette, Chicken piccatta, Potato and sweet potato gratin, black forest parfaits for desert. This menu worked well, being gluten free and having enough choices for the vegetarian daughter. The only thing left over was a few ounces of chicken and a few servings of potatoes (I made 2 pans).
When I cook a production as this I like to be left alone. I take a long shower and visualize the steps.
I started by making the salad dressing, then that could chill. Next I did the fruit for the parfait as it needed to be cooked and cooled. Then I made the cream cheese filling and crushed the cookies (gluten free). At that point all of the dessert pieces were ready. Next came the potatoes - made the thing from start to finish and popped the baby in the oven. The salad comes next - rinsing the spinach and chopping the mushrooms and apples - they get tossed in a bowl and the salad is done. The original recipe for this salad includes bacon, problem is the vegetarians don't want the bacon and if I use veggie bacon it contains wheat products, so the bacon stays out or gets served on the side. Now comes the home game. I get all the ingredients ready for the piccatta, garlic chopped, lemons juiced and capers rinsed. My kitchen is now a disaster zone, I let my mom spiffy up. The potatoes are out all crusty and bubbly. All is good and we eat.

Black Forest Parfaits:
4 cups frozen unsweetened cherries
1/2 cup black cherry preserves
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs ( I used Pamela's chocolate cookies - this is a good gluten free brand)

1. Combine cherries and preserves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
If you did not think far enough ahead or if you want the fruit to be more solid you can heat the cherries and preserves in the pan for 5 minutes and then leave to sit and thaw for an hour. The fruit will be cold, but not frozen.
2. combine sugar, juice and the cream cheese in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer until smooth. Cover and chill.
3. Spoon 1 tbsp crumbs into each of 8 glasses, top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture and 3 tbsp of cherry mixture. Repeat layers once, ending with cherry mixture.
Makes 8 parfaits - or less larger ones.
Pop a candle in the top of one and sing Happy Birthday badly and out of tune.

Potato and Sweet Potato Gratin. (Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

We eat more potatoes that we used to, so it's nice to find a good new recipe.
It looks like a lot of work, but it is really simple and worth the effort. The potatoes can be sliced in a food processor or with a mandoline, but I like the zen of the knife. The apple might sound weird to some, but it adds sweetness and disapears in the dish.
If you are not familiar with leeks they are a favorite of mine. They are milder than onions. Just use the white and light green parts. Slice down the stem and rinse well. There is usually some sand inside. Then you can slice them thinly.

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced. (can use other variety if you can not find)
12 ounces sweet potatoes,peeled, thinly sliced.
1 granny smith apple, cored and grated (the skin can go in)
3 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved, sliced and rinsed well.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste.
2 ounces grated Gruyere cheese - 1 cup.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss together potatoes, sweet potatoes, apple, leeks and oil in a very large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a 9 x 12 inch baking dish, spread over pan and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, remove foil and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 more minutes, until potatoes are tender and the dish is browned and bubbly.

When I miss a few days you get 2 for 1.
Happy birthday, Brian.