Grub Club (also known as gourmet dinner group)

Last April our gourmet dinner group met at our house and the theme was "blue or bleu or blew." We dined on blue dishes on a blue tablecloth, wore blue, and Zig, who was in charge of the music, chose many titles with blue in them and also a variety of “blues.”

The menu featured bleu cheese, blue crab, chicken cordon bleu and blueberries. No one blew anything, but it occurred to one couple to bring a flaming dessert whose fire (you guessed it) we blew out.

Imagine my delight when the theme for last October's party was announced—orange! I brought appetizers and there were lots of those that are the color orange—smoked salmon, shrimp, cheddar cheese, a pumpkin dip—even cheese curls. The list for the flavor orange is long, too: orange flavored chicken wings, barbequed riblets with an orange sauce, orange-scented crab cakes, and orange-marinated olives.

Of course, I had no idea what the other courses would be, but I decided to speculate and began a recipe search for dishes to fit an orange theme.

For the first course, there are plenty featuring pumpkin and winter squashes and even oranges. Two that stood out are Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream and Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans. Both of these recipes come from “Bon Appetit”, November 1998.

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream (10 servings)

5 Tbsp butter
2 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 cups leeks (white and pale green parts only)
½ cup chopped peeled carrot
½ cup chopped celery
2 small tart apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp crumbled dried sage leaves
5 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 ½ cups apple cider
2/3 cup sour cream
½ cup whipping cream
Chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, leeks, carrot and celery; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, thyme and sage. Add stock and 1 cup cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to pan. Boil remaining ½ cup cider in heavy small saucepan until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Cool. Place sour cream in small bowl. Whisk in reduced cider. Bring soup to simmer. Mix in whipping cream. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cider cream. Top with chives.

Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans (6 servings)

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. orange juice
6 Tbsp dried cranberries
3 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
6 cups mixed baby greens
3 oranges, peel and white pith removed, segmented
¾ cup pecans, toasted

Bring 1 cup orange juice to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Mix in dried cranberries. Let stand until softened about 30 minutes. Drain well; discard soaking juice. Whisk oil, vinegar, orange peel and remaining 3 Tbsp orange juice in small bowl to blend. Mix in cranberries. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Place greens in large bowl. Toss with 2/3 of dressing. Divide greens among 6 plates. Add orange segments to bowl; toss with remaining dressing. Top salads with orange segments and pecans.

Now for the main course. Color alone dictates salmon and since that is so good, I vote for this Golden Baked Salmon—a recipe from the Casperhouse B&B in Soldotna, Alaska (on the Kenai Peninsula).

Golden Baked Salmon

2-3 pound salmon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt
1 fresh lemon
2 medium onions, sliced
1 ½ cups grated Cheddar Cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
Dash paprika

Place fish in oven proof baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and juice of lemon. Spread with mayonnaise like you are frosting a cake. Sealing it to the bottom enhances the flavor as it keeps the salmon moist. Top with onion, tomato and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Add a small amount of water to the dish if necessary. Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Don’t over-cook.

Dessert is easy and an old, delicious recipe of my Mom’s would fill out this orange dinner perfectly.

Williamsburg Orange Cake

2 ½ cups cake flour
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup shortening
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins, chopped or cut up
½ cup nuts, chopped
½ orange, chopped in blender (peel and all)

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan or two 9-inch round cake pans. Measure all ingredients into bowl of mixer. Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high. Pour into pan(s).

Bake oblong 45 to 50 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes. Frost and fill with Orange Icing.

Orange Icing

Combine 5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar and ½ cup butter. Blend in 3 Tbsp orange juice or orange-flavored liqueur and 1 Tbsp. grated orange peel.