Mission: Accomplished successfully!

J and I spent half of 12/23 just food shopping.

Then we spent part of X-mas day and all of the 26th cooking. The results from the judges about this meal are in:

Star of the meal: The bouillabaisse
Most intriguing (in a good way): prosciutto stuffed dates
The saddest part of the meal: Garlic Chicken made in the slow cooker-- it was overcooked by about four hours and was a very soft flavorless mess.

The brisket also didn't quite turn out as nicely as it had in the past. It was decent but not spectacular. Being unfamiliar with the quantities made it difficult for me to gauge whether or not I have over-, or in this case, under-seasoned. The ratatouille turned out great but I think folks with a Cantonese pallet are not used to slightly sour and mushy veggies (even though they were super flavorful!).

Everyone kept going back to the bouillabaisse for seconds and thirds and so on...

No one noticed the drink pairings.

I have to admit, I was quite blown away by the bouillabaisse. I really didn't know what to expect. But I guess with a dish like that, you just simply can't go wrong. Basically, you boil the crap out of aromatic veggies, fresh seafood, and some wine, then strain out the broth only to cook more fresh seafood in that yummy seafoody broth. You'd have to have dead taste buds to NOT appreciate that dish.

Cooking was a lot easier this time. We were armed with recipes that seemed reasonable way ahead of time. We had a time line of what needed to be done when so that when one of us was exhausted, the other knew how to take over. We also had help from my mom and dad's maid. She helped us do a lot of the prep work so that J and I could just focus on the cooking and seasoning. I can see the allure of being a chef in a big kitchen with sous chefs and cleaning staff at your beck and call. I think it was also kind of fun for her because I tried to explain what we were doing (she only knows how to do southern Chinese cooking).

So, lessons I have learned: If you have one super fabulous fantatic dish that just simply blows everyone away, you really don't need three more dishes to follow. No one cared that the chicken or the brisket wasn't up to snuff. Also, for complicated recipes, especially ones that you have not attempted before, one must really follow the recipes. Expert time and knowledge was put into crafting them, one must respect that expertise (and thank you Julia Childs for a wonderful bouillabaisse). Don't try too many dishes that are very "new" for the guests. It is good to stretch them but, like Vygotsky says, stay within their zone of proximal distance (new things that will stretch them with a little bit of help). It really pays to have someone help you with the prep work. And, in response to my friend Renee Michelle's earlier comment, we did end up buying our dessert-- a chocolate ganache cake that seemed like it was soaked in Grand Marnier. So the last lesson is, know your limits.