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If you need a menu and recipes for an elegant dinner party, then these recent posts will give you a terrific base. Posted last week, these recipes are tested, tasteful, and ready for your next special evening. Here you’ll find terrific appetizers, a sensational risotto, breaded pork chops, and a beautiful strawberry cake.

And, there’s a side benefit to this menu. You can make it by candlelight. Suzen made the cake and I made the whipped cream in the early afternoon. Thank God, because at 5PM, we lost power with our guests set to arrive at 6:30. We broke out candles. We used the remaining daylight to get ingredients and utensils organized. In our kitchen equipped with gas burners, we anticipated a long evening and searched out the matches. And, rather than keep the pork chops warm in a oven we could not start, I fired up the barbeque.

The power did not come back on. We cooked this meal by candlelight. We stirred risotto in deep shadows, carefully tipping our 10-candle candelabra around to see when the turkey stock had been absorbed. We toasted the crostini on the inside grill and spread the horseradish cream quite evenly by flashlight.

We had just served dessert when the power was restored and lights came on. By unanimous consent, we turned off the lights and finished our strawberry cake by flickering candlelight.

I hope you enjoy some or all of this first class meal. Look for each item here on our blog. They were all posted in the week of May 10, 2010.

  • Afternoon Delight Champagne Punch
  • Roasted Olive Appetizers
  • Suzen’s Duck Breast Crostini
  • Risotto with Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone
  • Strawberry and White Chocolate Buttermilk Cake