Then a quick a mental note...
things to be thankful for:
No raging hangover--Check!
After a trek to the local Mr. Fix-it place, my friend John asked about my plans for the afternoon. Let's see...I just got back into town (my suitcase is still half-full). While I was gone, I had painters come do their thing...and they're still not done. In other words, my place is a complete wreck and I need to restore some order. Playing catch up, I still have a bit of work to polish off. And frankly, I could use a day of doing absolutely nothing.
My response?
"No plans..." Which was true. I hadn't decided which to tackle first...being lazy for a few hours...or finish up that nagging work project.
John tossed out the invite, "Want to come for brunch?"
If history has taught me anything, it's this: Never, EVER turn down an invitation from John. EVER!
And that, my friends, is how I wound up having brunch at a fabulous house...perched on a cliff, overlooking the water...with a view of sailboats and skyline. (I just missed a group of sailboats when I took this shot.)
Yeah. Sucks to be me, doesn't it?
We were the first to arrive and the rest of our party followed shortly thereafter. The kitchen quickly filled with laughter and a well-choreographed prep scene.
Enter the scene...noting the industrial-sized flat of eggs, homemade sausage and a wonderfully cured bacon. The brunch offerings were rounded out with fresh fruit, croissants, hash browns, homemade jams, and...stop the press...a lovely lime-basil sorbet.
What? Sorbet...for brunch?
The host looked at me with this dear, sympathetic look. "Oh, honey." Clearly I was in need of some schooling.
She grabbed my glass of champagne, and gently placed a dollop of sorbet inside. The contents fizzed and threatened to crest the gilded rim. My glass turned a pale shade of green and with only modest ceremony, she handed it back to me. We clinked our glasses and I had my first taste.
Is "revelation" too strong of a word?
I think not.
Whoa. It was utterly amazing!
And being the perfect host that she was, my glass was never empty for the rest of the day! (See above reference to hangover.) I found out later...our little party of 9 went through an entire case of champagne! Granted, we spent the whole day there, but still. If the word "lush" comes to mind, I say...guilty!
Oh, there was too much fun to be had! Our host was a local caterer & cooking instructor who is putting the finishing touches on her first book. The dentist and his boyfriend bought one of the new "green" houses here in Seattle...and they recently wrapped up a photo shoot with a big publishing house. Their home is being featured in a book on environment-friendly architecture, due out next year.
And we mulled over photos from last week's soiree.
Fashion show. After party. Swank downtown hotel. Reviewing the photos, they talked like schoolgirls, rehashing the night after prom!
Brunch turned into dinner...and the sun slipped beyond the horizon long before I went home.
That evening, I fell into bed with a delicious taste of basil on my lips....and reviewed my mantra...say "yes" to John...Say "yes"...
*****
A quick update
Since I posted this, I've learned that the bubbly/sorbet idea is an Italian-inspired beverage called sgroppino. Giada has a variation of it over on the Food Network site.
I also found the sorbet recipe from our brunch:
FRESH LIME-BASIL SORBET
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8 to 10 limes)
1 cup water
1 cup simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar plus 1 cup water, boiled then cooled)
12 whole basil leaves
1 egg white (optional)
Combine all ingredients, except egg white, into a freezer friendly container and freeze 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little. Put chunks of frozen mixture into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed. This will keep for up to 2 months. If you prefer a lighter, less icy sorbet, add 1 egg white during processing. Yield: 4 Servings
Cheers!
