We had a few friends over last night for a midsummer dinner party :)
As it turns out, our local liquor store had just started carrying Suze last month, so the "house cocktail" was the Black Currant Suze from Jennifer McLagan's Bitter.
The evening's sides were roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and caramelized corn with fresh mint, the latter courtesy of a recent NYTimes cooking newsletter (for which thanks, Dad!). The Brussels sprouts were middling (I should consult a recipe next time) but the corn was phenomenal!
The main event was a flank steak, marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and honey, and grilled for 6 minutes each side. It was great, but a lot of the marinade stuck to the grill, making it a chore to clean. Next time, we'll heed the advice of an old Cook's Illustrated to skip the marinade and try instead a spice rub or simply salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Not pictured: a preprandial Oregon pinot, a Napa cabernet (for the steak), and a little half-bottle of port, which paired nicely with the chocolate-covered figs our guests brought for dessert.
