family entertaining | Fork+Canvas

Readers, I am SO sorry that I have been MIA recently. My parents are in town, and we see each other about twice, maybe three, times a year, and so we?ve spent much time catching up, going on long walks, and of course, eating some home cooking.

My parents? birthdays are both at the end of September, so I decided to celebrate their birthdays with a home-cooked meal earlier this week. As a family, we eat out a lot, so eating a meal at home is especially meaningful. When my brother and I were still at home, we ate a home-cooked family dinner almost every night, but since leaving the nest, these home-cooked dinners have happened with less and less frequency. My parents, like many, always appreciate their kids? homemade gift efforts, so making them a gourmet dinner really touched them. When I attended Calvary Womens Services annual Iron Chef, I tasted the winning recipe of salmon with a trio of apple dishes, and I decided that that dish would be my meal?s main attraction.

I commissioned Guy to create toothpick appetizers, and he cooked up some delicious Chinese gong bao ji ding, or really spicy chicken with carrots, peppers, peanuts, and chilies. Usually everything is cut into small pieces, but then it would have been extremely difficult to put the dish on a toothpick. Guy cut his pieces slightly larger, and the appetizer bites were spicy, tender, and flavorful. Despite my Chinese background, I cannot say that I am a good Chinese cook. Guy definitely is, even though he is Irish-American. My family devoured the gong bao ji ding!

For the main course, I whipped up an apple and fennel pur?e, potato and smoked salmon latkes, an apple salsa verde, and seared salmon with thyme. It was a complicated dish, and I was racing against the clock to serve dinner on time. Everything was well-received. (Sorry, I promised I wouldn?t share the recipes, but you can deduce from the pictures what might be in the dish.) Success for me, the learning chef! My favorite part were the latkes. Lox are great and so are potatoes. Hence, these latkes were a done deal.

I didn?t budget my time well, so I ended up running out of time and not making dessert. I was planning to bake lemon angel food cake cupcakes with a basil lemon syrup. My mother had brought back so many fresh lemons from her California backyard, and it would have been the ultimate nod of filial appreciation if I used those lemons! Ah, well, next time.

In any case, I am happy to say that my parents enjoyed their birthday dinner not in a glitzy restaurant but in the comfort of home with their family. We split a bottle of wine and chatted for hours. Is there a better way to celebrate my parents than enjoying their company?

Source: http://www.forkandcanvas.com/2012/10/family-entertaining/

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