Cooking for yourself? That’s totally boring…with a capital B! So when my friends brought up the idea of having a cooking night on Sunday nights I was all.over.it. One of the reasons I committed to these delicious gatherings was because a good friend, Julian Kurland, would be taking charge as head chef for the group. Kurland just graduated from the French Culinary Institute, and after seeing multiple photos of him concocting a duck sandwich and slicing a pig’s face in class I knew we were all in good hands!
I arrived with the smell of lamb shoulder roasting in the oven, and Julian, with his sous chef of the evening, Mike Mattes, were slicing away at the fresh cilantro. So many flavors flickering in the air!
The point of starting these Sunday cooking nights is for us each bring a new friend to the dinner each week. I love intertwining different circles and making new friends! With a turntable blasting The Big Chill, dancing around their apartment like we were in high school and cooking up some phenomenal dishes, I’d say we had a successful first night of cooking together!
All of the recipes were inspired by A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis {click here to buy it for the recipes!}, but Julian and Mattes put their own touch into the dishes with spontaneous instincts of their taste and perfections. I cannot tell you how good it all tasted, smelled and looked!
Our first Sunday cooking night menu?
Grilled Asparagus topped with a fried egg, bread crumbs, pancetta, parmesan and pork fat vinaigrette:
Shoulder of Spring Lamb with Flageolet Beans and Olive Relish:
Homemade peanut butter cookie ice cream sandwiches with Doc’s maple syrup:
It was THAT good!…
This was such a fun night of new tastes, smells and friends! What could be better than having new experiences over a home cooked meal? It’s companionable comfort! Have you cooked up a Sunday night dinner with your friends yet? B+H
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