Finer Things Club - Round Three

It was a hot, some might even say steamy, spring evening and my legs stuck to the leather seats as we stepped out of the car and headed up the stairs to Robert's apartment. (No, I didn't get a new car, we carpooled and someone else drove. I can only dream of a vehicle made post Millennium.) I knew this was going to be a special night. Robert was hosting the Finer Things Club and he is totally Alton Brown about cooking, entertaining, wine knowledge, and, well, Alton Brown.



On to the good stuff. As we opened the screen door and made the slight left into the kitchen/dining area a beautiful platter of pizzette (thin Italian pizzas sans sauce) sat on the table ready to be sampled. Of the pizzette my favorite was the sun dried tomato, goat cheese, and artichoke. If I'm honest, anything with goat cheese is usually my favorite.




What impressed me most about Robert's meal was the time he took in preparing each dish. For the main course we each had a half of a Cornish game hen, which he soaked in a brine (I told you he liked Alton Brown) and then cut in half himself. The game hens were roasted and brushed every 10 minutes or so with a delicious plum glaze that added the perfect amount of sweetness to the hen's skin. Robert served the hens alongside linguine and a spinach and pear salad.



The combination of flavors really was delightful. With dinner we had the lovely Cardwell Hill 2005 Estate Pinot Noir which worked well with the plum glaze on the hens and kept us sipping through dessert. If you are just getting into wine and aren't really keen on deep reds yet, I would highly recommend this wine. It's reasonably priced, has a wonderful flavor and is easy to drink.




Finally came dessert. I am afraid to say I don't really have any pictures of dessert because the minute it was set before us we all dug in. Can you blame me - it was Bailey's pot de creme and a flourless chocolate cake. What I do have is a picture of Robert and Mary eating this divine creation.



Robert wined and dined us and at the end of the evening it was clear: this was another Finer Things success.