circle that date

Months ago we inquired if friends could come over for dinner. As we scrolled through our collective calendars weeks turned into months, we finally settled on Saturday May 5th. In February when I tapped the event into my iPhone who knew that our date harbored two minor holidays- Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. When this potential conflict revealed itself two days before the party I blanched at the thought of rescheduling. While I wasn’t too concerned about going to war over the anniversary of a Mexican battle, the “greatest two minutes in sports” proved to give me a run for my money.

I needed to come up with a menu that would allow us to be in two places at once. Our evening was going to start with an offsite viewing of Churchill Downs, which meant we needed to have a dinner that was done and ready to go before we donned our hats and placed our bets then would come together in a quick lap once we returned to our house.

One of the best soups ever is cold curried zucchini bisque. The secret ingredient top-notch curry, mine procured from Zabar’s.

Make julienne strips of some of the zucchini skin for the garnish before slicing into rounds.

Thinly slice the zucchini. A mandoline makes quick work of this job.

Sauté the zucchini and onions with a pinch of salt for ten minutes.

Add the curry powder and stir.

Add the half and half and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for fifteen minutes.

Puree with a hand blender. Cool then refrigerate overnight.

Thin sour cream with a little half and half.

Garnish the soup with a swirl of thinned sour cream and zucchini zest.

Next a going-going-Goin tart. This Comte, leek and bacon tart is best assembled and refrigerated earlier in the day, then a twenty minute flash in a hot oven right before serving. Slightly defrost the puff pastry, unroll and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Score a ¼ inch border around the edge.

Make an egg wash by whisking together one egg yolk with ½ tsp water. Lightly brush the egg wash on the scored border, place in the freezer.

Carefully wash the leeks and chop into ¼ inch slices.

Chop the bacon into ¼ inch pieces. Sauté over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Remove from the pan. Drain off all but two tablespoons of the bacon fat.

Reduce the heat to low and add the sliced leeks, thyme, and ½ tsp salt. Sauté until the leeks are wilted but not crisp.

Transfer leeks and bacon to a baking sheet to cool.

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg yolk, and 1 T olive oil with a hand blender.

Fold in the crème fraiche and season with 1/8 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.

Slice the Comte cheese.

Remove the baking sheet with the pastry from the freezer. Top the pastry with the ricotta cheese mixture, taking care to stay within the scored border. Layer with the sliced Comte cheese.

Top with the bacon-leek mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. To serve- remove tart from refrigerator and put in a preheated 400-degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Let the tart cool slightly then cut into six wedges.

One of our friends brought Ina Garten’s roasted beet salad to round out the meal.

To end the eve I made what turned out to be a frightening looking rustic blueberry tart- no final photos or recipe here. Thankfully it tasted great even though it looked horrid and because it occurred so far down our dinner track even it seemed like a winner.

Nothing like cashing in big on your two dollar bet- “I’ll Have Another” night like this anytime!