Wrap up for July, August, Sept

Hello Soupies...

I am ashamed. I should be flogged or at the very least forced to not eat at the next soup club meeting. I have failed my loyal constituents, but more importantly, myself by falling behind on soup club wrap ups. Forgive me? Forget me? Feed me to the wolves wrapped in bacon and truffle oil.

Enough of drama, let's just get down to business.

Here's the quickie (I've been well versed by men I've dated in the past) of July and August.

July: Jessy hosted our lovely AA soup club at her cute and tres chic Little Tokyo apartment. We loved the food, but the door man loved us more. Did we ever bring a plate down for that guy? I was hoping someone would get boozed up with me since there was alcohol in every dish and drink we consummed, but alas, I was the only bum who didn't have to work the next day.

I made a delicious cheddar beer soup. I combined my two favorite things, beer and cheese. A minute on the lips a lifetime on the hips, but that's the chance I take. Drum roll please... The big winner (no shock here) was Laine's beer battered zucchini with homemade aoli with rosemary and thyme and black pepper. As if his talents weren't already disgustingly amazing enough, the zucchini and herbs he used were grown by his own hands in his west hollywood community garden. It seriously was effin delicious. Instead of presentation, we gave a prize for best cocktail. Fatimah won for her lynchburg lemonade. It was alcoholy and lemony and made me wanna take my clothes off, but Jordyn (she's 9) and marley (she's a dog) were present, so I showed some self restraint... Congrats to the winners and congrats to everyone who came to our AA meeting. The rest of you, should take a cold hard look at yourselves in the mirror and ask yourselves if your addiction is more important that home grown zucchini...

August:
Ok, so brevity is not my strong suit, but I'll try. Dina and Alyssa played host at their adorable home in Sherman Oaks. Dina, I'm moving in next Sunday fyi...This was the Russian Roulette challenge where I told everyone the theme the day before. Everyone rose to the occassion and every single person got a vote in some way shape or form. Everyone was to created a dish using things that were already in the kitchen. For those who had no food, I allowed everyone to purchase two supplementary items at the store. Dina made a delicious split pea soup that rivals Anderson's secret recipe. The winner of best overall dish and best dish created soley from items in her pantry was Jessy for her fish curry. It was spicy and curry-riffic. Delish. Laine won for best presentation for his mousse two ways. There was a lemon mousse and a white chocolate mousse topped with decadent home made whipped cream. I personally ate two, but I'm a glutton. Kudos kids.

Amost there...

September!

This was quite the fun soup club. The theme was movies and if I were more clever I'd try to write this whole thing with lines from movies, but alas, I'm not. Laine hosted once again at his West Hollywood digs. We even got to play pin the nipple tassle on the stripper courtesy of his movie of choice Showgirls. I won and I'm still waiting for my prize...

Voulez vous couchez avec mois, Christine? She was our soup maker this go around creating a divine french onion soup inspired by the location in her film Moulin Rouge. Oh lala, c'etais merveilleux! The gruyere cheese was plentiful and the broth was perfectly beefy and oniony.

The host Laine's movie was Showgirls. He made meat on a pole, cause that's what strippers are! He frenched a lamb rack, which is very difficult, which was accompanied by a homemade taziki of greek yogurt with chopped mint, parsley, rosemary and garlic. He coulda been a contender! Ok, he was THE contender. His rack was so juicy he won, but since he bought the gifts he let the second place winners take the prize. Tiff and I shared the 2nd place title so we also shared the candy bra gift. Tiff's movie was Like Water for Chocolate, which she made a chocolate soup dessert. It was yummy. It was hot chocolate on steroids, but the good kinds that don't make you break out, but give you just enough bass in your voice. My movie was Spirited Away an animated movie. I made a dish with lots of crap in it. It was little ramekin filled with noocles, bok choy, mushrooms, pork belly, quail eggs, and pickled fennel, which was an homage to a scene in the movie where the little girls parents pig out on a variety of food.

In a land far far away (Tujunga), Diana and Jamie renderred some delicious food interpretations of Sixteen Candles and There's Something About Mary. Diana made a luscious chocolate cake from scratch with a nice whipped topping and strawberries. She of course had the pre-requisite 16 birthday candles ablazed on the top of the cake. Jamie made an avocado shrimp ceviche in honor of his home state and the setting of the movie, Florida. Good on ya.

They enjoy being a girl. The girls Jessy and Linda were in full force and full costume as Amelie from Amelie and someone from Fried Green Tomatoes. I was buying it, but what I really was sold on was Jessy's nod to Amelie with her blueberry creme brulee. That girl's addicted to crack, the crack of the bruleed sugar that is. In lieu of tomatoes, Linda cooked an appropriately southern dish of fried okras. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

There is no earthly way of knowing how JR came up with his concept of rice crispies aglowing. JR showed up as the candy man himself Willy Wonka. He revamped an old classic (rice krispie treats) and warped them into a candy genius' fantasy dessert. They were shades of pink, purple green, white, coconut (that ain't a color)... They were shaped into a dome of krispie goodness complete with fake grass. They were so inventive and eye poppingly fun that he took the prize for best presentation. He gave the set director for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory a run for his money. He won a candy jock strap, which is perfect for a sweets man.

As God as my witness I will never go hungry again, because I certaintly ate way too much food at this soup club event. What fun we had. We came, we ate, we dressed up, we got close and personal with a stripper. What more could one ask for?

Til next time... Live long and prosper.

x,
the prez