The last of the people just shuffled off from the dinner party I threw tonight, so I figured I'd blog about it.

On the balance, the dinner party went pretty well. Everyone professed their love of the food, which make me happy.. Pepper, the adorable shepard-chow "not quite a puppy, not quite a dog", was super cute, friendly and well-behaved. The 1994 Maques de Caceres Rioja Reserva and the Delirium Tremens were quite lovely matching drinks. I did go slightly crazy during the final hours trying to do risotto as well as making the salad, chopping the fresh herb garnish, and seting out the salad. Thankfully, someone helped out with the risotto and salad so things went that much smoother.

So, what was the menu?

• A trio of cheeses - manchego, a Spanish raw cow's milk cheese, and a French cheese that is supposedly quite cheddar-like


• Baba Ganouj


• A blood orange, mixed greens and pecan salad with a blood orange/balsamic vinegarette


• Shiitake and Portobello Mushroom Risotto


• Broccoli braised in wine and chicken stock


• Sweated Julienne Leeks and Roasted Asparagus with Pancetta Bechamel Sauce


• Braised Lamb Shoulder with a fresh basil, mint, serrano chile garnish


• Pecan Pie

As wonderful as it all was, I sadly have soo much cleaning left to do. Guess it's time to go and run the dishwasher, pack up the food and then die for a very long time.