The first dinner party

[Harborwitch]

Well- there's a lot more of my kitchen and dining room over here on the motorcoach now!

Yesterday I got the pork belly going and put it in the crockpot over at the mobile home. The rest was all done in the little galley here in the motorhome. Of course it must have taken 10 or 15 trips back and forth to the mobile. Today, after we take our first load in to the storage unit, we'll have to do a ton of dishes!

The menu:
Pressed sushi with "crab" and cucumbers
Nigiri Sushi with Ahi tuna
Ahi sashimi
Cold smoked salmon
Sliced cucumbers

Braised Pork Belly on coconut Polenta
Sauteed baby carrots and sugar snap peas.
"The" marinated cucumber salad

Dessert - Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream. This is the easiest, yummiest ice cream I think I've made in a while - it's just the perfect amount for 4 people. I may have to keep frozen raspberries in the freezer always.
Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream
via Sea Salt With Food

1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
5 Tbsp Unsweetened Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Raspberries, I used fresh, but frozen would be just fine too.

- Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the raspberries. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. If you wish, press the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. I was too lazy and skipped this step, but I think next time I will actually do it. The texture would be so much smoother without the little raspberry bits.
- Allow the mixture to chill thoroughly, then freeze it in an ice cream maker.
- Devour.

[chef_Tab]

Sharon, you continue to amaze me. All of that made in a motorhome? Do you have pixie dust?
Everything sounds so wonderful. Is this a dinner party that already happened or is in the works?

[Harborwitch]

NO pixie dust, but everything hurts! A lot of schlepping was involved in doing this.

[cjs]

Sounds like a party to me!!!

"Braised Pork Belly on coconut Polenta" has me drooling!

[Harborwitch]

The coconut polenta is from Susannna Foo's book - I'll post the recipe when we get back from town - gotta go drop our first load of "stuff" at the storage unit.

It was yummmy! I think I would have liked it fried in peanut oil - but Renae has severe nut allergies.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Oh, Sharon....this sounds and looks so good! It sounds like you're working your way into the motorcoach kitchen. By the time you get ready to leave, you'll have enough practice you'll be an old hand at it.

[farnfam]

Wow, everything looks and sounds terrifficc!!

[pjcooks]

That looks beautiful, Sharon, I'm very impressed with all you do in that little tiny space! Then again, it's what makes you a pro, right? One of my fav restaurants in Exeter has a working kitchen that is smaller than my home kitchen and they crank out a lot of excellent food every night.

Job well done!

PJ

[foodfiend]

Everything looks and sounds wonderful. And I shall never again complain about my small kitchen!!!

[Harborwitch]

Jean - Creamy Coconut Polenta - Susanna Foo

4 cups chicken stock
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 ground white pepper
1 cup instant polenta
2 Tbs butter

Bring stock & coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan
over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and whisk in the salt, white pepper, and polenta. Whisk constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy - about 7 minutes. Whisk in butter.

Pour polenta out onto a platter and serve immediately OR spread in a 9 x 13" glass container. Cool, then cut in pieces. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between layers until ready to heat and serve.

To heat and serve firm polenta, heat 1 Tbs corn oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add a few pieces of polenta and pan sear until lightly browned on the first side, then turn and sear the other side, 2 to 3 min. per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat until all pieces are nicely crusted, and serve.


My notes I didn't have instant polenta (Marcella Hazan would kill me ) so I used regular and it took a LOT longer than 7 minutes. I thought that 2 tsp was a little too much salt. This stuff is soooooo good, and I think that even soft it would be really good with the braised pork belly.