Thursday, February 14, 2013

an intimate birthday dinner

My good friends Jane and Jim came for dinner to celebrate Jane's birthday and as is  typical when we get together there were lots of laughs, camaraderie and eating with a good appetite. I prepared flatbread pizzas to have with drinks and, when we sat down to dinner I served a salad of blood orange sections and baby arugula, dressed with a vinaigrette made with the juice of the oranges reduced to a syrup and combined with garlic, honey, dijon and olive oil. Colorful and refreshing. On to the entree, shrimp sauteed with garlic, feta,capers and fresh lemon juice and showered before serving with basil leaves. I'd baked a loaf of crusty country bread to dip in the juices, and some roasted broccoli. A nice, flinty white wine was perfect with the seafood. The birthday cake was a chocolate amaretti torte frosted with a rich, deep chocolate icing and was accompanied by a dollop of whipped cream. A good time with great friends.