Oh My Guinness!!

I've been mentioning some experimental dishes for a Guinness-themed meal. Well, it finally happened this past weekend. Most of the experiments made it to the menu with perhaps a few tweaks, though the fish versions did not...after 4 lbs of fish in bad recipes. In that sense, I'm glad the dinner is over. ;) So what made the cut? Unfortunately, no pics as I was too busy cooking and then trying to stay awake during dinner. =P

For starters, we had a simple mesclun salad with red ripe tomatoes and avocadoes dressed with a Guinness salad dressing composed of extra virgin olive oil, Guinness, fresh mustard, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Very tasty though (or in spite of) I winged. A side of Guinness Beer Bread was available plus three different types of butter to slather on: President French butter, Kerrygold Irish butter and Smjor Icelandic butter (which I had enjoyed before on a trip to Iceland). Mmmm....

We then proceeded to a Guinness Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton which I didn't like even though it was the 3rd iteration. =(

Then my favorite came! Mussels in Garlic and Guinness. Soft flesh of incredibly fresh Prince Edward Island mussels married well with the flavorful broth. A country white bread was available for sopping up the delicious broth.

For the main course, there was the must-have Beef & Guinness Pie which was tasty. Everyone went for the puff pastry first. Sigh. =P For the sole vegetarian, there was a seitan version in the form of Guinness Seitan Stew but without the puff pastry. Aw, too bad. If anyone could stomach it, Pork in Guinness and Onion Gravy was served which was even better in its 2nd iteration as I decided to brine the pork in a Guinness based brine before cooking it up. Brilliant!

On the side were some Roasted Root Vegetables (rutabaga, parsnips, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes) served with a Guinness-Butter glaze. The glaze was left to the side completely forgotten by the diners, myself included. =P

Most everyone was stuffed silly way beforehand, but there was still dessert! Available for snacking at all hours was a Guinness Sweet Bread made with craisins and walnuts and a hint of cinnamon. Very dense but tasty. I insisted the host make this dish so that no one could say he didn't make anything. Plus, who wouldn't want to try out his cooking as well considering the dinner was at his place! ;) I thought his version (magical hands?) came out better than mine. =9 The first dessert served up was Chocolate and Guinness cupcakes. Then, the best for last: A Guinness Ginger Cake that had a very complex and robust flavor from all the spices and Guinness (of course). A dollop of Guinness ice cream went on top a la mode style as the ginger cake was still warm from the oven. Yum! All this was served with some Breakfast Earl Grey tea from Whittard's of Chelsea direct from London courtesy of yours truly.

I need a break from Guinness now. The neighbors must think our house has a Guinness addiction from the sudden onslaught of empty cans in the bin. ;) All I have to say is: Rubbish! =P