Event #20: A Dinner for Two

Menu
May 3, 2020

Appetizers
Sesame Smashed Cucumbers

Course One
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

Course Two
Shrimp and Sweet Potato Tempura

Course Three
Salmon Nigiri

Course Four
Crab Congee

Course Five
Ginger Grapefruit Layer Cake

Beverages
The Mrs. Olson
Cecilia Beretta 'Freeda' Rose

So in March of 2020, something happened that changed everything - COVID-19. It had been happening much before March, but in early March is when it was declared a global pandemic, and at first, we didn't really know what that would mean. It soon became clear when first I got the ability to work from home, and then John did. At first it was going to be just for three days a week for me, as I thought I would still have to hand in some hardcopy materials, but then that was reduced to a few hours, then it we were both at home all the time (which Sirius at first loved, then disliked, and now has become accustomed to). 

At first there were limitations on gatherings of more than 100 people, then it was more than 25, then it was any non-essential gatherings were discouraged. It became that John and I only left the apartment to take Sirius out for walks, and once every two weeks for groceries. 

How life can really change in such a short period of time. 

To celebrate my 28th birthday, we decided to do our smallest AJRB yet - just the Olson household - Sirius, John, and myself. It was completely different planning a menu for two - we could try techniques that would be more made to order, not worry about pleasing a large array of palates, etc. But as we began prepping - John moving furniture and I began measuring out ingredients for my cake, I wondered if it would even feel like a real AJRB. 

That would be answered the next evening as, after another full day of cooking, we sat down to enjoy cocktail hour. And by enjoy it, we both got to sit down and enjoy it - which was a very different experience than the usual AJRB evening. For our appetizer that evening, we had Smashed Cucumbers, and then made a decision on the fly to change Course One and Course Two - since the salad would be similar to the cucumbers, let's do the tempura next! So John fried up the tempura while I got to sit down at the table and sip my cocktail, and it was really nice. I mean, unsurprisingly, I loved every single course, as we had crafted the menu for me. The Shrimp Tempura and the Grapefruit and Avocado Salad switch was a good call - because the salad was a nice palate cleanser for our next Course Three - the Salmon Nigiri. Already, at Course Three, I was starting to feel really full so I could truly appreciate what our guests feel. 

Course Four was the Crab Congee - inspired by the crab congee we had when we visited a restaurant here in LA, Nightshade, which I love. It was an incredible dish, but we were both so stuffed that we had to save most of it (which I was pretty thrilled about, because it was a great breakfast with a soft boiled egg for a week after). 

Course Five, after a little tea break (where I laid on the couch letting my stomach stretch out and John made the tea), was a cake whose flavors I love love love. It was a Grapefruit, Ginger, and Guava cake - and while my frosting turned into a bit of a disaster (for reasons still unknown to me) - flavor-wise, it is still my favorite cake that I've ever made. 

While things are still really uncertain about the future, it was really nice that we could still keep our AJRB tradition going, albeit, in a modified way. And while we'd much rather be cooking for our AJRB family, we are happy to take this time to try some different menus than we would otherwise and sharpen up our skills.