balcony dinner (Vancouver)

As I sit here watching Roger and Rafa play, it's a good opportunity to catch up on some blogging. Vancouver isn't that far behind us, and there are a few posts I'd like to write in the next few days. And first up? Cooking, of course!





Brian left us earlier this spring, heading from Chicago and the Smelts to Vancouver. A big loss to us, though a great gain for Giuseppe, who was already living up in Vancouver. At least we can invite him over for dinner when we're in town.

Conrad and I had a bunch of running around to do up in Vancouver on Sunday, though given the slow pace of our stroll to Granville Island (a blog posting in itself for another time), running around doesn't accurate describe our day. Dinner prep, though, was confined to a narrow window after our meeting with our wedding planner. No worries - we'd purchased smoked sablefish and cheese to snack on, we had wine chilling, and we had a pie from the Market for dessert.

Spot prawns are in season, and I couldn't resist. Spring in BC, an emphasis on local products. Conrad set up the balcony for us to sit out there as long as possible, and I set to work on a wild mushroom risotto with fiddleheads. The prawns needed only light cooking right before serving. Brian came by, we sat with wine and snacks, catching up and enjoying the fine weather. A bottle of a Seresin Sauvignon Blanc to start with, then on to a Joie Noble Blend with dinner.

Dinner was nice. The risotto wasn't as creamy as I'd like, and it ended up seeming a bit too salty against the sweetness of the prawns, though it did introduce Brian to fiddleheads. But ah, the prawns. Yes, a bit of a mess to get into (and we all decided against sucking out the heads), but cooked nicely, and delightfully tasty. Also, they look kind of cool on the plate!





We moved on to a BC Merlot and dessert, and Giuseppe was able to join us for a nightcap (and egg balls that Conrad picked up from the Night Market on a quick mission in search of dark chocolate)(though given the size of the martinis Marie was pouring for Giuseppe and Brian, I am glad I stuck with sparkling water as my nightcap). Two good friends originally from Chicago now very much part of our Vancouver life, and a meal to share. A fine Sunday evening indeed.