Back in '08 I got the honor of building a new house for a person who we became very good friends with. The build process was pretty much seamless and the friendship continued after closing. We have done tons of activities with him and his family over the years: parties at his house, parties at our house, boating, motorcycle trips, just hanging out at the brewery for a few beers, etc. When the pandemic hit 3 years ago we kinda lost touch and hadn't seen him since then. He reached out last week just to say HI and that turned into a dinner invite for last Saturday. This would also be the first time meeting his new fiance' and we were really looking forward to that. Since it had been years, I decided to pull out all the stops and put together a really nice dinner. The decision was made to do the beef tenderloin so I put together a complimentary array if side dishes.
To get the ball rolling, I had to make our beloved sour cream and onion rolls. The dough after the 2nd proof.
We love the asparagus this way: Kerrygold butter, shaved pecans, and dried cranberries.
A nice bowl of homemade garlic & sour cream mashed potatoes.
Homemade beef and onion gravy.
Brokenhandle
are you paying attention?
+
The roast. Just over 1 1/2 pounds but there are only 4 of us and 3 aren't big eaters.
Rubbed down with a Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and coated with black pepper.
The rolls done and off the grill.
A pan full of mushrooms simmered with Marsala wine, butter, garlic, and black pepper.
Appetizer plate with homemade Hawaiian Portagee sausage, some amazing smoked 16 year aged extra sharp cheddar I got from our very good friend
Steve H
in the Christmas exchange, and some club crackers.
Some cherry wood TBS rolling in the afternoon sunlight. For some reason I really like this pic.
Tenderloin on the smoker. Running 245 for the first 40 minutes to set the crust then drop to 180 to finish.
Time to put the asparagus on the grill.
The roast all done and getting happy. Pulled at an IT of 128.
Sliced...oh baby!!
Tracy putting the finishing touches on the table. We don't use the dining room but a couple times a year so she likes to make it kinda pretty.
The spread. Kind of a funky pic and the rolls didn't make it in, but you get the idea. Rolls did show up in time for serving though.
Finally and alas, my first plate.
To say this meal was superb wouldn't be doing it justice. Everything was pretty much perfectly done and came together in a complimentary way to create an extraordinary meal, and not just a meal, an experience. It was a perfect way to get back in touch with Gerald, and his new bride-to-be Dana was an absolute hoot!! Such an amazing lady and we fell in love with her immediately. A fine tribute to a fine friend. Now to bring this story full circle. Gerald (aka
snakehead
) is the person who turned me on to SMF a long time ago when I was failing miserably trying to smoke ribs. Well there ya have it.....the truth is out so you can blame him for all the weird stuff I've subjected you to over the years. It's all HIS fault 
Now that I'm finished blamestorming, gonna call this one done. Take care and stay safe folks.
Robert
To get the ball rolling, I had to make our beloved sour cream and onion rolls. The dough after the 2nd proof.
We love the asparagus this way: Kerrygold butter, shaved pecans, and dried cranberries.
A nice bowl of homemade garlic & sour cream mashed potatoes.
Homemade beef and onion gravy.
Brokenhandle
are you paying attention?
The roast. Just over 1 1/2 pounds but there are only 4 of us and 3 aren't big eaters.
Rubbed down with a Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and coated with black pepper.
The rolls done and off the grill.
A pan full of mushrooms simmered with Marsala wine, butter, garlic, and black pepper.
Appetizer plate with homemade Hawaiian Portagee sausage, some amazing smoked 16 year aged extra sharp cheddar I got from our very good friend
Steve H
in the Christmas exchange, and some club crackers.
Some cherry wood TBS rolling in the afternoon sunlight. For some reason I really like this pic.
Tenderloin on the smoker. Running 245 for the first 40 minutes to set the crust then drop to 180 to finish.
Time to put the asparagus on the grill.
The roast all done and getting happy. Pulled at an IT of 128.
Sliced...oh baby!!
Tracy putting the finishing touches on the table. We don't use the dining room but a couple times a year so she likes to make it kinda pretty.
The spread. Kind of a funky pic and the rolls didn't make it in, but you get the idea. Rolls did show up in time for serving though.
Finally and alas, my first plate.
To say this meal was superb wouldn't be doing it justice. Everything was pretty much perfectly done and came together in a complimentary way to create an extraordinary meal, and not just a meal, an experience. It was a perfect way to get back in touch with Gerald, and his new bride-to-be Dana was an absolute hoot!! Such an amazing lady and we fell in love with her immediately. A fine tribute to a fine friend. Now to bring this story full circle. Gerald (aka
snakehead
) is the person who turned me on to SMF a long time ago when I was failing miserably trying to smoke ribs. Well there ya have it.....the truth is out so you can blame him for all the weird stuff I've subjected you to over the years. It's all HIS fault Now that I'm finished blamestorming, gonna call this one done. Take care and stay safe folks.
Robert
