Yay, -t!!!!

Okay, I just have to make people jealous (and hungry):

My bro and SiL are in town this week, and last night he cooked us a 5-course Italian meal.

Oh. My. GOD. It is *easily* in the top 5 (maybe top 3) meals EVER.

Since it was 5 courses, all the servings were small, but still — Oh. My. GOD.

Course 1 was a bruschetta made with baby swiss, and shaved white truffles (that they brought back from their honeymoon in Italy), which was topped with golden chanterelle mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with garlic and onions.

People, I really dislike mushrooms, and yet the chanterelle topping blew. me. away. So fucking good.

Course 2 was a caprese with thick slices of mozzarella that were thrown on the grill first and then served with just-picked yellow grape tomatoes and basil.

Course 3 was a chilled peach/buttermilk soup. That's what I said -- peach and buttermilk. Chilled. (My brother told me I was a heathen when I called it a smoothie.) He made it with peaches and buttermilk (obviously), apricot liqueur, nutmeg, and creme fraiche.

Understandably, the serving size was tiny -- maybe half a cup. But it, too, was AMAZING.

Course 4 was gnocchi that my bro made from scratch and served with a bleu cheese cream sauce, and toasted walnuts on top.

Course 5 was a tiny pork tenderloin, grilled with tiny brussels sprouts and fennel; the brussels sprouts were also topped with sea salt.

I dislike brussels sprouts, and yet these were SO good.

My bro is an AMAZING chef. Amazing. And I'm still kinda full.

t edit I should mention that the first 2 courses (roughly) were accompanied by a sauvignon blanc, and the second 2 by a buttery chardonnay, and the pork tenderloin by a big hairy red zinfandel.

I don't think the wines were planned that way; we just went through the bottles pretty quickly.

Steph, that made me cry. holy yum.

Your SiL seemes so nice from how you talk about her and yet, I feel the need to kill her and take her place.

gives Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken the stink-eye

Food porn. Guh!!!

Steph, my stomach is so jealous! That sounds like an awesome meal.

Reminds me of my favorite meal ever - we went to The Stephanie Inn in Canon Beach, OR for our honeymoon. Every dinner there was over $100, but it was al the most amazing food I've ever had. I was so tired from the wedding that I was almost falling asleep at the table, but I refused to leave until we'd had out *entire* meal because it was so good.

Steph's a big meanie!

Yum! Can your brother come over and cook me lunch, Tep?

It's posts like that that make me realize, I've eaten exactly nothing that good.

I've eaten some really good foods here and there, but no fantasmical, orgamiscal meal. I'm not the most adventuresome of eaters, but ever since my trip to SF last fall, I make it a point to try new things when I go somewhere (thanks to juliana and the olive and cheese plate thingy, I now eat olives! And not just the black ones in the can! REAL olives! Even kalamatas!)

But I've never eaten a meal that was so good anyone cried.

I should mention that my brother is equally enthusiastic about the virtues of Spam and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Fortunately that's not what he made last night.