JarrodOnline.com – Winner’s Dinner

in Contests — 10/10/2011 1:08 pm | 3 comments

You may remember that a few months back, on July 11^th, we launched Jarrodonline.com with a contest. Every person that signed up for our email updates became eligible for a catered meal, personally cooked by yours truly. Millions entered … ok, not millions, but we had about sixty entries and out of those I randomly selected a winner. The first name selected happened to be my partner in crime, travel, food, culture, and intercontinental debauchery, Romulus, so I felt it was only right to select another name. That name was Ana Casacuberta Little of Cranford, NJ. So a few weeks back, I packed up my knives and went to visit Ana, her family and friends to cook their victory meal.

When Ana and I started emailing, she informed me that she wanted to have a Latin inspired menu to celebrate her Puerto Rican heritage. We would also need to account for the fact that her invited guests would be vegetarians. With a little counsel from my Columbian barber, Frank, I came up with a menu that I thought would satisfy both criteria and ran it by Ana, a fabulous cook in her own right. We nailed down the menu together, settled on a date and before long, it was time for our party!

Prepare to salivate. Here’s the menu…

• Cuban Shredded Pork with Sherry Lime Glaze (clearly not for the vegetarians in the group!)
• Black Beans and Rice
• Field Greens with Homemade Lime Vinaigrette
• Tostones (Twice Fried Plantains)
• Yucca with Garlic Infused Olive Oil
• Fresh Fiesta Corn with Cream and Red Pepper
  

  MMMMmmm... Pork!

I let the beans soak overnight on the evening before the dinner while the pork shoulder was marinating. The pork needed to roast for seven hours so I began cooking it at my place on the following morning. As I packed up the food that I had sliced, diced, and prepped, a few nerves began to set in as I thought about the proposition of cooking ethnic food. Excited to give it my best shot, I got in my car and headed to Cranford, NJ.

 

When I arrived at the Little’s house, I was greeted by familiar smiles on two sides of the street. Ana’s family (husband Frank and daughter Sophia), who I’ve known for several years as I used to be Sophia’s ballet teacher, live right across the street from the Thorntons. The Thorntons happened to be friends, past clients, and the evening’s dinner guests. I was assured by Kim Thornton that dessert was almost ready and they would be over later.

Into the Little’s kitchen I went where I was greeted by Ana who offered to be my sous chef for the evening. I told her that this was a gift to her and that she should sit back, rest, and enjoy. She assured me that she would love to cook with me. With that, I accepted and to work we went!

Ana handled the plantains while I cut the corn. I tended to the pork while she boiled the yucca. We had a great rhythm going in the kitchen while her husband, Frank, photographed it all. I was guilty of pilfering a plantain or two before dinner with Frank as an accomplice. They were delicious. It was only right that I let Ana sample the vinaigrette for the salad that tasted pretty darn good! When I checked on the meat, I knew we would have an outstanding meal. I gave Frank a sample of the pork and he agreed we were certainly well on our way to a memorable meal.

Enter the Thorntons…

Not only did the Thorntons bring with them incredible energy, hilarious stories, and a spicy cheese to snack on, they also brought dessert. This wasn’t just any dessert. This was a homemade Bailey’s Irish Crème cheesecake and homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes.  Just Wow!

We sat down to eat and everything was perfect. The superb food (if I do say so myself) was only rivaled by the conversation. Ana and I made quite a team putting together this meal. The flavors were bright, tasty, and there was such variation on the table. I never had yucca like this before and this was my first time doing pork this way. Ana informed me that the meal was more Cuban than Puerto Rican but moreover, it was delicious! As the night drew to a close, seven satisfied diners, five adults, including yours truly, and two children were all smiles and full bellies. This certainly turned out be a meal fit for a Jarrodonline.com contest winner.