We always start off with a classic cocktail, so for his birthday we had my house blend Manhattans. I made this batch earlier in the day and had it rest in the freezer until dinner this evening. Super-chill. Syrupy consistency. A perfect blend of bourbon, vermouth and bitters!
For dinner we had a petrale sole doré, inspired by Scoma's at Fisherman's Wharf. The fish was lightly floured and pan-fried in a cast iron skillet with garlic infused butter and olive oil. A pan sauce was made with some white wine, minced garlic and capers. To accompany it, brown butter cauliflower, green beans and cremenis.
And for dessert, apple cheese pie. This was a take on a Viennese Apple Torte I've had at family gatherings over the years. We had a bunch of granny smiths in the fridge and lots of cream cheese from an event in December- it was just waiting to be used! A bunch of my Facebook friends wanted the recipe so I posted it here.
Diddy loved the meal- as evidenced by all the 'mmmms' heard throughout the meal. Glad my cooking still wows him after all these years!
