Ladies Luncheon

Yesterday I had the pleasure of welcoming my mom, two of my aunts and my grandmother (affectionately known as Nana) to my house for lunch to celebrate my Aunt Rhita’s birthday. We had a great time. No drama, no complaints. Those of you who have a family such as mine will appreciate this dynamic that can sometimes be a rare albeit welcome scarcity in a family get together. It was very casual and light. I believe I wore my slippers the whole time actually. My kinda luncheon.
I strived (and I do mean that I had to work) at keeping it very simple and uncomplicated. Those of you who know me well will apprecriate that I admit to having gone a bit over board in the past. Yes, Sherry, just a “bit”. Though this time I held back. Not too much food, no over whelming appetizers but we did have two splendid desserts; Panna Cotta with a Balsamic Berry Cabernet Sauce and a Dark Chocolate Walnut Tart.
There were merely five in attendance, permitting us to sit at the dining room table. I set the table with a white tablecloth, white plates, white napkins and a small vibrant spring green bouquet of flowers in a low vase in the center. Tasteful. We had the Green Apple Chicken Salad (a previous post), a bowl of sliced ripe cantaloupe and a savory Aebleskiver. This was an experiment to say the least. But who better to test new recipes on than family? The one epic risk that I took, reflecting on this bold move, was to try out the most quintessential Danish food that I can think of, prepare it as far from tradition as imaginable and serve it to my Danish Grandmother. Audacious, but worth the gamble. They were very tasty and a monumental success. I made them in the morning, testing them out on Aunt Rhita and Uncle Ted. Sold. After that a sauce to be named later was born as an accompaniment. Another big hit. I love it when a wager pays off, thus giving me the courage to try another dicey culinary speculation down the road. It’s a good thing I have a large and at times, tolerant, family.