perfectly aligned

Sometimes things just come together. The right people. The perfect meal. The planets. This past Saturday was one of those cosmically aligned nights. At twilight our guests arrived and with drinks in hand we ventured out to see the crescent moon forming a perfect triangle with Venus and Jupiter. Easy to enjoy this stellar company because all of the components for our meal were completed hours and days in advance.

The roasted carrot and fennel soup is best if made the day before. Chop the fennel bulb into ¼ inch slices.

Toss fennel with the carrots and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and a little sugar salt and pepper. Roast until tender.

Place the roasted vegetables in a stockpot and simmer with chicken broth.

Carefully puree with a hand blender.

Chop fennel fronds for garnish.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with reserved fronds and a drizzle of white truffle oil.

The parsnip puree with sautéed Brussels sprouts can be made almost entirely the day before.

Simmer peeled and diced parsnips in chicken broth until tender.

Place drained parsnips in the bowl of a cuisinart (reserve the liquid) and puree with butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Puree until smooth.

Transfer to a microwave safe dish. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve reheat in the microwave at 50% power.

The Brussels sprout leaves can be separated the day before also. Cut the stems off the sprouts and pull off all but the smallest leaves.

Refrigerate in a sealed Ziploc bag.

Right before serving sauté with a little olive oil until edges just start to brown. Scatter on top of the warm parsnip puree.

The components for the roasted sweet potato rounds with fried sage can be done earlier in the day. Puree the oil, salt and garlic.

Cover and refrigerate.

Cut the sweet potatoes into ½ inch rounds.

Toss with garlic oil in a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate for up to four hours.

The sage leaves can be fried in olive oil earlier in the day.

Drain on paper towels and keep at room temp until ready to serve.

Thirty minutes before dinner roast the sweet potato rounds in a 450 degree oven until golden, for about thirty minutes. Sprinkle with the fried sage leaves and serve.

Earlier in the day season the halibut fillets with lemon zest, parsley, and salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Right before dinner grill the fish over hot coals until just cooked through, about three minutes per side.

Take the chocolate truffle tart out of the refrigerator.

Dust with unsweetened cocoa.

Remove the sides from the spring form pan and place on a decorative plate.

And while the planets are perfectly aligned… Enjoy each and every last bite.