#MarigoldSupperClub dinner no. 2 "Coraçao"

On Thursday February 20th diners gathered for a menu celebrating another of my muses, my partner in many things and co-host of our dinners, @bonnaburn (who's birthday is today!)

From the moment we met our shared lives have been driven by a love of food, art, hospitality and nature - in no particular order. I wanted to celebrate both him and the flavors of his heritage that he introduced to me, the flavors of his childhood, of Portugal and Brazil.

Snacks: Pão de queijo - a gluten free cheese bread from Brazil; Les oeufs Jeannette - a pan-fried devilled egg that is a favorite snack of Jonathan's

Amuse: Steak tartar to commemorate our first date where we discovered our shared food love

Soup: Caldo Verde a Portuguese soup for gatherings and celebrations, this was his Mom's (@luciapinto5928 ) recipe she gave me and it was a hit! Also perfect for the cold day.

Heart: of course I'm going to serve heart! Chicken heart, to be exact. A staple in Brazilian churrascaria, little JJ loved snacking on these when available.

Fried: Coxinhas, yet another Brazilian staple, Jonathan's Mom and aunts would get together to make multitudes of these "little thighs" for family gatherings

Pasta: while neither Portuguese nor Brazilian, I wanted to incorporate a pasta course as he is the reason behind my work to make delicious gluten free pasta. This gnocchi is a throwback to the first meal I ever made him, dressed up with some Hen of the Woods, a favorite of ours.

Entree: Empadinha, an ubiquitous Brazilian dish and the first meal that he ever made me! Can you also tell that he loves food-in-food? Jonathan spearheaded this dish again Thursday.

Tres leches: the first dessert I made for his family, it was a hit back then, too.

Mignerdise: Brigadeiros - a Brazilian sweet treat that we love, made with the same care as always by Jonathan.

"roots" The Inaugural Dinner - on 1.31.25, Mommom's 98th Birthday
"roots" was an exploration of both the obvious and most abundant type of vegetable one can find in January, and also of my own memories with food and the people behind them. It was an ode to the women who influenced me to cook the way I do today. My mom from whom I got the baller crabcake recipe and who would go nuts over that Beet Gazpacho; & Chef Carolyn Johnson who taught me the art of pasta and a deep appreciation for rabbit. And, most importantly, it served as a love letter to my grandmother, Mommom, who first let me have free reign in her kitchen to experiment and do as I pleased, who's birthday we always celebrated with mine, and who's birthday we ate in celebration of last night. She loved a classic beef dish and she, much like me, loved her sweets.