First things first...
Of course we all know that when cooking, all serious cooks wear an apron. Ours happened to not only be functional, but also adorable. And I think we were pretty adorable in them.
Time to get our hands dirty!
This first theme was one of Evonne's who, being a southern gal, wanted to introduce Amy and I to some soul food. She did a fabulous job planning the menu. To start with, we got the red beans a-cookin'.
We knew our main dishes were going to take a while, so I got started on our appetizer: Tempura Okra with a Scallion Dipping Sauce.
After tossing it in a flour and cajun seasoning mixture, it was dredged in the tempura batter and fried to a golden crisp.
I can feel your jealousy right now! Yes, it was delicious, and if we're honest, it was probably half of our meal that night.
On to the main course: Pork Roast Stuffed with Collard Greens, Bacon, and Onion
I had never had collard greens before this club, but I have to say that I could, and would, eat them everyday if they were prepared this way! I don't have a picture of them, and can't remember all that was in them, but I know it included bacon, and something that gave it a sweet flavor as well.
(This picture reminds me of an old saying, "Many hands make light work!" Seems like a southern thing to say.)
Finally, Evonne rubbed on the "Essence." I can only assume that in cajun cooking this is believed to be the source of all goodness and life, and is therefore known simply as, "Essence."
Meanwhile, a sweet neighbor friend of Evonne's, Jamie Pettigrew, popped in and out and lent a helping hand. It was fun getting to know her better. She took on the bread pudding (afore mentioned in the post title) and did a fabulous job.
Now, you've probably been wondering when the pantyhose I mentioned earlier were going to come into play. You're about to find out!
Last to make on the menu was an extravagant sauce for the bread pudding, which began with cooking scalded heavy whipping cream and egg yolks in a double boiler. [Thank goodness for the internet, since we had no idea how to 'scald' HWC. We learned that it means to heat the cream to about 180 degrees, while stirring, and that you know it's ready when it gets foamy and the smell changes. So there you go!]
Well, we didn't have a double boiler, so we improvised. Unfortunately, as I was stirring the cream/egg concoction in the smaller of the two pans, I began to notice flecks of black, and knowing I hadn't added any vanilla bean, I figured that the enamel from the pan was coming off in the sauce! Yuck!
I wanted to use a sieve to get the enamel out, but the holes in it were to large, soooo.....
Panty hose, in a sieve, over a better pan. Victory!
At about nine-o-clock we were finally ready to sit down together and enjoy the fruit of our labor!
The stuffed pork was absolute perfection!!!
What a gorgeous and delectable meal: red beans and rice, corn bread, and pork roast stuffed with collard greens. I mean...come on! It was a thing of beauty.
And then...as we were finishing our meal, a faint but familiarly pungent fragrance floated through the air from the over.
Alas, we had the pudding on too high a temperature and it burned. Don't think that stopped us from eating some though! We had to do a little digging, but topped with the sauce, it was wonderful.
Hopefully Jamie's pan will still be usable.
In conclusion, I'd have to say that equal to the taste and satisfaction of the food were the sweet conversations we got to have during the night: the challenges and joys of life, daily goings on, getting to know a new friend. A dish can have a complex recipe to follow, and may yield such fragrance and delightful flavors. A woman's heart is infinitely more complex, and in knowing one another we get to share in the unique fragrance of each other's heart and personality. (Whoa, didn't see that analogy coming, did you?)
Here's to more nights of culinary discovery and sharing of life with some fantastic women!
