Had a dinner party over the weekend. (Shocker!!!) But, unlike most of my dinner parties, the menu ended up shifting full-tilt mid-week. My first inclination was to go Nuevo Latino: Sofrito Glazed Flank Steak with Spicy Yam Mash with Pineapple and Lime.
For some reason I just wasn't enthused. The combo is lovely. What was wrong with my initial choices? Then the call came: One of my guests didn't eat beef. I had no choice.
A new menu was born:
*Cheese Platter with Quince Paste and Olives (featuring what is now, officially a new favorite cheese - a decadently creamy specimen from Italy, La Tur - pictured above.)
*Roasted Red Bell Peppers Stuffed With Chilled Pesto Shrimp
*Penne with Mint and Cauliflower
*Pumpkin Clafouti with Pine Nuts
For the most part, the meal was a success, but dessert sucked - an overly sweet, flavorless, eggy custard. Got the recipe from Claudia Fleming's The Last Course, which usually doesn't lead me astray. Oh well. The next time I try to conquer pumpkin, I think I going to return to my tried and true Pumpkin Gelato recipe.
My guests didn't seem disgruntled by my dessert failure. They were full from all of the preceeding courses - not to mention the cocktails I had stirred and shaken earlier (including one bizarre mishap trying to separate my pint glass from the Boston Shaker).
Yet, I wasn't satisified. The whole thing got me nostalgic for my earlier menu, curious what I would have settled on for dessert had I gone in the Nuevo Latino direction...Well, I'll live to cook again. And, I'm sure that those recipes won't go to waste. But, to just make sure, here's my rundown for Spicy Yam Mash with Pineapple and Lime. The tropical sweetness of the pineapple is the perfect counterpoint to the chili heat and tart lime. Hope you try it. Figure you can handle the Flank Steak on your own.
Spicy Yam Mash with Pineapple and Lime
8 yams, peeled and cut roughly into chunks
3 TBSP butter
1 tsp lime zest
1 TBSP lime juice
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, including juice
1/2 tsp. ground chili pepper (more or less to taste)
Pinch of salt
Boil potato chunks till soft. Drain. Place back in pot and mash with butter. Add lime zest and juice, crushed pineapple with juice, chili pepper and salt. Over medium heat, mash until thoroughly combined. Serves 6-8.
Enjoy! And, lemme know what you end up making for dessert.