Party at Pei's

Hungry? We were! Look at this gorgeous plate of food:

A hoard of hungry friends descended upon our humble abode, and were greeted by the sight of the following:

Brie and smoked gouda with toast points made by olive oiling and baking sliced homemade baguettes.

Feta cheese and herb spread; salmon terrine. The terrine was something new for me and turned out well for not very much effort. It's equal parts chopped cooked and smoked salmon, I used about half a pound each; a tablespoon or two of chopped dill depending how much you like dill; half a stick of softened butter, or enough to bind everything together; pepper to taste. Mix well and put into a plastic wrap or parchment paper lined container overnight. When ready to serve, dip the container in hot water for a few seconds to loosen the butter, and invert onto a serving plate. My presentation could use a little work, but I couldn't find an appropriately shaped container.

Roasted vegetables, mini chicken pieces, and Italian sausage. All the meat was marinated for two days in lemon juice, rosemary, onion, salt, and pepper. Assorted baby squash, baby carrots, onions, and potatoes were tossed in oil, salt, and pepper and then roasted over high heat. The meat was then roasted over high heat as well and poured onto the plate of vegetables. I love the taste of rosemary-infused chicken, and the flavor was really able to penetrate the small chicken pieces.

Roast top sirloin. As usual, a blurry photo. I coated this roast in salt and pepper for a day (should have done two), let it sit out for a few hours to warm up, dried it really well, and let it roast at between 150 and 200 degrees for four hours. Deeeeeeelicious, and a crowd favorite with some Vietnamese chimichurri (chopped cilantro, mint, hot pepper, fish sauce, and sugar).

Balsamic vinegar strawberries. I think sliced strawberries swimming in their own juices are so much tastier than whole berries. A dash of balsamic vinegar makes strawberries even better. I decorated this bowl of tasty berries with some fresh lavendar from my garden.

True to form, I forgot to take a picture of a plate of smoked salmon and a bowl of bruschetta.

But I didn't forget our desserts: cream puffs and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting.

The End