Monday, June 09, 2008

Seven Deadly Sins Dinner

SEVEN DEADLY SINS
A Delightfully Devilish Downward Spiral to the Dark side of Damnation

In other words: a Dragon Dinner Party



Prologue: Inspiration


The idea, like all inspirational genius, was simple. I was watching an episode of Top Chef, where each contestant had to create a dish inspired by one of the 7 deadly sins. Great idea, right? Except the contestants’ dishes were less than inspiring. I doubt you could get a month in purgatory for what they came up with; let alone eternal hellfire. I can do better, I thought. And not just one dish. Why not do all seven?

And thus the Seven Deadly Sins Dinner was born.



Planning it out: WWTDC (What Would the Devil Cook?)

The first thing I had to do is figure out what these sins even were. This required a tip to Wikipedia. The seven deadly sins are: Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Wrath.

My overriding goal was to match the right Sin with the right Dish, slotted in the right Course. I also did not want to make the “obvious” choices. You might expect Lust to come first, and perhaps Sloth last (as my guests could become slow and lethargic after a full meal), but I felt it would add an element of suspense if my dinner guests were never sure what was coming next.

I wanted to use as many fresh ingredients as possible, and I didn’t want overly complicated dishes. I wanted my guests to feel they had been to a special occasion, but not leave feeling overly full and exhausted. I chose dishes that could be served in small portions, which would allow people to take more if they so desired.

My guests for this dinner were part of a loose “foodie” club we had going, meeting at each other’s houses from time to time. They were Kathy, Tim, Greg, Marg and Lynn. In particular, Kathy was a big help ahead of time, as a sounding board for different ideas, and helping me perfect my recipes. I spent about a month trying to decide what I wanted to serve, how each “sin” could be highlighted, and then another month “testing” various recipes and getting ready for the big night.



The Big Night – Showtime!

The night of my dinner, I had everything ready to go. I had the food preparation under control, as I was able to make a lot of it ahead of time. I set the table simply and added lots of candlelight to set the mood. Speaking of setting the mood, I went with the soft and soulful music of Norah Jones and Amos Lee on the stereo. . Kathy and Tim arrived early to help me cook and they also brought the wines for each course. Kathy surprised me with printed menus to add to each place setting. At the end of the night my guests would be able to take home a souvenir of our sinful evening.

My guests arrived excited, and a little nervous, as any sinners should be! I took their coats and had them gather around my living room, explaining how the dinner would run, by courses.

“There is one small addition,” I told them with a wicked grin, “something I may have forgotten to mention. For each course, for each sin, you must each make a confession. And, at the end of the night, I’ll decide if you receive absolution for your sins.”

The meal was ready to begin!

Click on each sin or photo below to view the recipes, why I chose
the dish for
the sin and some of my guests' sinful confessions.

Seven Deadly Sins Menu


WRATH
Apéritif – Spicy Sangria


GREED

Amuse Bouche – Herb & Cheese Savory Cookies with Balsamic Syrup



ENVY

Third course – Seafood Salad with Tomato, Avocado and Mango


PRIDE

Main course – Crown Roast of Lamb with Shallots, Mustard and Mint
Golden Saffron Rice
Minted Spring Vegetables



SLOTH

Fifth course – Aged Cheeses, Bread & Spiced Olive Oil



LUST

Sixth course – Luscious Chocolate Fondue with Sensual Fruits & Nuts



GLUTTONY

Seventh course – Profiteroles with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Raspberry Coulis
Coffee/Tea



ABSOLUTION

Aprés Dinner - Brandy and Forgiveness


With Love,
Dragon

2 comments:

Sparky Duck said...

Envy is a real real problem

Lady Jane Scarlett said...

Wow! Sounds like it was an amazing experience.
Good for you Dragon, you have awesome kitchen skills! I'm looking forward to trying out these recipes!
(my confession? I'm still needing time to try out the last two very decadent dessert recipes)