Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Indian Thanksgiving — November 6, 2010

What better way to kick off the holiday season than a hearty five-course Thanksgiving dinner — with a unique Indian spin! We were thrilled with the great response to our invitation and, once again, with the fabulous mix of guests. It was chilly outside...but inside, the food (and the ambience) was warm, spicy, and delicious.


Our Menu

Alka presents the pani puris

Amuse-Bouche: As a starter, we served a Foodist Colony twist on the classic pani puri — popular Indian street fare consisting of crispy fried bread puffs, zesty chickpeas sprinkled with fresh mint, and water spiced with tamarind and cumin. And vodka: after a taste of the classic dish, our guests received a spiked version of the spiced water.
 
Lisa spoons some chickpeas into a puri;
the next step is to add the spicy pani!
 

 

Pedro offers Seema more of the
spicy spiked pani







Laetitia and Marty enjoy the party 

First Course: Once everyone was warmed up from the vodka pani puris, we followed up with aloo tikki, a piping-hot potato and red onion croquette. The tikki was served with freshly homemade mint chutney and yogurt and dusted with chaat masala.

The aloo tikki gets a final sprinkle of chaat masala
before being whisked off to the guests
    
Jerome gives us two thumbs up — so far, so good!

Pedro, Roompa, Pedro, and Monica

















Soup Course: Next, we served steaming bowls of creamy pumpkin bisque with a hint of warm Indian spices, topped with toasted cumin yogurt and pumpkin seeds.    

Pedro serves up the soup...







...and promptly refills Ivonne's water glass!
The man is everywhere!



 






   






 
The ladies savor the soup
















Dinner Cocktail: We presented our guests with a delicious cranberry-lime vodka infusion...the perfect interlude before the main course.

Megan, Sheila, Laetitia, Marty, and Tania
raise their glasses

Seema and Joy toast their tablemates













fun 
 


Guru poses with the Pedros
 
Main Course: Finally, it was time for the main event! We showcased some American Thanksgiving classics — with a decidedly Indian interpretation.

Our take on turkey: a savory tandoori turkey roll, marinated for days with a special blend of paprika, garam masala, ginger, garlic, and cumin, among other spices. We then stuffed the turkey rolls with a creamy, spicy mashed potato and bell pepper mixture before roasting. In addition, we served masala macaroni and cheese: elbow pasta nestled in a cheddar and colby bechamel cheese sauce, as well as tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, chile pepper, and more. Our "masala mac" was topped with sliced tomato, as well as buttered naan and paneer "breadcrumbs," and baked until bubbly.

We also reinvented two traditional side dishes. The first, sauteed green beans, were prepared in a spicy South Indian style with toasted coconut. The second was a whole grain bread stuffing, tossed with pearl onions, leeks, ginger, mushrooms, pistachios, and golden raisins plumped with hot buttered rum.

Dinner is served — tandoori turkey time!

Mmmm...masala mac, fresh from the oven...









Jerome and Tania share a secret grin over dinner
 
Megan and Sheila smile pretty

Alka and Pedro prep in the kitchen















 
Dessert: Some of our guests claimed to be stuffed after the entree... yet somehow they all managed to find room for our dessert trio! We served gajar halwa — a warm Indian carrot pudding topped with sliced almonds  and a freshly baked strudel filled with cranberry chutney, mascarpone cheese, and dark chocolate. Rounding out the trio was a homemade cinnamon ice cream milkshake sprinkled with saffron.

Our dessert trio...you could say our guests hit the post-turkey trifecta...ha!

Digestif: After dessert, everyone relaxed with warm apple cider — mulled with spices, garnished with cinnamon sticks, and kicked up with rum.
No one was in any particular hurry for the night to end!

Kitchen shenanigans

Pedro and Monica are all smiles

Sharing some cider and laughs

Joy, Pedro, and Thao in mid-chitchat

 
  




The Foodist Colony's Thanksgiving was everything this holiday is about: great food and drinks, fabulous people, and a festive atmosphere. We thank our guests for participating and for making the night such a success. And we look forward to seeing you again soon!


Sunday, October 17, 2010

Our first event — October 2, 2010

Our inaugural event was a four-course lunch served in a garden on a crisp, sunny fall day. We had a wonderful group of people, and the laughs and the conversation flowed easily. Everyone made some new friends  and had some great food and drinks!

Our Menu
Welcome Cocktail: Bloody Mary, featuring vodka infused with jalapeno and black pepper, as well as a celery salt rim and crisp celery nibs
Amuse-Bouche: Chutney bruschetta — a sweet-and-spicy tomato and onion chutney atop a toasted baguette slice
First Course: Warm carrot soup with ginger, fennel, and leeks, swirled with cream, topped with fried leeks, and served with a homemade sea salt focaccia cracker
Main Course: For the omnivores wild Alaskan salmon oven-grilled on a cedar plank with a maple-soy glaze and topped with fresh pepper and toasted sesame seed, plus roasted fall vegetables 
For the vegetarians — baked tofu with a maple-soy glaze, plus mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, pearl onions, and baby eggplant, all roasted on a cedar plank 
Both were served with a harvest orzo salad with organic baby spinach greens and Granny Smith apples, dressed in a ginger vinaigrette and topped with crispy fried ginger
Lunch Cocktail: Mint lemonade with berry-infused vodka
Dessert: Trio of ice cream lollipops — chocolate chipotle with crushed peanuts, chai with cinnamon and sugar, mango with toasted coconut served with a warm homemade ginger cookie
Digestif: Ginger-infused vodka served with lemon and agave

Pics
The Bloody Mary was the perfect way to start lunch in the garden.


Our guests had a choice of entrĂ©es: wild Alaskan salmon or baked tofu and veggies, roasted on a cedar plank with a maple-soy glaze and served with an orzo salad.

The berry-mint vodka lemonade went so fast we barely got a picture!


Mmmm...dessert. We offered our guests the flavor options for the ice cream...and every single guest chose to have ALL THREE!

The chai ice cream, infused with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and allspice, was an especially big hit. 

We also surprised our guests with warm ginger cookies, fresh from the oven.










We relaxed with tea after lunch. And when it got chilly, we moved indoors to continue the fun!










We had a wonderful time sharing food, drinks, and laughs with our guests. Thanks to all of our friends, old and new, who joined us. Stay tuned — we're already planning our next Foodist Colony event!