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Menus |
Menus
Each month has its own abundance and focus in the rhythm of our lives. The following menus are suggestions based on predicted availability of fresh ingredients and cultural considerations. However, we are limited only by our combined imaginations, so please present your desires and ideas.
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January - Tapas y Vinos
Whether it is from a pathside wooden table at a country pension, or from one of the zillion wrought iron tables ringing the plaza in Madrid, the parade of tapas and vinos insists on your attention and approval. Long, lazy afternoons are interrupted only by the punctuation of the next suggestion made by cook or waiter. Originally, a tapa was a small piece of meat or bread balanced atop a bottle of wine as the waiter made his way to table. Today, the modest appetizer has evolved into an array of outrageously prepared and presented morsels.
menus include
- Camarones en mojo de ajo (Grilled garlic shrimp)
- Aceitunas al tomillo (Thyme-scented olive bowl)
- Albóndigas en salsa de almendra (Hearth and home meatballs in almond gravy)
- Atún y tomate al horno (Fresh tuna in tomato)
- Queso gorgonzolla en su brandy (Brandy-soaked bleu cheese)
- Jamón fresco con mermelada (Fresh ham rolls with bitter orange)
February - Your Hearts' Desire
Rediscover why you chose your lover. Flirt, speak in private tones, throw your head back, and laugh out loud over candleflame and bud vase. You may choose to participate in the preparation of your meal in a tutorial setting or to be served from first aperitif to final coffee in the private, fireside dining lounge adjoining your bedroom. Trundle off to bed in the quiet Rocky Mountain night. Enjoy this offering with St. Valentine 's blessing or on any other special day.
menus include
- Marinated broccoli with curry
- Well-composed salad
- Sesame-cashew chicken
- Apricot sweet and sour sauce
- Basmati rice and pea bowl
- Chocolate to the fourth power
March - Mardi Gras Beads and Confetti
Linger over the earthy tasties from bayou country. Adapt authentic creole cuisine to your taste and kitchen. As the nose-tickling aromas and sensual spices unfold their gifts, you will discover why they call it the Big Easy.
menus include
- Potage de ma bonne-maman (Steamed zucchini soup)
- Crevette à l'ètouffée (Shrimp braised stove-top)
- Riz chauffé au rouge (New Orleans rice pot)
- La mort au chocolat (Death at chocolate's hand)
April - Cocina Oaxaca
Embark on a gastronomical journey through the southern regions of Mexico, where the pottery is black and chocolate beans are spent like money. You may request conversational Spanish lessons with your class from your bilingual chef to help you in your next visit to Latin America.
menus include
- Sopa de elote (Corn soup from its cob)
- Ensalada de tomate en escabeche (Composed tomatoes)
- Chilaquiles de frijol negro (Black bean layers)
- Leche quemada (Raw milk custard)
May - The Comfort Kitchen
Flinging peas at my brother. Making mashed potato faces at my cousins. Seeing who could get my sister to sneeze milk with a good joke. It all happened on this side of the swinging kitchen door. I was sad to graduate to the adult table on the other side, but still long for the comfort those foods carry with them.
recipes include
- Meatloaf meatballs
- Rock Cornish game hens baked
- Garlic smashed potatoes
- Carrots in their favorite glaze
- Kahlua cake
June - Pasta. Pesto. Presto!
Pick basil from our summer gardens to mash with the garlic from our winter gardens. Pull down the pasta you made earlier off the drying rack and celebrate the convergence of two seasonal solstices.
menus include
- Fresh golden pasta
- Basil pesto
- Sauce of three cheeses
- Summer berry splurges
- Quiet salads that do not interfere
July - The All-American Grill
Step up to the grill! Hot coals in the warm summer create quick-time meals to leave you more hours for lazy pleasures. Drifting wisps of smoke evoke memories of the hearth long after the embers die.
menus include
- Lime shrimp, having slept with tequila all night
- Inside-out burgers
- Astonishing veggie skewers
- Corn-on-the-cob in its jacket with adobe butter
- Firefly dessert platter
August - Party-hounds Celebrate
Needing no reason to celebrate, hearty party-goers will gather and revel in your hospitality anytime. Useful tips are offered for planning easy evenings with snazzy touches that leave you with your friends instead of at the stove.
- Arrive mid-morning.
- Prep the party fare.
- Enjoy a light lunch while you try new recipes.
- Greet your evening guests and party the night away.
- Scoot the last rowdy out the door.
- Spend the night in quiet, mountain comfort.
- Enjoy a full Colorado breakfast on rising.
- Leave the clean-up to the staff!
(Price-per-person varies with menu selection, ranging from hot hors d'oeuvres to buffet to full sit-down dinners.)
September - The Everyday Zen Practice of Kitchen
Gathering wisdom from Dogan's "Instructions to the Cook," we will begin with the practice of clearing and searching for left-by ingredients. Mindfully selecting excellent foods and treating them well creates comforting rhythm and abiding joy. Awaken to the daily grind of spices and the everyday necessity for preparation. Revel in the abundance of choice and the final step of sharing at table. Then start again.
recipes include
- Spiced nutsy bobo
- Zucchini salad with fresh corn and roasted red peppers
- Potato/chickpea/pepper kettle
- Tunisian cous-cous
- Very easy, very berry crisp
October - Abundant Autumnal Harvest
Sunset colors of butternut-yellow, pumpkin-orange, and candy apple-red festoon the foods that spill from fall's cornucopia. Uncover the complex combination of flavors and textures of autumn.
recipes include
- Mulled cider
- Pumpkin soup in its bowl
- Acorn squash bake
- Brown rice and apple stuffing
- French meringued pecans
November - Wintry Soup Kettles and Rustic Loaves
Soups to warm the heart and hearth, and bread to break with friends. Bracing against the chill, you cup your hands around an oversized mug so that not one degree of warmth and comfort is wasted.
recipes include
- Chilled berry soup
- Potato/leek/mushroom soup
- Sesame seed cheese loaf
- New Mexican green chili
- Iron skillet corn bread
- Chocolate coconut slicer
December - Festive Holiday Bakery and Non-perishable Food Gifts
Spend an afternoon designing your own holiday gifts. For example, make a French market nine-bean soup mix. Create an attractive presentation in a mason jar with personal ties. Choose your story and recipe combination. Trundle home with a dozen gifts, ready for giving. (Offered to groups of 6 or more friends. Can be combined with overnight stay.)
recipes include
- Granola-head cookies
- Painted almond tassies
- Pumpkin spice cups
- French market nine-bean soup starter
- Taste-of-the-trail cowgirl chili mix
- Herbed vinegars
Pilón (extra, surprise offering) Sachets, dream pillows, and potpourris
Circle the table with several dozen mugs of herbs, flowers, spices, and fixatives. Read the description of each, including botanical and popular names, medicinal qualities, and poetic remembrance. Mix your own fragrance potion to nestle in a fabric that speaks to you and secure your craft with ribbon. Create lots of combinations as gifts for your friends and your many selves. (Offered to groups of 6 or more friends, lunch included. Can be combined with overnight stay.)
recipes include
- Mandolin song sachet
- Whispered secrets dream pillow
- Bath tea for dryer complexions
- Men's bath soak
Any month, any time - Yikes! Where do I start?
Now that you have discovered that your condo has a kitchen, let's investigate how to use it. From market to counter to stove to table. This first-step class will demystify that perfect cooked egg whose shell slides off, that fluffy baked potato, that favorite pasta dish. We will design your course based on what you already know and where you want to go.
The Savory Palette
Deborah DeBord, Ph.D.
81 Cree Court
Lyons, CO 80540
303.823.0530
303.823.0337 fax
Deborah's e-mail
© 2006 by Deborah DeBord. All Rights Reserved.