An aide memoire for our Solstice Party

Just need to remember what the food and menu was for the future

roasted lemon, rosemary, chili almonds – next time do in oven fully and make sure sauce is thick to coat

cheese straws – worked great to make ahead and store dough in fridge and cut and cook a couple of hours ahead

spinach dip for crudite – wilted spinach and onions blended with creme fraiche – needs more salty and something spicy for next time – too bland

Sous vide roast beef lettuce wraps with horseradish. Excellent. Next time make sure the chuck has any extra sinewy bits cut out – OR sous vide 24 hours instead of 12. Cut horseradish with creme fraiche. Butter lettuce better than the oak leaf

baked fried chicken and cilantro sauce – awesome – cashew meal and cornmeal for crumb worked well but breadcrumbs still better

pork carnitas – made a week ahead and frozen and then reheated until starting to brown again was the best

spicy black beans – too spicy but diluted well with tomato and canned beans

curry winter squash sou – heat from tiny amount of ghost chili was great

roast root veg – not so good – too crowded and steamed more than roasted

roast lamb – marinated for 24 hours in lemon, garlic, rosemary was excellent but slightly over cooked it

rice with tons of crispy shallot – great

truffles with pecan-maple – excellent – toast pecans, crush. heat with maple syrup until it starts to caramelize on them, then fold into truffle mix

ice cream sandwiches – ginger cookies and lemon ice cream – great – next time something softer – oat cookies or even gingerbread?

drink – cava with pomegranate seeds and pomegranate syrup – delicious but people still preferred plain drinks