2 dinner parties @ BRASWELL

Last Weekend I had a series of dinner parties at BRASWELL. I adore cooking and entertaining. I asked good friends to join me and made some good food and enjoyed their company.

This was taken before my guest arrived.

The red wine breathing!

Part of the fun was the table decorating...you can pretty much use anything you have.

These are empty perfume bottles & tin boxes with candles, of course & some bits of greenery & flowers

A wonderful dinner!

The next night I invited more guest! 

How blessed I am!

Fabulous smelling lilies. They last such a long time

Chop sticks, napkins, joss paper, paper fans (My guests took them home after the dinner as gifts) & my red trays

These are the place settings

I used a different Chinese Robe for each setting

I used the same dining table & chairs with different place settings for the weekend parties.

This is the what the table looked like on Sunday 

Below is what I served. Enjoy the recipes.

I managed to take one picture of the liver pate.

BIG DEAL CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER / CHICKEN LIVER PATE

Serves 8

1 pound chicken livers

2 medium onions, chopped

3/4 cup butter

1 clove garlic, mashed

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of oregano

Pinch of tarragon

3 tablespoons brandy

Clarified sweet butter(To clarify, melt slowly and let all sediment settle to bottom- what remains on top is clarified butter)

Sauté onions in 1/2 cup butter with garlic until just tender. Remove from skillet. Add 1/4 cup butter and sauté livers until almost tender. Sprinkle with flour and stir in salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and tarragon. Cover and simmer for 1 minute over very low heat. Remove bay leaf. Cool slightly and combine with sautéed onions. At this point use a blender if possible. Put livers, etc., in blender a little at a time; add brandy gradually. If no blender, use meat grinder with fine blade and put through 3 times.(you can see how old this is by the word Meat Grinder-who has one of those!!!) Then add brandy and taste for seasoning.

To assemble and garnish: Let liver pate cool to room temperature. Pour into serving bowl or wide mouthed crock or pottery jar. Cover with thin coating of the clarified butter and refrigerate. To seal more permanently, a thicker coating of clarified butter should be used. Do not freeze. 
This is so easy and everyone loves it...I use with  toast points or any crackers that are easy to spread. 

STANDING RIB ROAST
(Martha Stewart)

Serves 6 to 8

1 rib roast (7 to 8 pounds), with 3 to 4 ribs trimmed 

2 teaspoons dry mustard 

2 teaspoons sugar 

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 cups beef stock

Roasted potatoes 

2 pounds cooked brussels sprouts, for serving

Horseradish Sauce(you can buy this at the market)

1. Remove any excess fat from the roast, leaving a thin layer. In a small bowl, combine dry mustard, sugar, and Dijon mustard. Brush mixture over the fat and cut surfaces of the roast. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.(I do this the night before)

2.  Heat oven to 450°F. Set the roast, rib-side down, in a heavy, shallow roasting pan. (The ribs act as a natural rack.) Using a paring knife, score the fat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue to roast, basting every 15 minutes, until it reaches a temperature of 125°F for medium rare on an instant-read thermometer. Remove roast to a platter. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. 

3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Set pan on stove over medium heat. Simmer until juices begin to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook, scraping up caramelized bits, until flour is deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. It should very lightly coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Strain gravy and serve with potatoes, brussels sprouts, and horseradish sauce.

I have tried many recipes and this is the one I like the best.

B's LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Prep: 25 minutes, Bake: 15 to 20 minutes, Makes 8 servings

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/2 cups cold milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 baked 9" pie crust
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium saucepan combine 1 cup sugar and corn starch.
Stir in water until smooth. Stir in egg yolks.
2. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, juice and butter. Spoon hot filling into pie crust.
3. In small mixing bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue evenly over hot filling, sealing to crust. 
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool before serving. 

This was my mom's lemon pie recipe. It is SO delicious! Trust me.

I am determined to entertain more this year.

Occasionally I will post recipes I use.

Have a great weekend!

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