But first, a Friday night dinner out. The Michelin Guide identifies Cherry Street Bar-B-Que as one of its Bib Gourmand picks, with good quality and good value cooking. When you make reservations for six, the house dictates you order the Family Style Platter: brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork, chicken + 3 sides. Melt-in-your-mouth brisket, incredible spare ribs - I know what I'm having when I go back!
The next afternoon it was off to Stock T.C. Grocer to browse for some lux ingredients. Much like Eataly or Pusateri's, the shelves were filled with delicious treats to embellish our dishes. A great selection of cheeses, dried Italian pastas, a well-stocked butcher, and a bakery/bistro. While there we picked up a light lunch of pea salad, braseola, and focaccia to munch on before preparing the evening meal.
My choices for the menu were Nicoise toasts, because tinned fish is having a moment on TicTok; individual servings of baked Mac and Cheese for a new take on a classic comfort food; and swicy brownies for a sweet and spicy dessert to finish the meal.
take-aways
Nicoise toasts could have benefited from a hotter pan and oil for a crispier top, but I loved how colourful they were on the plate.
The individual mac and cheese cups didn't hold their shape when they came out of the muffin pan, so next time I would pack the mac and cheese down more. I baked with a sprinkle of crushed pistachio on top, and that I would do again.
Since I've never made brownies before, I was frankly appalled at the amount of butter and sugar. Yikes! It seemed to be a skimpy quantity, so I doubled it up and ended up with enough to give away and still freeze more for later. We'll see if they are as tasty after being frozen. I sliced these very thin for serving and sprinkled malden salt on their open faces. Decadent!
Laura topped the devilled eggs with Asiago crisps (called frico) and perched them on top like the crowns of a rooster. To prep, grate the cheese and bake in a 350F oven.
Cocktail sauce for the Jumbo Shrimp was simply ketchup mixed with horseradish.
Phyllo pie! Yum! A real presence on the table. This particular brand's sheets didn't separate easily, but as long as the torn sheets were placed evenly it didn't seem to make a difference to the end product.
I've never rolled a meatloaf, so watching Kaarina prepare the dish was helpful. The meatloaf recipe was by chef Michael Smith and the roll up idea came from Chatelaine. The swirls on the inside elevated the presentation. Roasted red peppers could be added or substituted for the spinach for added taste and colour.
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