Taster's Menus are the Best Kind

When you receive an invite to a '10 Course Taster's Menu' dinner, you don't turn it down! My boyfriend, James, and I recently received said invitation. His best friend, Steven, was in from the UK and Steven's mom just happens to be an amazing chef [and host]. I'm always excited to go to their house because I'm pretty much guaranteed to taste something yummy whether or not it's a dining function. 

FYI: Steve's mom, Sally, is the author of a very successful cookbook - Contemporary Caribbean Cooking: 120 easy, tasty Caribbean recipes

The evening started off with Prosecco and ended with full bellies. Here's a recap!

There were 10 of us enjoying the wonderful 10 Course dinner. Note the 6 wine glasses per setting!

Tom Yum Soup

If I wasn't already in heaven by the thought of the meal ahead of me, the first course took me there. The first taster was Tom Yum Soup which is a Thai dish. I love love love the flavors in Thai cuisine so naturally, Tom Yum is one of my favorite soups. Yum, indeed! 

Chicken Liver Pâté

I'll admit it...I'm not a huge fan of anything to do with liver...but this pâté was a hit at the table and I even enjoyed it! It definitely helped that the chutney on the side was amazing!

Love their chandelier! 

I should add that most of the ingredients that Sally used in dinner were locally or regionally sourced! Made it that much more special. 

Tamarind Sorbet

The third course was a palate cleanser- Tamarind Sorbet. It was delicious. Tamarind is a pod fruit which grows on trees around the island. It has a sweet & sour taste. 

Build Your Own: Tuna Tartare

I'm a huge, HUGE fan of raw tuna. I love the texture and flavor and Tuna Tartare combines a lot of my favorites things [i.e. ginger (yum), Cilantro (omg, yum) and sesame oil!].

Mahi Mahi Fettucini 

The Fifth course was a scrumptious Grilled Mahi Mahi atop homemade tomato jam and fettucini. The Mahi Mahi had a slight hint of lemongrass and I found the addition to this traditional Italian dish super interesting AND tasty ;)

English Sunday Roast

OMG OMG OMG. One of the things I miss most about living in England is heading to my neighborhood gastro pub on a Sunday for a delicious roast. So when this dish came out I did a dance in my chair! Sally served delicious roast beef with a miniature Yorkshire Pudding, horse radish, potatoes & veg. The gravy was to.die.for. NOM

Beet & Grapefruit Salad

Because dinner was served in the traditional French style, we ate salad after the main course...a new concept for me. I always thought salad was best eaten before your entree, but I guess the French know what they're doing when it comes to food...and wine...and basically all things cheesy and crepe-y and yummy... so OK, I'll follow. This salad was refreshing and full of flavor by the way. 

Montserrat Cheese Plate 

After salad we continued in the French style and had a cheese plate with some yummy Montserrat cheese which Sally and her husband, Keith, happened upon in a visit to a farm in the mountains of Montserrat. It had a taste similar to that of Gruyere and that along with the yummy homemade bread was the end of me. At this point I was battling a quickly impending food coma [the 6 glasses of wine didn't have anything to do with it, promise]. I am ashamed to say it, but I only ate half of my Sticky Toffee Pudding [insert drool here]. I was so sad because it was so delicious. I'm also lacking a picture of it and I will blame that on my tipsiness 'food coma'. Sorry :/

As you can imagine, when coffee was offered, I may have jumped out of my seat in eagerness. Plus, it was after midnight and we had a late one the night before...ok let's face it, most of the time sometimes I'm a granny. 

We sealed off the meal with Course #10- our choice of rich & tasty chocolate!

The dinner was fantastic, all 4 hours of it! Many thanks to Sally and Keith for hosting a loverly evening. 

-Sheens ;)