For those of you in the Oklahoma City area, I have a real treat for you. Looking for a reason to gather up your gal pals a veg or want to learn how to whip up a causal dinner party? If you answered yes, then I would recommend you check out the Cooking Girl
I had the gal pals over for a casual dinner and beer pairing party last month and we hired the Cooking Girl to provide the food and demonstration. Here's a little breakdown of the menu and my thoughts on each course.
Beet Salad paired with Hoegaarden White
Not a fan of beets would be putting it mildly in my case. Rather, beets can never fully escape that dirt flavor in which the root is earthed in my opinion. But being the "go with" person that I am, I decided to give it a shot. The fact that goat cheese was involved sweetened the deal enough for me to try. I will say that roasting the beets gave them a much milder flavor than I remember, so it wasn't that bad. I really picked up the citrus (without eating the fruit), which I have found out came from orange juice and orange zest used in the dressing. The salad was also dressed with candied pecans, which offered a nice sweet compliment to the tartness of the citrus and the earthy flavor of the beets.
This course was paired with the Hoegaarden, which is a wheat (unfiltered) beer. While this may sound especially heavy, it was actually fairly light. Of all the beers paired, this was by far my favorite. I am not too much of a beer drinker, so don't take my word for it.
The next course was the best of the evening in my opinion. Cooking Girl's Shrimp Coctel Pilsner was too die for. In fact, rather than having his as an appetizer, I would prefer to eat this as its own meal with the salad as a start. Similar to ceviche, although the shrimp is actually cooked rather than cured, this dish, served in pilsner, reminded me of being on the beach in Mexico. I guess it was all the fruit mixed in such as pineapple, papaya, watermelon along with cilantro and other wonderful ingredients which made me feel so tropical. I enjoyed this dish so much that I completely forgot about the beer. Sorry guys, I cannot remember what was paired with this one.
Course 3 was Cochinita Pork Sandwich with Pineapple Coleslaw and Baked Beans. If I wasn't so full from scarfing down the last course, then I would have enjoyed this part of the meal much more. This is why I could not be a food critic -- I don't have the willpower to take small samples if it is something that I love.
The best part of the especially tender pork sandwich was the slaw which offered a bit of Asian flare to a very Mexican style pork. The cuisines complimented each other nicely and I would have never tried putting these two types of things together on my own until Cooking Girl came along. I chose not to eat the bun because my stomach was at the point of explosion; however, that did not stop me from enjoying the cheese course which followed. The cheeses offered were paired with beer as was the main course and I cannot remember anything about these beers or even what they were named. I do remember that there were many cheddars on the plate and that all I really wanted at this point was a siesta and maybe a bit more of that shrimp coctel pilsner.
Dessert was a Chocolate Cakethat the Cooking Girl said was a standard cake. I think that she may have found the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa can. However, chocolate is its own food group in my mind and regardless of its standardness, it was delish. I do remember that whatever beer was paired with this course that it complimented the chocolate well and almost tasted like chocolate. I remember liking it, but not to the point of remembering the name.
Overall the food was delicious, a bit filling, which most people in these parts prefer and moderately priced. If you need info on booking the Cooking Girl for your next gathering, let me know. I have linked her website above and be sure to check her out on facebook.
