The sky was full of activity four days before the party. It went from light rain to clear sunshine back and forth many times all afternoon. The day ended with one of the best sunsets we have seen in Lanikai.
The invitations had been delivered and we watched the sky and the weather reports. Would there be rain or sunshine?
Then a couple of days before the party the wind picked up and the rain started. The storm moved in from the south and the rain was blown horizontal.
Late in the night a forty foot tall eucalyptus tree behind our house was knocked over by the wind. The saturated ground could not hold the roots against for the power of the wind. The crash of the tree was just one of the many sounds that made it a restless night.
After hours of clean up we again wondered would there be rain or sunshine for the party whose invitations announced - "Our Better Angels Meet Anew". We just went ahead with the preparations.
Our menu was a secret but there was definitely a theme. We would have:
- Olives
- Bread, Baked Brie
- Asparagus
- Mustard
- Andouille and Almonds
The weather eased up enough to let the party go ahead as planned. The only adjustment was that we decided use the cast iron grill inside instead of the Weber.
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You know what the president-elect would say by now, "Enough with the drama, let's get on with the recipes."
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Grilled Asparagus with a Meyer Lemon Cream Sauce
We used local grown asparagus from Twin Bridge Farms in Waialua. Toss the cleaned and trimmed asparagus in a bowl with virgin olive oil and salt. Spread out on a hot grill. Rotate to the other side once char marks are evident. When the asparagus starts to get limp, remove them from the heat and place in a bowl and promptly chill in the refrigerator to stop the cooking.
The sauce is made from sour cream, Meyer lemon juice and zest, honey and a bit of ground dried coriander. Just before serving use a spoon to drip the sauce across the asparagus. Since this is finger food leave the thick end without any sauce.
Andouille Sausage on French Bread
This dish starts with Cajun Style Andouille sausage from Bruce Aidells. Slice the sausage into 1/4" thick pieces on a diagonal. One package should yield about forty slices. Cook the slices on a hot grill for about one minute each side.
The bread comes from La Brea Bakery which is baked daily at Foodland in Kailua. We used their French Baguette since it is a bit softer than the sour dough. Slice the baguette 1/4" thick slices.
The back story on La Brea Bakery bread. Kathleen and I had a chance to visit Campanile Restaurant and La Brea Bakery before it opened in 1989. The pastry chef Nancy Silverton developed a baking process that nearly replicates bread from their original location in Los Angeles.
On with the recipe. Place one warm slice of andouille on each slice of bread and top with a 1/4 teaspoon of Old Style Maille mustard.
