Julia Child Night #8

Greetings and happy Tuesday!  We had our 8th annual Julia Child Night on Saturday night. It was a wonderful event!  As I mentioned in my post on Friday, this year we decided to make small plates that featured dishes from the different regions of the U.S. The menu was super collaborative this year as several different family members weighed in on what we should make. We came up with a really fun menu. I think the small plate approach was the way to go. It's still a lot of food but was far less than what we've served in past years. Here's how the event shaped up (warning:  tons of photos to follow!)

On Friday afternoon, some of us gathered at my cousin Suzanne's to make the GF slider buns and mason jar lid apple pies.

GF buns, fresh out of the oven. You have to make foil collars for the buns so they keep their shape.

GF Mason jar lid apple pies, all filled and ready for the top crust

My mom and her sister putting the finishing touches on the pies

On Saturday, the day of the event, it was all hands on deck. Many hands certainly make light work! We started off prepping the tuna poke salad and then moved onto the first course: a homage to hotdish, which is something us North Dakotans grew up eating. People in other regions of the U.S. might refer to hotdish as casserole.

It took a group effort to make these croquettes!

The food at the event is amazing, but the people are what really make it a special night!

My mom, aunt Barb and me

My dad and Phil HATE posed photography so of course we made them take a picture together

My best guy and me. I need to get a striped shirt for Phil next year.

 After a couple of busy hours of preparation, it was time for the event to begin!  We started off with an appetizer course.

Smoked salmon canapes and a selection of locally made cheeses. My aunt and uncle smoked the salmon themselves and it was delicious!

 The signature drink this year was a gin and tonic with olives. It was my uncle Keith's favorite cocktail, so we chose it in honor of him. He would have turned 61 on Saturday. He was on our minds, as was his identical twin who misses him dearly.

My mom and her two sisters, Barb and Mary Bet, toasting to the memory of their dear, sweet younger brother

After the appetizer/cocktail hour, we moved into the dining room for dinner.  Plate 1 was the homage to hotdish. 

The hotdish consisted of a potato croquette with stewed short ribs and a delicious gravy, topped with a corn garnish

 Plate 2 was my idea - ahi tuna poke on a bed of spiralized cucumbers and yellow squash, which represented Hawaii. If you want to try to make it yourself, you can find the recipe here.

This was such a delicious, light plate.

 Plate 3 was my brother's Wild Rice Soup, which represented Minnesota.

My cousin's girlfriend is quite the mixologist, so at this point she made a round of old fashioneds.

We also took a break to take our annual apron photo.  The group was quite large and the younger generation got involved this year!

My nephew Matthew and me.

Plate 4 was a Waldorf Salad, which represented New York. My aunt used Julia Child's mayonnaise recipe for this dish.

Plate 5 was a smoke brisket slider. The gluten free bun was delicious!  I rarely get a chance to eat homemade gluten free products so I especially appreciate it when my loved ones go to the effort to make bread for my cousin (who has celiac) and me.

We had a serve-yourself slider bar. I topped mine with coleslaw that my mom made. My brother smoked the brisket. It was so good!

Last, but not least, for plate 6 our guests had a choice between mini cherry and apple pies, which represents the Midwest. We served them with a homemade custard that my sister-in-law makes each year.

I was STUFFED by the end of the meal, but I think the portion sizes were more manageable this year.  Plus we eat this meal over the course of several hours. Everyone left with full tummies and more importantly, full hearts.

It was such a wonderful event and I just love that my family has kept this going for 8 years. The event seems to grow each year so I'm especially thankful that people in my family have homes that are large enough to accommodate a group of this size. There's just no way we'd fit that many people in our small 1,300 square foot home!

I can't wait to see what we come up with next year!

If you had to pick a dish that represents the region where you live, what would you pick?