My birthday was this past weekend and I wanted to have some friends over for a low-key, chilled out dinner. Whenever I tell people that I am going to cook for my birthday dinner, they usually respond with, “You’re going to cook on your birthday?” I guess if one looks at cooking as a chore, they’d have that type of response but for me, cooking is relaxing- especially with wine. :p
My sister keeps on going back and forth on being a “Flexatarian.” Currently, she’s not eating beef so I had to throw in something from the sea, and there you have it, sort of a surf and turf menu.
- Grilled Oysters with Mango Pico de Gallo & Red Chili Horseradish
- Salad Sevillana
- Grilled Corn on the Cob with Maple-Chipotle Glaze
- Kobe Burgers with Mozzarella and Spinach-Arugula Pesto
- Planked Salmon with Honey-Balsamic Glaze
- Dark Chocolate Dipped Stem Strawberries with Fleur de Sel & Mascarpone Cream & Chocolate Sauce
So, with my “cooking” wine open (oyster bay, sauvignon blanc ‘05) I started making the pestos and the salsas first to give them time to meld, mingle and build flavor.
The mango salsa actually came out a bit too hot-*cough* probably because I only deseeded half of the jalapeno. I added more honey to cool it down but I thought it’d still be a bit too much for a couple of my guests. I ended up skipping the horseradish sauce and opted for a less hot but no less tasty, Nobu salsa.
Things were going along smoothly, I was enjoying the wine, had the strawberries dipped and chilling in the refrigerator and everything else was set to go. We had plated and enjoyed the oysters and were now waiting for the main course.
Sad to say that the trouble started when the grilling did. I was a hapless victim of a front burner that only wanted to burn high. 
I overcooked the burgers. How about the surf part? The color of the salmon was, good. I think I’d try to finish it closer to the heating elements during the last minute of broiling, to get more color into it.
Ah well, it’s about the people right? In the end, it was a fun time- especially when everyone got to plate their own desserts. 
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