A Menu Fit for a King!

It was exhilarating to have Tom and Caroline Bott as our guests for dinner last night. They were just mentioned in our local newspaper, The Bajareque Times, as celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in Boquete. Instead of receiving gifts, they asked friends to please make a donation to The Handicap Foundation of Boquete, one of the local 4 charities receiving the proceeds from the Bid 4 Boquete Auction project.

Tom and Caroline have lived in Boquete for over 9 years.  They built “The Castle” in Boquete and we were fortunate to be able to buy their former home adjacent to their new house in El Santuario.  They are very special people, known for upgrading lifestyles in Boquete, their altruistic endeavors,  their love of life.

Last night, we hosted Tom and Caroline for their “farewell” dinner on the night before they left on their world trip to India, Australia and other far-away places.  They had been in David for the day and didn’t return to Boquete until dinner time.  I quickly designed a menu especially for them on this special occasion, their “Farewell Party”, so to speak.

The menu I decided on included all my recently-tried dishes; Baked Fresh Mozzarella with Garlic Oil Infusion, Chef’s Salad with Boquete dressing, Whole Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Chasseur Sauce, Twice-Baked Potatoes, and English-style Scalloped Tomatoes.  Caroline is from Herefordshire, England, so it seemed right to prepare baked tomatoes for her.  For dessert, David grilled Rum-glazed Fresh Pineapple Kabobs ala Greg’s www.sippitysup.com.

We chose a robust wine to serve with the beef tenderloin, Santa Rita Vineyard, 2007 Reserva Carmenere.  The rich fruity flavor paired well with the tenderloin and created a meal meant to be savored.  It was a most delightful evening sitting under the roof of our Ramada with our good friends and neighbors, enjoying the sunset and wondrous landscapes below.  A most “gourmet” evening, if I must say so myself.