Ad Hoc at [my] Home

Not too much sewing going on 'round these parts, mostly because I've been living in my kitchen instead of the sewing room. Last weekend I hosted my first dinner cooked entirely from the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook - I'm affectionately calling these dinners, which I hope to become a monthly or bi-monthly deal, Ad Hoc at [my] Home. For the inaugural feast, I invited over a few fellow Thomas Keller groupies and got to work planning the menu. For those of you who are not familiar with Ad Hoc, a single fixed 4 course menu is served nightly - salad, entree, cheese and dessert. This menu is posted on the website each morning, changes daily and is based on what is fresh locally. I did let my guests know most of the menu ahead of time as they were bringing over drinks to complement the food.

Since I was busy scurrying around the kitchen, WeezerMonkey was kind enough to grab my camera and document the food and prep. I'm so happy she took these pictures as they are way more artistic than what I could have done and are a great way to remember this first dinner.

First course: Green Bean and Potato Salad with Proscuitto

Second course: Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip, Creamed Spinach and Brioche

Third course: Camembert, honey, pecans and water crackers

Fourth course: Vanilla ice cream, Strawberry coulis and Bouchons

I think that everything turned out pretty well, with the glaring exception of the bread. I somehow completely forgot to add the salt to the dough. Did you know that bread without salt tastes like ass? No joke. All that work and it looked beautiful, but tasted so very icky. :/ Otherwise, I'd say the food was two thumbs up! I had a lot of fun prepping, cooking and then being able to sit down for a relaxed dinner filled with great conversation and tons of laughs.

The more I make from this cookbook, the more I fall in love with it. And I can't wait sharing more its wonderful dishes with friends and family throughout the year. :)