cloak & dagger no. 6 (and a note on no. 5)

it’s hard to believe that cloak and dagger is almost six months old.  for so long,  I wanted to bring an underground dining community to portland, and now it’s finally emerged.  with david levi’s vinland dinners, the recent addition of pocket brunch, and the highly anticipated arrival of CRUX, cloak & dagger is one of many unique dining experiences within Portland’s foodie scene.  i’ve been extremely pleased with the outcome of all the past dinners- yet continue to yearn to do better each time.  so what better than to take advantage of cloak and dagger’s half year anniversary? this dinner is expected to be much more unique than of those past.  we’re anticipating at least 21 courses (thus the start time is earlier than those in the past), beverage pairings, and a collection of readings performed by a regular fixture at cloak & dagger dinners.

August’s theme is Dinner of the Gods, meant to explore the theme of religions all across the world.  From the major religions, to Greek and Roman Mythology, Paganism, Taoism and Religious Cults, each course will depict the highlights of each.  Concepts range from turning water into wine to Venus’s oyster.  The guest chef is a welcome veteran of cloak & dagger dinners, and has been planning this menu with me since May.  We’re both highly anticipating this dinner,  so without further adieu, here’s what you’ll need to know in regards to cloak and dagger no. 6:

cloak and dagger : Dinner of the Gods

date: August 22nd, 2012

time: 5:45, first course dropped at 6:15 (we’re hoping to not keep you past 12:30 at the very latest)

location: TBA

spots available: 20

byob, per usual

RSVP: erikajoyce@rocketmail.com, @twitter: @enfinoui, through a comment, or on facebook to Erika Joyce.

Paypal: Donate here (suggested donation of $60 a person)

Notes: There will not be any vegetarian/seafood allergy alternatives to this dinner.

RSVP SOON!

A few might be wondering whatever happened to cloak & dagger no. 5.  The dinner takes on the theme of Southern Comfort Food, and is being cooked for a very small group of people.  The guest chef wanted to explore the option of a more intimate dinner, so that’s what we’ve decided to do.  I will post photos/the menu shortly.

Pie-o-rama

q

Its probably obvious by now how much I adore pastry, so when I was told that July’s O-Rama project was to be based around pie I was ecstatic! I love pie! Rhubarb, blackberry, keylime– you name it. But you know what I love more than fruit pie? Meat pies. Pasties, pot pies- mmm.

For last month’s cloak and dagger, I decided to include a meat pie on the menu. With a combination of lamb and beef, feta and phyllo, and a relatively standard mire poix, I crafted the above pictured pie.

The most important thing about any pie is the crust- don’t debate this, no matter how delicious the fillings might be, a soggy crust will ruin the entire thing. So what to do about pie crust? Well, phyllo does work wonders in my opinion, but I also recognize that phyllo doesn’t always accompany everything harmoniously. Below is my recipe for perfectly flaky pie crust.

Pie crust:
1 C all purpose flour
4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 TSP kosher salt
1 TSP sugar
4-6 TBSP ice water

Sift dry ingredients together, and cut in the butter until dough begins to resemble peas. Add ice water slowly until a ball forms, make sure not to overwork, as the butter will melt. Let rest for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Then you will have perfectly flaky pie crust at your disposal!