Dinner Impossible: Taiwan

When my family in Taiwan got wind that I'm now a "good cook," they requested that I make a huge family dinner for everyone and extended family in Taiwan. Of course, being me, this turned into my own version of Dinner: Impossible. First of all, I didn't know what was in season in Taiwan or, due to the devastating typhoon, what limited fresh ingredients would be available to me. Next, the kitchen that I was working in was incredibly limited: barely any fridge space (despite the fact that due to the horrid tropical weather of Taiwan, everything has to go in the fridge to avoid spoilage), no freezer space, two gas burners, no oven. Oh boy. In the end, though, I turned out a great dinner that I myself am fairly proud of. Because of the limitations of the burners, I decided to do the dinner as a course-by-course--there was no shortage of plates, thank goodness! (And, also due to this fact, I was unable to get any pictures of the food.)

But, for your vicarious enjoyment, here's the menu:

Amuse bouche
sweet potato blinis
with creme fraiche, chives, and smoked salmon

Salad
red and yellow watermelon
with balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and strawberries

Appetizer
porcini and shiitake dried mushroom risotto

Main
pasta, three ways

tomato and basil capellini
linguini con vongole
saffron spaghetti 'alla carbonara' (with smoked salmon)

Sides
carrots vichy
spring baby asparagus with creamy lemon vinaigrette

Dessert
chocolate, three ways

dark chocolate mousse with passionfruit reduction
strawberries dipped in Guittard white chocolate
'el diablo' spiked creme de cacao