Year of the Dinner Party: The Melting Pot

The first rule of dinner parties is never, ever use an entirely new menu for a dinner party.  I break this rule most of the time. For November,  however, I actually made a main course I've made frequently. So I decided  to channel all risk into the guest list and dessert. 

Our small group had never met until the Melting Pot Dinner Party. Great conversationalists + fancy cocktails ensured that everyone enjoyed themselves through dessert. OMG! Dessert!

MENU

Cocktails

• Rosemary Fizz from Dave's Dinners 

Appetizers

• Crudites with green goddess dressing from Martha Stewart 
• Dates wrapped in bacon from Dave's Dinners 

Salad

• Fennel, walnut & apple salad from Dave's Dinners

Main 

• Lasagna
• Handmade foccacia from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Dessert 

• Peanut butter banana pie from Epicurious

Wines

• 2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosche
• 2010 Brachetto di'Acqui
• 2001 Rosso Ca' del Merlo

THE PREP

Prep for this meal spread over 2 days. Friday night I prepped lasagna,  rosemary syrup, salad dressing and Green Goddess dip.

Saturday I started EARLIER THAN PLANNED and for once, ran ahead of the below schedule. 

10:30 - Make pie crust

11:00 - Start bread

11:30 - Cut veggies

12:00 - Pre-heat oven

12:00 - Make pudding

12:30 - Put bread in oven

 1:00 -  Take bread out of oven

 2:00 -  Make peanut butter filling/finish pie

 3:00 -  Prep dates & grate cheese

 6:15  - Bake dates

 6:30  - Prep salad ingredients

 7:00 -  Lasagna goes in oven

THE VERDICT

The dessert was, as predicted, the best item on the menu. The lasagna was perhaps the best I've made yet. I dialed back the cheese not to be named in front of Kent  ricotta, and used a fairly shallow tray. Two layer, not three layer lasagna is my new go-to. The dates packed more flavor pleasure than I expected. I could have made twice as many and we would still have finished them all. 

My bread was the biggest disappointment, but since it was my first and remotely edible, I considered it a win. It was not nearly as light and fluffy as I hoped. Turns out, whole wheat flour is not for beginners.

THE EYE CANDY
More on Flickr!

THE RECIPE

Epicurious already did all the work for me. Go check it out there!