In March 2016, we celebrated Chris’ Mormon upbringing with a classic menu from a Mormon wedding. And we got into costume!
Chris and Diana
Angel of Moroni Potatoes with Temple Square Fry Sauce
Sweet Apple Ham with Joseph Smith’s Accompaniments
Golden Plate Spinach Florentine and Nauvoo Chicken Casserole
Lamanite Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes o’Nephite
Provo’s Favorite Jello Shot
Jack Mormon Jack Daniels Chocolate Cake
Orrin’s Cider Poached Apples with Sabayon le Pere Jules
The Supperclub, satisfied, after our feast at Mourad.
Sadly, we ate this dish too quickly to photograph! This is the home cook’s version of the magical beans which are served as one of the side dishes with the La’acha (family meal) at Mourad. In the restaurant, the feta which is rustically crumbled as a topping in this home version is molecular gastronomically transformed, elevated, into a light as air foam. The beans, though, are the same. These beans were one of Heather’s favorites when we dined together at the end of my brief tenure in the kitchen at Mourad.
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Mourad’s Loubya (Corona Beans, Tomato Sauce, Feta)
Adapted from Mourad: New Moroccan, Mourad Lahlou
Beans (can be cooked up to 3d in advance)
Ingredients
8 oz dried corona beans—soaked overnight at room temp with 2 inches water covering
1 lg carrot, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 celery stalk, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 garlic clove
2 T brown sugar
1 T kosher salt
Technique
Sauce: simmer below for about 1 hour until reduced to 2 ¾ cups; add onions below; can be made 3d in advance
11/2 c (375g) diced canned tomatoes, w juices
¾ cup (213g) tomato puree
2 ¼ cup water
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 T sugar
1 T minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
1 1/2tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
¾ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
Onions: caramelize for about 15mins, then add balsamic
1 T canola
1 ¾ cups thinly sliced onions
salt
1 tsp balsamic
Topping
4 oz dry packed feta, Mt Vikos or Redwood Hill, crumbled
1 c bread crumbs
3T evoo
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
To finish beans:
Nalin did an exceptional job pairing French wines with our meal, and extensive background as well. He chose wine from the Rhone valley:
Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2010
Domaine Alain Graillot Corzes Hermitage Blanc 2011
Domaine de la Jaufrette Gigondas 2009
and Provence:
Chateau Pradeaux Bandol 2015
Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol 2012
In July, unable to wait until the next supper club, we decided to do an all-family outing to a Marin treasure, the Point Reyes National Seashore. True to our food loving origins, the centerpiece of the day was a leisurely lunch at the Hog Island Oyster Company, in Marshall. We cannot recall how many dozens of freshly shucked raw and barbecued oysters we all consumed, but we hope we left enough for others. A few of the children were the biggest oyster fans, emboldened by their desire for oysters to run place several orders on their parents’ tabs. A good exercise in leadership! We rounded out the meal with some lovely wine, including a Sancerre, baguettes, cheese, salads and salami. Chris demonstrated an unusual hidden talent of luring, trapping and then mercilessly killing a bee that was stalking us, using a golden raisin pickle (that Linda hadn’t gotten her fill of) as bait.
Sated, and before we depleted the entire bay of oysters, we then headed for a drive further down the seashore to Drakes Beach. It was cold, but that didn’t stop the kids from wading in the water and enjoying a typically windy and cold day of the Northern California summer.
Spicebox Supperclub 