What we ate last night...

  Raucous party: a dozen adults and 5 little kids who spent the entire evening chasing from one end of the house to the other. Loved the noise and the action. And the fact that it was a really easy dinner that tasted terrific.  Here's what we ate.
 
   To Begin:
    Bacon-Cheddar Toasts - a glorious smoosh of chopped bacon, Montgomery, onions and horseradish, slathered onto thinly sliced white bread and baked in a hot oven until it's melted into a crusty jumble.
    Chicken liver mousse
    Tomato-Red Pepper Dip with vegetables - an easy take on muhammara made with bottled sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers, toasted walnuts, olive oil, vinegar and pomegranate syrup.
     Guacamole (avocados were ripe and cheap at the store)

     Main Course:
     Pork loin, stuffed with cognac-soaked prunes and braised in white wines with onions. The meat stays moist, and the onion, wine and prunes turn into a sweetly seductive sauce.
     Pommes Dauphinoises - Jacques Pepin's recipe is one of my go-to dishes.  First you boil sliced potatoes in milk and cream, then you bake the whole thing with cheese until it's dissolved into a rich potato pudding.
      Sauteed Brussels sprouts. (The oven was full. And I love sprouts when they're julienned and quickly cooked.  Although I have to admit that I overcooked them.)

     And Finally.....
     Raspberry crumble tart
     Blueberry pie.
     Vanilla ice cream

     We drank a lot of delicious wines.  My favorites were a 2005 Chateau Lagrange and an extraordinary 2006 Raven from Sine Qua Non.