WINTER SOLSTICE PARTY

wow what a great party i attended last night at the home of my website partner. this gal knows how to entertain a crowd. when we arrived on the bone chilling cold night, we were happy to smell and hear that beautiful wood burning fire that was ablaze in the fireplace. too many new homes are equipped with gas logs these days, there is no substitute for the smell of wood, and not nearly the satisfaction given for the labor to start and maintain a wood fire. we gave our jackets to the host, and began to introduce ourselves to the new faces and say hello to some familiar ones. the bar was set up in the sun room, and that seemed like the place to start. the special drink of the night was a tangerine martini, but i opted for the chardonnay for my first drink, as did jennifer. i later tried a wonderful drink that the hostess was having, champagne and a raspberry liqueur much like chambord. it was both soothing and flavorful, settling my somewhat confused stomach from the onset of a lot of appeteasing.

which brings us to the heart of the order- the bill of fare. the sideboard behind the main dining table was absolutely the cover of southern living, gourmet, bon appetit, better homes and gardens- any magazine would have been happy to behold such a spread. there was blue dog bakery bread spread all over in pre-sliced fashion, which andy from the bakery probably made special for the party. he was in attendence as were many food business representatives, like Lindsey and the very capable barkeep from the patron. the sideboard also had four different goat cheeses from Capriole farms that were picked up by ed garber. the goat cheeses were spectacular, with subtle differences in the texture and flavor of each one. there was also a stilton and possibly a manchengo. (i'll add a photo very soon.) also on this table was a pork charcuterie that was stunning to look at.

on another table was a baked brie wheel that was accompanied by apples, grapes, more bread, and some mission fig preserves to drizzle on top. the best of the appetizers was a cheese and spinach dip that i had enjoyed at this house before. there are two cheeses in the spread and the nutty bread held up excellent for under the weight of the high-piled spread. a phalenopsis orchid finished of the little round table.

on the main dining room table there were glass plates and silverware, country ham biscuits, buffalo brisket with horseradish, shrimp and grits, and the highlight of the evening was the fingerling potatoes with a aoili that absolutely set the world spinning. after i enjoyed some on my plate, i hovered over the tray and enjoyed twice as many while discussing new york restaurants.

after dinner we perused the profiteroles with orange cream and other petit fours right before we began our caroling. we sat around the fire and belted out hymn after chorus of old favorites. as we let our food settle, the dicussions ran from politics to technology, law and family. the attendees were a great mix of farmers, lumbermen, lawyers, service industry professionals, attorneys, and people in the court room business (notice a trend).

it was the holiday party of the year- small enough where you can meet just about everyone, personable enough to be held at a home, and a hostess who does it all. i heard everyone raving about the food, this says a lot. there were two helpers and a bartender, but Sarah was the workhorse in this labor of love. she has an eye for beauty and a palate for divine creations. here's to the holidays , good friends, good food, and the good 'ole days. AE