Photo taken by Lisa Visbeen Lehmann of Studio Jewel
Brainstorm Party
Sometimes you need a little extra IQ. A shot of cool, quick inspiration. A few of the best peops in your corner.
Since The Tender Palate is a budding business, I can use as many healthy brain cells as I can get. So I brushed off my rusty entertaining skills, dished up a light supper for a few new power chick friends and “experimented” on them with a totally gluten- and dairy-free menu. These fun and generous women agreed to help me jump-start a couple of ideas, so I made a variety of dishes that were fairly well-practiced. I use the word “experiment”, because I’m always curious to see how the palates of people without food allergies react to alternative ingredients.
We met at one of my favorite event venues, the historic The Leonard at Logan House. A couple of bottles of Natura Organic Wine added just a teensy-weensy bit of creativity as well. Both the cabernet sauvignon and the gewürztraminer got rave reviews. I usually prefer red, but that evening, I tried the white and stuck with it. I loved the Gewurztraminer’s unusual and pleasant mix of dry and sweet. I could even taste the promised hint of jasmine. I think it is my new favorite white (and “gewürztraminer” is really fun to say.) The cabernet drinkers were especially happy when alternating bites of chocolate truffle with sips of the deep, toasty red.
The "No Men" Menu
Although no men were invited to this particular party (next time I'll do an ALL MEN Menu), I threw a bone to equality by serving the same number of dessert items as savory-type dishes. Because when it comes to chocolate . . . baby, there ain’t no glass ceiling.
My unsuspecting power chicks were not aware, however, that many of the yummy ingredients in each dish were also power foods. Here’s the menu plus a little of the moxie behind it.
Recipe: Cilantro-Lemon Chicken Strips (RECIPE COMING SOON)
*cilantro is purported to be anti-bacterial, there are theories that it can attach to and remove heavy metals from the body (like mercury), and is thought to also balance blood sugar.
*Lycopene is an anti-oxidant that is thought to reduce the incidence of cancer. The lycopene in tomatoes is activated best when cooked.
Recipe: Ina Garten’s Grapefruit/Avocado Salad
(I also added blanched asparagus to the dish)
*Adding more lycopene to the dinner is the wonderful and sweet red grapefruit. A healthy fat, like the avocado in this salad, is the lycopene activator for the grapefruit. And with the Dijon vinaigrette, the two taste incredible together.
*Asparagus is high in folate (6 spears contain almost ½ the recommended daily intake), Vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. The dijon vinagrette liked the asparagus, too.
Recipe: Almond Cognac Truffles (RECIPE COMING SOON)
Recipe: Simply Coconut Chocolate Truffles
Recipe: Candied Orange Peels
*Chocolate (particularly dark, minimally processed chocolate) contains flavanols and oleic acid both thought to have healthy effects on your heart.
Natura Organic Gewurztraminer 2010
Natura Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
*Red wine is also full of heart-healthy flavanoids. Of course, doctor’s orders, moderation and other such laws of your own personal health trump any information given here.
My Warmest Thanks
As suspected, it turned out to be a really great evening with great conversation. If you have an idea that needs some kicking around, try throwing a brainstorm party – and drop me a note to tell me how it went!
Warmest thanks to my power chicks for the evening:
Kelly Jansens Boos of Green Dog Pet Accessories & Black Dog Productions, LLC
Jennifer Phillips Wilson of Grand Development Associates, LLC.
Lisa Visbeen Lehmann of Studio Jewel
Thanks again to Dave Russo of G.B. Russo & Son for recommending these great wines.