Eggplant Lasagna

I remembered how much I liked Eggplant Lasagna, we had made it before from a recipe for Lasagna of Eggplant, Tomato, and Basil from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters. This is a fabulous recipe! You can find it on our blog of: June 18, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

It reheats wonderfully. We served it with a Salad we picked up at Forage.

Rotisserie Chicken by Japanese Lights

Sunset over Los Angeles

Persimmon Salad

Chicken and Potatoes

Cheese and Bacon Bread from McCall's

The glow of the Japanese Lantern

We invited Robert and Darryl over for dinner. We have a Japanese Lantern that we have kept in our downstairs guest bedroom.  Perfect for using the Rotisserie outdoors and then eating on our patio overlooking the city. Cathy realized we should bring it up and use it. We took it outdoors for this dinner and it cast a beautiful light. It was a beautiful warm night in Silverlake.

We decided to make Rotisserie Chicken. We cooked the chickens over a pan of potatoes and shallots and let the chicken drippings flavor the potatoes. Cathy stuffed the two chickens using the recipe for Roast Chicken for Two and from The Balthhazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hansen. This is a great recipe that keeps the chicken very moist. You can find the recipe on our blog of: June 23, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Persimmon Salad with Speck and Almonds.

It was a great treat to be able to eat outdoors and enjoy the night.

Thai Fried Rice

Salmon Tacos from Forage

Thai Pork Fried Rice

Tomato Vegetable Salad from Forage

Desserts

It was a warm night and we decided to eat outside. Since we had left over pork, what is better that Thai Fried Rice? We have made it many times and it is one of our favorites. We use the recipe for: Fried Rice with Crab from Thai Street Food by David Thompson. We simply substituted the Crab with Pork. You can the recipe from our blog of April 4, 2013. Simply click the date to get the recipe.

With the rice, we picked up a Tomato Vegetable Salad, Salmon Tacos and Dessert from Forage.

Cauliflower and Potatoes

Cauliflower Gratinate

Polenta with Pork

Wow, what a wine!

We ate a Mozza and had a wonderful Cauliflower Gratinate. We decided to make it home.  The recipe is from TheMozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina. It is a great dish and we will make it again.

It was the perfect accompaniment to the left over Pork and Potatoes.

We had a wonderful wine with the dinner.

cauliflower gratinate

The Mozza Cookbook

Nancy Silverton

For this rich side dish, one of the originals from the Pizzeria, we simmer the cauliflower in cream and then put it in the pizza oven to brown the top. I've never met anyone who didn't like it. Butter, cream, garlic, cauliflower … what's not to like?

SERVES 4 TO 6

2         tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

1         large head of cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds)

2         tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1         Spanish onion, halved through the core and sliced 1/4 inch thick

10         garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2         teaspoons kosher salt

2         cups heavy whipping cream

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly butter a large baking dish, prefer­ably one nice enough to present at the table.

Trim and discard the cauliflower leaves, cut the florets off the core, discard the core, and cut the florets into 1-1/2-inch pieces.

Warm the butter, olive oil, onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and cook until the onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often to prevent the garlic from browning. Add the cauliflower, cream, and the remaining teaspoon of salt, increase the heat to high, and bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the cauliflower until it is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the cauliflower through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the cream. Return the cream to the saucepan and simmer it over medium heat until it reduces by one-third and becomes the consistency of thin gravy, taking care that the cream doesn't brown. Return the cauliflower to the saucepan and stir gently to com­bine with the cream. Transfer the cauliflower and cream to the pre­pared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm.