Me 1, Potential Disasters 0

Dinner Party went off without a hitch. I had four guests, one of whom was called to work about half an hour before the start of the party. Thankfully she was able to TCB and rejoin the gang in time for the festivities.

The pork recipe proved to be quite time-consuming indeed. Even reading through it a few times didn't prepare me for the task of de-membraning three grapefruit - which I did in front of the television - but it all came together quite well. I think adrenaline got me through the last half hour. People were here, I was still trying to get my shit together, I almost burned the fries, the table wasn't set. So, yes, adrenaline and a few successes. The pork came out of the oven perfectly, though it took about half an hour longer to get to 165F than the recipe stated. Earlier in the day I'd bought an instant-read digital thermometer, so as not to poison my guests with rare pork. My old dial thermometer wasn't cutting it anymore. I rarely have 10 minutes to watch it crawl to the accurate reading.

What else? I made a salad that's proven a hit with this crowd before. I think the most notable thing about this meal for me was the widespread lack of garlic in the dishes. My food is usually drowning in the stuff, much to the chagrin of my dear devoted boyfriend and kissing partner. There were three crushed cloves in the roasting pan, which were strained out before serving. I would have put some in the kale, but I didn't even have an opportunity to mince any thanks to my time-management skills, or lack thereof.

For dessert, I'd considered buying a wee cake from this delicious bakery down the street, but at the last minute decided on fruit with vanilla ice cream. I chopped up mangoes (Manilla Mangoes, to be specific, which apart from their small size didn't seem much different from standard mangoes), plums and papaya. All this is irrelevant: the wine was a-flowin', and dessert was forgotten. I had a small dish after the déluge had passed, and was happy that I'd skipped serving it. Once a year or so I taste papaya and am mostly repulsed, yet I keep on with it hoping that my palate will change. Frankly, I think it is the durian of the West.

Forthwith, the kale and salad recipes that helped me win this round of Katie vs. Dinner. The salad dressing is c/o Tyler Florence.

Braised Kale

2 bunches kale, de-veined, chopped and washed
1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 large cl. garlic, minced*
Crushed red pepper flakes

In a stockpot, bring the chicken broth and onions to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, add the kale and cover, steaming for 10-12 minutes or until kale is limp, but not mushy. Add more chicken broth as needed. Remove from heat, add red pepper flakes, toss and serve. Makes six generous helpings.

*Like I said, no garlic in this past iteration, but I usually use it.

Arugula Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

For the salad:

5-6 oz. arugula
1 Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced (it's better if the pear is slightly less-than-ripe)
1 brie triangle (choose a harder kind, or keep in fridge until ready to use), cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds

For the dressing:

1 shallot, finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix dressing ingredients in a food processor until finely blended. Add to salad, toss and serve.

For the dressing, I sometimes substitute a large clove of garlic for the shallot. The shallot gives the whole salad a very onion-y flavor. It tastes great, but is very strong and tends to overwhelm the other ingredients. Substituting a single garlic clove actually ends up being mellower in this instance.