Teator - July 2012 (dt)

The Teators’ deck hosted Dinner Party of Eight’s summer-stay-at-home event. Actually, it was DP12, with the acceptance, and availability, of four of six of our winter subs – the Quinns and Notarnicolas. (We hope Den and Julie were enjoying a worthy time.)
              After the initial greetings, we focused on the appetizers:

----->risotto balls fried in a light crumb coating, a meaty but tender morsel;
----->guacamole with a bit of a bite, surrounded by a plate-edge of pepper, broccoli, celery chunks to accompany, and some seeded crackers which also facilitated the dipping into…
----->a plate of clam dip, a creamy-bready-chunky concoction;
----->a vegetable tray of broccoli-cauliflower-carrot-celery-tomato surrounding a ranch dressing container.

               All were a treat, and thank you to Mark & Joyce for the first, and Judy & Tim for the second and third, and Julie & Kerry for the fourth.
               Drinks included Chay’s small barrel of Spaten, an immediate hit that even the wine drinkers detoured for. Following was a Banfi 2010 Col de Sasso, a Banfi 2009 Centine, a Oyster Bay 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Comte de Gascogne brut sparkling, a mix of Sam Adams and Corona; and a couple sodas.
               The main course featured a choice of 20 ounce beef loin top sirloin boneless steaks, some of which could have fed two, or even three (and did), or the crabmeat-stuffed salmon;  foil-wrapped white & sweet potatoes; and a bowl of pea pods and another of a broccoli-cauliflower-carrot medley.
               Just as dusk was falling, we enjoyed grand desserts:

----->a wide & tall Black Forest cake – a wonder of silky chocolate cake, soft cream, a delicate but rich chocolate sprinkling, and more.
----->and, then, another wonder – a Paula Dean inspired concoction – a triple layer orange cream-sicle – with a hazelnut filling, finished with a butter-cream icing. Deb K almost needed a straight edge to lift the eight inch high cake.
----->And, a “throw everything in” pie, of strawberry-blueberry-peach, with a golden brown crumbly crust.

               A wonderful way to finish the food part of the night, and a thank you to Kriss & Ken for the first, and Deb & Chay for the second and third.
               Then we sat around for another hour-plus, in the glow of the deck lights and candles, and the very occasional tatter of a rain sprinkle on the metal roof.
               At no extra cost, we enjoyed the fireworks display, a mile away across the Catskill Creek, from the Blackthorn Resort.

We like to be outside as much as possible for this event (arrangements to move to Monteverds’ had been made in case of high heat). A steady light rain had fallen most of the morning, with a flash flood watch being issued for the day. But, little fell, the air was calm, and we stayed dry on the covered deck that overlooks the mountains (obscured by clouds most of the time) and Deb’s gardens and pools. So, a humid, low-mid 70s was comfortable most of the time, with just a tinge of chill near the evening’s end.

We did not lack for conversation but I missed most of the first hour’s worth – too focused on food and comfort. So, what I heard: the Notarnicolas just getting back from Alaska eighteen hours earlier; Alaska details; the Quinns’ trip to San Antonio; the Monteverds are going to be GRANDPARENTS, and the effect that might have; the Adamses’ RVing; golfing; drought; the new roof; school stuff and how dispiriting some of it is; Lyme Disease; ...; our kids, of course; and fireworks.