JC and Robin plate the venison and top it with black truffle mushroom sauce.

During the flu season, it’s hard to get the whole family together for an evening meal. This week we came within two of pulling it off. Robin treated us at her home to what she called “Surf and Turf”–our favorite crab cake recipe, plus venison from our farm.

The Sous Vide Difference

Robin has discovered that Sous Vide cooking and venison are made for each other. After bringing the meat to 132 degrees, she simply gave it a quick sear in a skillet. Then she topped off the dish with a dried, black trumpet sauce, using mushrooms that she and my granddaughters had found at the farm. My grandson said it was the best venison he’d ever had.

While the meal cooks, a nibble of cheese.

A Dash of Panache

The evening started with a yummy cheese board to occupy the hungry as Robin and JC put the finishing touches on dinner. She and her husband moved about the kitchen easily, chatting with onlookers, testing sauces for seasoning, tossing greens into colorful salads, and roasting vegetables. And they did it all with a dash of panache. I mention this because I’m a distraught and messy cook, who leaves devastation in my wake after a few hours in the kitchen.

Family favorite crab cakes and sauce (left) and venison with black trumpet mushroom sauce (center).

A Christmas-colored salad

A plate of goodness!

The Cake and Ice Cream Finale

Because this was my birthday, we ended the meal with the traditional cake and ice cream. We later sat around the fireplace, where the evening turned to amusing card tricks that entertained the girls.

Such gatherings are wondrous enough to make me wish I had birthdays more than once a year. . . well, almost.  

BTW, we sent crab cakes to the sick absentees to hasten their recovery.

There were a number of cake enthusiasts eager to assist me in cutting the first slice.

There is lasting value in gathering around the table for a family meal.