13-Course Meal

We are very fortunate to have friends, the Fishers, who love to cook and feed people.  Really fancy cooking.  Like the type not many of us do.  Kulani grinds, forms, and smokes his own sausage.  He dry-ages his own beef - I didn't even know what it was until we ate with these good friends.  One time, they even had a live chicken/hen? and served it up to us that same evening. Sometimes, I don't even know the names of cheeses he buys.  Being invited to one of their dinners is truly a unique experience and a culinary treat.  

They have 4 young daughters and they both work full-time. I don't know how they do it, but they're a great team in the kitchen.  At our latest visit, we were greeted with a 14-course menu (so many meals that our host forgot to include one of them.)

Thankfully, many courses are tiny.  But no one leaves their home hungry, ever.

This was a favorite-television-show-themed dinner.

Seared scallops with apricot wasabi marmalade

Crispy polenta with a portabello ragu - I wanted to eat the mushroom sauce straight out of the bowl with a spoon.  The flavors were divine.

 Cuban pork over sliced bagette - and he makes this sausage himself.

Refreshing pineapple-peach smoothie

 Blue cheese wedge salad

 Pozole soup with a tomatillo sauce

Bruleed banana slice with Nutella and real whipped cream

Garlic shrimp with sticky rice

 I forgot to photograph the intermission - a tiny cup of homemade ginger soda

Chili-spiced marinated chicken

Dry-aged New York roast with homemade potato chips.  This dry-aging process sounds scary, but we've had his steaks done this way several times, and have never in our lives tasted better steak.  He also uses a special water bath to cook and hold them at a certain temperature before searing them quickly before serving.

 Gruyere cheese with tart apple slices (and this cheese I have heard of)

 Rum raisin rice pudding for dessert

Another extraordinary meal and evening of conversing and meeting new people.  How does one reciprocate this type of event?  Maybe I should offer to babysit.  That, I could do.