I recently completed a year-long, private dining service for a local couple. Each week I planned their menu, shopped, prepared the meal in their beautiful kitchen, and cleaned up afterwards so they didn’t have to lift a finger. It was a “date night” private dinner for two, once a week, for a year – a Christmas gift from the husband to his wife. Pretty spectacular, right? Marriage goals for sure. For their final dinner, I prepared some of their favorites from the year, starting with little neck clams steamed in wine and butter with lots of garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. He finished the broth with a spoon.

A simple salad of organic spinach and arugula, dried apricot, dried cranberry, almonds and crumbled bleu, with a light dressing of organic apple cider vinaigrette. She loved my salads throughout the year, and thanked me for inspiring them to get out of their salad rut of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. It’s extremely rewarding to serve a delicious meal, but when you inspire someone to try new things on their own, you’ve given them an experience that lasts long after the meal is enjoyed.

The wife’s favorite fish is sea bass. The first time I made it for them, she loved it so much that she asked me to repeat the dish a few times over the course of the year. It wasn’t a surprise when she asked me to make the pan seared sea bass with mounted riesling and lemon (similar to a beurre blanc, but with much less butter), for their final dinner. The first time I made this dish for them it was spring and ramps were available. I prefer to use seasonal vegetables whenever possible, but alas, it’s February and I wanted something light and fresh that wouldn’t overpower the sauce. So, organic grape tomatoes and snow peas from California it was and she loved it.

He loves scallops, so I made him pan seared scallops prepared in the same manner as the sea bass.

We were approaching Valentine’s Day on the last dinner date, and they both love strawberries and chocolate, so chocolate covered strawberries were the perfect dessert. Cliche? Sure. But they’re still yummy. And they had enough to be enjoyed for a few days afterward. Bonus.

This whole service was so much fun, that for Christmas they purchased six cooking classes for their family in 2016. I’m super excited and grateful to have this great family on my calendar for another year!

I have so much gratitude for the opportunity to create a positive, healthy, and delicious experience for them. If you would like any information about my services, please don’t hesitate to email me at thelegalpantry@gmail.com.