So I had 8 friends over for a garden party to celebrate the excellent summer. I started them off with a home-made Caesar salad then we got down to business. I smoked the whole 4 pound sockeye on fronds of port Orford cedar. They released a fair bit of smoke so I kept the lid off the little weber for most of the cooking. I left the bone in to maximize flavor. Then I sucked off the meat on the bones as I plated (everyone else was on a remodel tour).
On the stove, I made Yukon gold mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, duck stock, and garlic. The green beans were braised with cardamom, uncured bacon, allspice, juniper berries, black pepper and onions
The out of focus picture below is dessert. Umpqua vanilla bean ice cream with a half a peach that I dipped in sugar and grilled. Garnished with some Marcona almonds.
We drank a Carneros Chardonnay and a 98 cotes de Provence which was 75% syrah, 25% grenache. with dessert we drank 18 year highland park.
