An wildly memorable Tuscan Tavolata

Kay's fabulous table"scape"

This weekend marked the most hilarious dinner party I have ever been a part of, hands down. It started innocently at 6:30 with plates of delicious antipasto and ended after midnight with dancing and cartwheels on the lawn! I'm pretty sure a conga line was in there somewhere too. But I digress...

Once a quarter, a group of women I have known since I was six years old get together to cook a wonderful meal. We don't all get together at once for any other occasion, but our shared love of the kitchen and enjoyment of each other makes it seem like no time has past. We haven't really settled on a good name for the group, though this issue is always a source of discussion. The working title is Le Cinq Gourmandes, a nod to the fabulous Julia Child.

Each dinner has a theme. We discuss and debate the merits of each upcoming theme at length and the first time it came to a vote. We take turns hosting and each of us cooks a course and offers a paired wine or other special libation. Tuscany was the inspiration for this meal and the variety and beauty of the meal was copious to say the least. In this case, a picture really is worth a thousand words.

~ 1st Course ~

A sensational Antipasto with everything your little heart could desire

~2nd Course~
Ricotta, Reggiano, Corn and Basil Ravioli
with butter sauce, pine nuts and more reggiano

This was my course and I am really angry with myself because I skimped on the butter and why in the WORLD did I do that? I've made this better on other occasions. It still makes me cringe. But I didn't let it ruin my night. I swallowed hard and moved ON!

~ 3rd Course~

Sauteed Scallops with Heirloom tomatoes
and grilled red onions

This was the perfect Main course. Anything heavier would have been the death of us after the antipasto and pasta courses. The tart acid of the tomatoes with the creamy scallops was a wonder.

~ 4th Course~

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
with vanilla cream

Kelly's first tart! And it was glorious. Chocolate and hazelnut are such a perfectly Italian combination. Nice choice girl!

So, there it is! Just a few of 115 picture taken, but some of the best ones. Sadly, though honestly I'm sure we're all relieved, the camera ran out of juice around 10:30pm. And it was after this that dancing ensued. Perhaps the Dancing Gourmets would be a good name?