Wow what a night....

Well my Italian dinner event was a huge success, Liz, my sister, and I almost pulled it off without a hitch. Truth be told Liz's recipes and work went off without a hitch...mine not so much!

But, before I go any further:

Thank you Liz, I could not have done it without you!!!!!

Here she is, my wonderful sis.

I have three other sisters, just as wonderful and although the evening was already beyond my expectations ... had all my sisters been there...it would have been magic.

So what went wrong? I burned the green beans and my home made pasta stuck together. But again thanks to Liz, who was cool as a cucumber, we averted any real tragedies.

How did everything else go so well? Well very simply, Liz and I work very well together and we were very organized. We worked like a well oiled machine. I am really, really proud of the food we put out.

I had every intention of taking pictures as the night progressed...but once we started food service the camera was forgotten, but I managed to take a few.

So..to recap the menu.

Appy

Pacific white spot prawns wrapped in prosciutto happily laying on a tomato and basil sauce and with garlic crostini, perfect for scooping, dunking and mopping up the sauce.

First course

Crisp green salad made up of arugula, butter lettuce, radicchio, pan di zucchero and frisee in a blueberry vinaigrette and topped with slivered Parmesan cheese.

Second course

Mushroom pasta with porcini, white button mushrooms, portabello and crimini in a cream sauce.

Main course

Organic game hens with *pevarada sauce, grilled polenta and braised green beans.

*We make pevarad sauce with ground beef and pork rather than liver

Dessert

Panna cota with blackberry coulis and amaretto cookies.

No picture...but the panna cotta was served in martini glasses, it was spectacular.

The tables looked amazing, hard to believe it's same place!

And finally...the fearless duo!

What's next? I think it will be a 12 course Roman feast, inspired by my sister's last trip to Italy a few years ago. Yup, that's right, twelve courses....