Hardware Delights: Vernal Geekquinox 2018

On March 17, Pete treated a bunch of us to his latest themed Geekquinox dinner: Hardware. Hardware was a terrible film, but it inspired Pete to create a dish based on each of the many cooking gadgets he's purchased over the years, as illustrated in the menu above (also created by Pete, who's a gifted designer as well as cook).

Where can one begin with but appetizers? Our feast began with crispy, spicy pappadums, light in texture but strong in flavour.

Next, a giant bowl of bread with two home made cheese dips, one mild, one spicy. I honestly can't say which dip I preferred, but if the meal had ended here, I would have been utterly content.

I hate mushrooms, but I make it my mission to sample one of everything at Pete's meals, and to my surprise I enjoyed Pete's spin on mushroom soup; earthy, not too strong, and savoury.

Pete smoked a variety of delicious cheeses for us. Again, this could easily serve as a meal in itself. And I want that cheese slicer!

Artichoke hearts, served with butter. Make sure to eat the meaty inner leaves, not the tough outer leaves.

My technique.

Here's Pete frying some Brussels sprouts for the main course.

A break between courses.

And here's the main course: rack of lamb with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and risotto. By this time everyone was, as always, stuffed to the gills, but somehow we managed to soldier on, wolfing it down with gusto.

This homemade fudge cake, alas, defeated me, heavenly though it was. As much as I love chocolate, I was only able to finish half a tiny slice. So good!

The chef and Sylvia. Once again, Pete (with essential assistance from Ellen) hosted a festive fete of feasting and friendship. A toast! 

A Revolutionary Repast

Even after  half-dozen Geekquinox dinners, Peter Harris' inspired feasts continue to stun his friends into gastronomical submission, our groans of sated delight the conclusion to each of these wonderful evenings. Last night Pete treated us to French cuisine with a twist - a meal based on the French Republican calendar, with a course or drink for every month. Here are some selected highlights:

Ventose ("windy"), one of the winter months, here captured as a deliciously light and puffy pastry of wheat and roasted red pepper. We inhaled these as if they were air itself.

Ellen serves up a tray of ventosian delight.

For the wintry month of Nivose ("snowy"), Pete warmed us with raw oysters on a bed of snow.

Oyster sauces.

Bottoms up! Before this moment I'd never had oysters, let alone raw. Drowned in hot sauce and lemon juice, I found them quite appealing.

The chef and his assistant present the oysters. Ellen wounded herself several times while prying the shells open.

Pluviose ("rainy"), the final winter month, here symbolized by escargots in mushroom caps with buttery garlic sauce, served alongside...

...bread, a French staple.

Germinal ("germination"), a spring month, a time when there can still be a chill in the air to be warmed by French onion soup. Pete bought sixteen French onion soup bowls for this meal, and filled ours with roughly one onion each, along with the bread and cheese that make this soup a favourite.

For Prairial ("pasture"), another spring month, Pete served flame-broiled steak in a cream sauce with mushrooms. Things were beginning to heat up...

Flames of the revolutions.

And finally, the piece de resistance, lobster Thermidor ("heat") served alongside green beans and bacon (Messidor, "harvest") a summery dish to sum up the evening.

And here we are, a thoroughly filled-up and satisfied group of culinary revolutionaries, French for the evening. Thanks again to Pete and Ellen for yet another superb dining experience, and to everyone for an important night of fellowship. Even fighting off our various colds and flus (poor Scott had to put up with my constant hacking), it was another memorable, can't-miss occasion.