Fathers’ Night

Last weekend, on Father’s Day, I was really sick.  This week, pretty much all of us are sick but the difference being I’m feeling a lot better and with all of us contaminated with the same dirty bugs, we didn’t have to be overly concerned with infecting one another because the deed had already been done.

I know I’m not a father.. but the importance of me feeling better was that I could finally cook a decent meal for not only Ethan’s father, but Eric’s father, as well as MY father!

Given the weather has still been a bit chilly of late, I opted to cook a warm & comforting three course meal…
My Mum, being a gluten free individual, brought in a yummy potato & leek soup for everyone to share.  She dressed it with lactose free cream, roasted cashew nuts & flat leaf parsley.  So the rest of us not only got to eat her delicious soup.. we also had my entree which contained plain flour..Caramelised onion & goat’s cheese tart – it was the first time I’d ever made it and it was delicious.  The tang from the goat’s cheese offset the sweetness of the caramelised onion which had a great depth of flavour from the port my daddy bought me!  And the thin, melt in your mouth short crust pastry was worth the effort I put into it in the wee hours of the morning whilst my little boy was sleeping.

Here’s the centre piece which we picked up when we stopped by the Prahran Market this morning…Tulips with the heady aroma of jonquils – at a bargain price of $8 all up!  Unfortunately, the $2 jonquils were trashed at the end of the night because Eric & I realised our noses were running like taps due to the delightful blossoms.

Anyway.. for mains, we had..Braised beef cheeks with cheesy polenta– melt in your mouth Heaven!!  They were braised in a lovely dry red wine courtesy of my father with onions, carrots, oregano, rosemary, peppercorns, fennel & tinned tomatoes!  And they were finished off with spring onions and Swiss brown mushrooms.  MmmmMmmmmm.. perfect for a chilly evening!

Accompaniments included..Dutch carrots and asparagus – which I unfortunately over cooked!

But the meal was redeemed with my all-time favourite…Vanilla bean creme brulee– deliciously creamy with a good going toffee on top.  Served with a pansy – from my garden!!

And as if that wasn’t enough..Fresh, seasonal fruit – yum.  Needless to say.. there’s still 2/3 of a platter left in the fridge!!

What a fun night – I hope all three fathers in the room felt the love tonight… xx