One of my favorite activities is cooking for—and eating dinner with—friends.
And one of the biggest compliments is when the friends gobble up the food.
There were no leftovers and so the bouillabaisse was a success.
I made the broth with salmon bones the fishmonger gave me, shallots, fennel, white wine, garlic, saffron and orange zest.
I grilled an enormous loaf of bread that I picked up from Whole Foods and made the rouille with a large red pepper I roasted, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs and olive oil. (This might have been the best part of the whole meal.)
Here’s to dinner with lovely friends, and a fragrant stew to make for your next dinner party.
KITCHEN NOTES
To make your own fish broth or not
I highly recommend making your own broth. It might seem daunting but I can attest that it isn’t. To make things easier for the night you’re going to serve the bouillabaisse, make the broth the night before.That’s what I did and it saves so much time. I was at Whole Foods and asked the fishmonger if he had any bones to use: and he wrapped up some salmon bones for me right away, and it only cost $1.46. for wine, don’t use a “cooking” wine; use something you’d drink as well. You only need two cups for the broth so you can enjoy a glass while you cook, which is what I did. : )
Beautiful linens
I love setting my table with a runner and my go-to shop for unique runners is Saffron Marigold. They also sell gorgeous cloth napkins.
To drink
I made a batch of sangria by adding 1 cup of grapefruit juice to one bottle of wine, the juice of two limes and 1/4 cup of sugar. Let it sit overnight and—voila—a deep ruby red drink to serve with the bouillabaisse. Add some chopped apples and other fruit. You could also serve a bottle of white, perhaps this Otto Muri from Collazzi.
For dessert you may like this flourless chocolate cake.
[gmc_recipe 5534]