Proper Binge Gatherings: Fall 2019
Tis the season for a Gathering.
I've been thinking a lot about that word this season, gathering. Obviously with Thanksgiving looming, the word pops up more than ever, but I have been thinking about why people come together in the first place. Is it just a social connection? A group text in real life? An excuse to leave the house? What are we getting out of it if we gather with the same people over and over again? Is that a bad thing? How can we deepen our bond to old friends and create bonds with new people by way of just getting together? In an attempt to start figuring it out, I hosted a dinner. And this is what I served.
I already wrote a bit about the WHY behind this particular dinner party, so I won't repeat myself here, but this menu might have been my favorite I've done so far. The cocktail (A vermouth cider spritz) was a little out of our comfort zone (people definitely raised eyebrows when I said we were kicking the night off with....vermouth?) but so delicious and a great seasonal change of pace from the nonstop slew of Aperol we ingested all summer.
I also took full advantage of the highly underrated seasonal (but I was able to find them in the grocery store!) fresh concord grapes. Tangy grapes and savory onions with some goat cheese on warm bread was a great way to start the meal and a good reminder that there's more than just apples and pears in season this time of year.
The main dish-- a slow roasted bone-in pork shoulder-- was something I had imagined for this menu since it's conception. Slow roasted meats are already a good call for a dinner party (nobody needs to be firing off individual servings as the guests arrive-- this is a dinner party after all not a pop up restaurant), and just the idea of it felt right. Now was not the time to reinvent the wheel I just went with the classic fall pairing of apples and pork. The sauced apples, made with actual sliced apples, apple cider, calvados and apple cider vinegar meant that you got all the colors of the proverbial apple rainbow and made for a great compliment to the rich, salty pork. I would however, avoid spilling any of that pork fat in your oven 2 hours before your guests arrive because that. Was. Smoky. And firey. Thank god for baking soda.
The salad, the real sleeper hit of this menu in my opinion, also featured apples and other fall crunchy things such as fennel and celery, and with a nice tart dressing and creamy and tangy cambozola cheese, I probably could've eaten that and been totally fine for the whole night!
Dessert was a walnut tart, which I like to describe as a sort of grown up candy bar. It's salty, nutty, chewy and with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream it is the perfect end to the meal. Plus you can make it like 2 days ahead which means it's 100% crossed off your list on the big day.
I've hosted a lot of dinners and this menu has definitely pulled ahead as a favorite. In addition to just being delicious, hosting a dinner in the fall (which I've never done outside of say, Thanksgiving) was a nice way to slow down a bit without the pressure, awkwardness or let's be honest, the chaos of a large family get together.
I write these menus for a lot of reasons, the main one is obviously that I want you to feel comfortable and confident hosting a dinner and by providing you a full menu and step by step prep instructions and a grocery list I hope to make it easier, but more than that-- I want you to have an excuse to gather. Sit around a table with old friends, new friends, family or strangers. Good things happen when people connect around a table.
When I was looking for some sanity in an uncertain time, I hosted dinners. When I felt isolated as a young mom, I hosted dinners. When I was motivated to connect with those outside of my bubble, I hosted dinners. I scoured cookbooks, grocery stores, magazines and menu plans and pieced them together from scratch in the beginning and now I am putting them out into the world for you. It's not easy. The menus take a long time to put together on my end, and they do require prep, planning, and time to create and execute. What I do know however, is that sitting around a table with people is my favorite way to connect, to gather, to find a few hours of peace in an uncertain world. When you aren't sure what else to do, host a dinner.
