I hope that everyone out there in Bloggo-land had a great weekend, and that those of you who had an extra day off were able to have some fun with it.
On Friday the 4th, we got up really early (for a day off) to begin preparing for the holiday dinner we'd be going to at K and P's beautiful South Austin house. Husbear went nuts.
HE MADE BUNS. And ketchup. And aioli. And pimento cheese. And long-term caramelized onions. And that's just what we brought over.
Pretty soon after we arrived with our giant cooler bag stuffed with four bottles of rose and a bunch of Topochico, K and Husbear put together this quick snack tray.
People fell on this with varying degrees of ravenousness. The pickled mirlitons (chayote we picked up in Mandeville Louisiana) were very salty, and the group seemed split on their tastiness. However, the pimento cheese, caramelized onions, and Pure Luck ricotta and blue cheese all seemed well-liked. While people were making this disappear, Husbear threw together some deviled eggs. Why is it that deviled eggs made it here pretty much unchanged from the 1950s, and their cousins the aspic and the composed salad are still looked on with upturned noses - for the most part?
App snacks were of course not the only things happening in the bustling tornado of a kitchen. K was simultaneously preparing three salads which Husbear seasoned and hand-formed burgers made of lamb and bison. He was also marinating hot dogs and making a mustard compound butter for brushing on croissants.
With the temperature dropping towards the low 90s, P went out to start the grill up, and the rest of the guests followed to watch the action.
While the burgers popped and sizzled away on the charcoal grill,
the homemade buns and mustard-butter glazed croissants waited in line for a quick turn on the grill. (The croissants were for the marinated hot dogs, from this amazing food and wine recipe. Minus the cabbage. Do we look crazy?)
Finished, the meats and breads took pride of place on a lovely buffet line.
They were quickly joined by three delicious salads. We had a refreshing watermelon salad with Pure Luck feta, olives, mint, and red onion,
a nicely starchy multi-bean salad with garbanzos, red beans, green beans, and creamer peas in a lemony vinaigrette,
and an intensely flavored potato salad with bell peppers, homemade aioli, green onions, and chives.
No fireworks this year, unfortunately. Or, well, to be entirely fair, we did get to see approximately the top third of the fireworks down on Lady Bird Lake through the trees. Next year, if we get to celebrate with these guys, we'll just pack the viewing platform we always bring to the Preakness. Sh-yeah.
Several hours (and several bottles of Austrian red) later, we did find a bit of space for dessert. G and L brought homemade ice cream. Farmers' market milk and eggs, and Ghirardelli chocolate, with almost no air whipped in. So rich and creamy!
Wow. I'd like to say we've only had one small salad since then, but I'd be lying. We did swim a bunch of laps at the gym yesterday, though! Phew.
Happy Independence Day, Americani!
