Any final touches?

Again, I have a rather complex dinner on Oct 8th. Before I take this to the printer does anyone have any ideas on how to make it better?

Blow out ideas
10-8-2013

Mini Carpaccio
Thinly sliced New York seasoned with s&p and hand rolled around finely sliced Arugula and capers put into a ¼ inch wide piece of cooked rigatoni. (It is to look like a rolled napkin in a napkin ring) with lemon vinaigrette and garnished with parmagiano curls.
Paul Goerg Blanc di Blanc Brut

Fresh Prawn Basted with garlic butter and grilled
1 Live prawn split and basted with a shallot garlic butter and open flame grilled. Served with Arugula tossed in a Champagne vinaigrette.
Pinot Gris Emile Beyer 2009

Fried goat cheese with Sundried Tomato marmalade
French goat cheese with a bit of grated orange zest and parsley rolled in Panko crumbs. The tomato marmalade is beyond description. Balsamic glaze for garnish
Giacosa Arneis 2011

Roasted Tomato soup
Fresh Roma tomatoes roast with celery, carrots and onions until caramelized. Deglazed with white wine and chicken stock. Blend with garlic, tarragon, bay leaves, thyme and whipping cream. Put in blender and then pass through chinois. Garnish with basil oil. Served Hot.
Gruner Veltliner Knoll 2008

Meat ball stuffed with mozzarella served with homemade Talgliatelle.
Beef, sausage and a bit of ground turkey with herbs, milk and toasted falloni bread cubes with a boconcino of mozzarella in the middle. Fried and braised in homemade marinara sauce. Served over the pasta.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Avignonesi 2010
Intermezzo
Ruby red grapefruit sorbeto with a small scoop of homemade grapefruit marmalade.
No wine
Beef Wellington
Seared beef tenderloin with a stone ground mustard coating. Wrapped in prosciutto di Parma, Sautéed mushrooms and puff pastry. With a roast garlic glaze. Served with Brussel sprout quarters sautéed in duck fat and bacon.
Opus One 1997
Grilled Caesar Salad
A classic dressing tossed with romaine hearts that have been lightly dressed with EVOO and s&p and then grilled quickly over a very hot fire.
No wine
Pear poached in red wine with pistachio filling
Pear poached in Red wine honey, water, sugar, vanilla bean, clove, bay leaf and star anise. Cored stuffed with a mascarpone pistachio filling. Dress with reduced poaching liquid.
No wine

Dessert wine with cantucci
Kracher #9 2009

[Jenise]

Gary,

Gorgeous menu. I may have to steal that carpaccio idea from you, though did you really mean 1/4" on the rigatoni? Surely more like 3/4 inch?

Only one recommendation from me: switch the order of the mozzarella and the shrimp, but leave the wines just where they are. Each will be equally conversant with either dish, but in fact I'd prefer the chardonnay-like richness of the arneis with the shrimp anyway, and the aromatics on the pinot gris are also especially well suited to tomatoes. But what this switcheroo does, in addition to changing the wine for the shrimp, is put something non-tomato between the two tomato dishes. You don't want to risk the tomato soup feeling even slightly redundant after the tomato marmalade on the goat cheese.

Gary,

Gorgeous menu. I may have to steal that carpaccio idea from you, though did you really mean 1/4" on the rigatoni? Surely more like 3/4 inch?

Only one recommendation from me: switch the order of the mozzarella and the shrimp, but leave the wines just where they are. Each will be equally conversant with either dish, but in fact I'd prefer the chardonnay-like richness of the arneis with the shrimp anyway, and the aromatics on the pinot gris are also especially well suited to tomatoes. But what this switcheroo does, in addition to changing the wine for the shrimp, is put something non-tomato between the two tomato dishes. You don't want to risk the tomato soup feeling even slightly redundant after the tomato marmalade on the goat cheese.

My thought on the order of the wines was to build in flavor and complexity. I would like the food to also build in both. The Meat balls are rich and I think they might go best with the Vino Nobile. You are correct on the length of the rigatoni. I feel that the GV will go great with the Tomato soup because of the slight herby nature with the tarragon and such. I chose the Pinot Gris for the shrimp to cut through the garlic butter a bit. I understand that I am serving tomatoes three different ways but I could not help my self. After this dinner they will be gone for another year. I might even experiment and make the soup from yellow heirloom's. Thanks for your input.

[Jenise]

Gary, I could see the purpose to your order, which is why I left the PG and the arneis in the order you placed them and only suggested switching the foods they were paired with--the shrimp and the goat cheese. And I understand your reasons for putting the tomato soup with the gruner, a combination I agree with for the reasons you state.

But either way, it's going to be a fabulous meal! And like you, I find the tomatoes irresistible. There's no such thing as too much tomato for me, believe me. Tomatoes are to me what chocolate is to some, my number one favorite food.

I could see the purpose to your order, which is why I left the PG and the arneis in the order you placed them and only suggested switching the foods they were paired with--the shrimp and the goat cheese. And I understand your reasons for putting the tomato soup with the gruner, a combination I agree with for the reasons you state.

But either way, it's going to be a fabulous meal! And like you, I find the tomatoes irresistible. There's no such thing as too much tomato for me, believe me. Tomatoes are to me what chocolate is to some, my number one favorite food.

After reading your ideas again, I have switched the shrimp and the goat cheese. As you said it will break up the trio of tomato and offer a bit of a cleanser with the arugula in the vinaigrette. Thanks again for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Gary, spectacular menu ! I have one concern about what the consistency of the mozzarella will be after frying and braising. The best mozz I can get does not take to high heat or long heat. If you have tested this out I would be curious about what type of mozz and technique you use to avert the rubber eraser texture that sometimes happens when cooking with mozz.
I will give you credit when I use your mini carpaccio idea. Now that's a pasta salad I can relate to !!! I've been avoiding tagliata because I do it so often. Your presentation is inspired.
Best wishes on the dinner

Gary, spectacular menu ! I have one concern about what the consistency of the mozzarella will be after frying and braising. The best mozz I can get does not take to high heat or long heat. If you have tested this out I would be curious about what type of mozz and technique you use to avert the rubber eraser texture that sometimes happens when cooking with mozz.
I will give you credit when I use your mini carpaccio idea. Now that's a pasta salad I can relate to !!! I've been avoiding tagliata because I do it so often. Your presentation is inspired.
Best wishes on the dinner

I guess I was not clear on the mozz stuffed meat ball. I am taking a mixture of 4 different meats, 2 different breads and other goodies and making a 2.5oz meat ball. I then put a small bonconcino in the middle and roll the meat ball to seal the cheese in. I then pop them in the freezer for an hour to set. Then fry them at 350 degrees for a min or so. Then into the marinara to braise until 140 degrees internal temp. Cook the pasta and toss it with the sauce and place the meat ball on top. The mozz just oozes from the center when you take a fork to it.

I then pop them in the freezer for an hour to set. Then fry them at 350 degrees for a min or so. Then into the marinara to braise until 140 degrees internal temp. Cook the pasta and toss it with the sauce and place the meat ball on top. The mozz just oozes from the center when you take a fork to it.

Fried, as in deep fried? Your whole menu sounds incredible. What time should I be there? Or, I'd happily just take a to-go box of the Brussels sprouts roasted in duck fat.