First post of 2013, cheers to that! Feels like i have heaps of stories to share, but let's take a slow turn and look back at 2012 (mostly because I still feel indebted somehow :p).
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I love festivity. But not the type with super loud music with mostly strangers, The Capricorn side of me knows that I'd like mine to be only with close circle of friends, semi-private, and just chill. Relax. And I know I'm in a good hand when it comes to mingling with my foodie fellas ;)

25 Dec 2012, Imel's house, the ultimate seven course meal.

2012 Christmas Dinner: A Truly Abundant Joy

As light starters we made Crostini selections, with two different toppings laid on top of thinly sliced baguettes. First one is sliced kyuri (japanese cucumber) + tuna mayo, and the other one is kyuri + smoked salmon + a dollop of crème fraîche. Simple, yet refreshing!

As a matter of fact, there were too many appetizers that night. Other than crostinis, we also had Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Mushroom with Tuna & Melted Cheese, and Apple Orange Salad with Smoked Salmon from crostini leftovers. I looooove the shrimp cocktail, i might need to ask the inhouse chef for the dipping recipe since it compliments the boiled-then-chilled shrimp very well. Everything else in between were truly abundant & fulfilling as starters alone :p

For main course, we had Baked Mackerel Macaroni, and later highlighted by the super sexy Honey-glazed Roasted Chicken. You have got to believe how fragrant it was once those tray of goodness came out of the oven! The sweet scent of rosemary, orange, onion, thymes, and you can see all the meat & veggie juices dripping at the bottom of the tray. Perfect for gravy, and it's exactly what I did with the leftovers the next day. You can see the crisp darken skin on the outside, while keeping its meat inside still tender & succulent, although at our 2nd chicken tray, it wasn't crisp enough and needed to stay longer at the oven.

Dessert. I've always wondered how poached pear would taste like. And that night were like dreams come true :) How thoughtful, the Poached Pear with Vanilla Ice Cream was really good and turns out it's super easy to make. Soft and warm pear with sweet gravy and spoonful ice cream, I'd choose this kind of dessert over any cakes anytime.

Perfect night and satisfying meal, and it couldn't be better without the accompanying perfect drinks. For the night we have Moscato's Bellisimo and Brioso Rosa's Tempus Two. Thanks to Imel & Dino for bringing this!

And did I mention Spiced Hot Chocolate? A mixed of cocoa, milk, heavy cream, cinnamon and other spice, added with marshmallow and meringue candy on top. It was so thick that I really thought it would be perfect for ice cream base, but believe me this one's a winner on a cold rainy day.

...(At this point I'm still awed by the fact that we managed to eat SO MANY stuff that night, lol.)

Last but not least, a christmas dinner won't be complete without gift exchanges. The rule was to bring 1 gift, newspaper-wrapped, and cost IDR 20k or less. And honestly it wasn't surprising at all that most of the gifts are food-related, haha. Oh foodie, you do know your stuff really well.

We had a great night. Travelled more than 25km just to get there and it was worth it! Thanks Imel, Cindy, Dino, Anthony, and Ruby. Let's do this again next year.