April in Review- 4/24/09

The end of April is still a week away but I have made all the April recipes and tonight will start May's in earnest, so I want to give my monthly review while I'm still remembering. I do feel a bit guilty about not making the Cocktail of the Month but I think my reasoning (mentioned in the previous post) is quite legitimate.
What did I like and learn during the month of April in my Month of Gourmet project?
I really got a boost of confidence with making desserts. There were a lot of dessert recipes for April and I was pleased with all of them. Even if the flavor was not excellent in my opinion, I felt I did a good job of executing the recipe and creating an attractive and tasty dessert. My favorite recipe of the month was a dessert recipe. I was so proud to serve the Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Berries on page 86. I felt this dessert had everything I was looking for in a showstopper. The visual appeal of the cake was impressive with the puffy white meringue and the contrasting red and blue berries. The flavor was complex with the 3 components of sweet meringue, tart lemon curd, and fresh berries. The dish was not labor intensive though. The stand mixer did the work for you and though you needed several hours for chill and bake times, much of that was simply wait time with no work required.
I also managed to pull off 2 very large menus of 8 or more recipes in almost back to back days. I managed my time well and never doubted that I would be able to complete each recipe in time for the two special dinners. I hosted or catered a number of meals and did not get flustered or disorganized even when meatloaves refused to leave the pan and crusts were burned.
I actually had to look back at the blog to find my least favorite recipe of the month. I had very few D rated dishes and none were so disastrous they stood out. I'd have to say my least favorite dish of the month was the Golden Potatoes with Caper Brown-Butter Crumbs. The problem with this dish was simply a lack of flavor. I've had many wonderful potato dishes in my life and because this dish was part of a special holiday menu, I wanted something special. This dish wasn't special, it wasn't horrible either but for Easter dinner, my expectations are high. As a hostess, I want my guests to feel I am serving them the best recipes I have. I felt the Pavlova did this but the Golden Potatoes did not. Another successful month of Gourmet!

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