Entertaining with Booze and Food

On Friday night David Steele and Ryan Jennings, authors of Entertaining with Booze, hosted a lively evening of food, laughs and, of course, booze. Chef Glenys Morgan prepared a diverse menu fit for any sophisticated dinner party including Roasted Sweet Potato & Cumin Soup; Endive Spears with Orange-Scented Goat Cheese & Pomegranate; Caramelized Pear & Onion Pastries; Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops with Maple Bourbon Glaze; Jack Daniel's Sticky Ribs (a crowd favourite); and Black & Tan Brownies. While Glenys cooked, Dave and Ryan talked food and mixed drinks. They started with Niagra Gold, a champagne cocktail. This was followed by a stiff Caipirinha, a drink that invited the crowd up to crush their own limes before indulging. To finish the night, guests sipped a Black Raspberry, a simple combination of raspberry lambic and Guinness, while savouring the Black & Tan brownies.

Coming up this week, a visit from Rose Murray on Wednesday with her new book A Taste of Canada. Also, a signing at our Granville Island shop on Thursday with the Food Network's Anthony Sedlak and his first book The Main.

Choux au Fromage from Breakfast at The Wolsely

To start off our summer picnic series, Mark chose an elegant recipe from Breakfast at The Wolseley by A.A. Gill. These delicate morsels are a variation on choux pastry often used for sweets such as profiteroles and eclairs. The choux au fromage would be a exquisite addition to a late summer picnic or an early fall brunch or cocktail party.

Choux au Fromage from Breakfast at The Wolseley
125 mL water
125 mL milk
125 g butter
6 g (or about 1 tsp.) salt
125 g plain [all-purpose] flour
6 large eggs
200 g Emmental cheese, diced, plus more for grating
5 g (or about 2 tsp.) black pepper
1-2 g freshly grated nutmeg

In a saucepan, bring the water, the milk, butter and salt to the boil.
Add the flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon over the heat for a full minute.
Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a minute to allow it to cool slightly.
Place the paste into a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed. Whisk the mix for a minute to cool slightly, thereby avoiding the immediate 'cooking' of the eggs as they are added. Continue to beat the paste and begin incorporating the eggs one by one. Once all the eggs have been added, cover the surface with cling film and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C [375 degrees F] or gas mark 4. Add the diced Emmenthal, pepper and nutmeg to the dough paste and stir well.
Spoon the paste onto baking sheets (30g each for mini pieces, 110g for larger pieces) and great a little more Emmental on the top of each piece.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are a golden-brown colour.

Makes 10 large pieces or 30 small ones