Granary Gourmet Candlelight Dinner

 

The Lemont Village Association hosted their eighth annual Gourmet Candlelight Dinner in the John I. Thompson Grain Elevator and Coal Sheds (the Granary).

The dinner raises funds for the renovation and restoration of the Granary.  It’s a really beautiful old building and the Lemont Village Association has invested a lot of money so that the community can continue to use and enjoy this unique feature in our town.

The eight course meal with a North African theme was catered by Tom Everly, Culinary Arts Chef, and his wife, Judy Everly of Keystone Yankee Catering in Lemont and Pastry Chef, Julie Meiser Rioux.

Here was our table.

Mike and I both had the meat option and I tried to get pictures of each course. I was challenged by the light but you should get a good idea of the dinner.

Appetizer: Lamb Meatballs with Apricots

Soup course: Lamb Yohgurt

Fish Course: Casablanca Salad

Releve: Pork Loin with Moroccan Spices

Entree: Marrakech Style Chicken with Rice with Pistachios and Orange Water

Salad Course: Tossed Salad with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Cheese and Fruit Course: Local Cheeses and Dates

Dessert: Pear Tart with Ice Cream

My favorite things were the lamb meatballs, the soup, the rice (orange is one of my number one flavors and it was just so good), the cheese plate and the ice cream with the tart. But everything was really delicious and the company was great. We got to sit with some of our neighbors who we’ve never met before and enjoy a nice evening out in a really unique space.

We cooked on a Friday

We typically do not cook dinner on Fridays.  A lot of times we are out with friends and get something, eat leftovers, or order pizza.  So when we do cook on a Friday, it feels so weird and special.

We sort of screwed up Wednesday’s dinner plan by forgetting to defrost the pork tenderloin so we decided to make it tonight. We made Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Mustard with Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus as a side.

I don’t really love pork. But this recipe is perfect.  It gets a crispy sweet glaze on the outside that is perfect. We’ve found that going heavier on the apricot preserves and lighter on the mustard makes it the perfect amount of sweetness.  Also, we don’t roast the apricots or leave the glaze for dipping. We just put more on the tenderloin when we flip it halfway through the broiling time.

The pasta (we didn’t have cavatappi but farfalle worked just fine) alone could be dinner but this way we have plenty of leftovers, especially since Sunday night is my knitting night with friends and a quick dinner works out well.