Dinner tonight - or last night.

ossobuco wrote:

I may need a lemon rest.

every time I think that, I end up eating half a lemon straight up

2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon drippings
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth

The menu for about 200 people, designed by White House executive chef Cris Comerford, features delicacies such as Alaskan halibut casserole, roasted apricot galette with Appalachian cheese and lamb chops drizzled with Yukon Jack Canadian Whisky. One of the canapés is an American take on duck poutine, Ms. Comerford said.

“There’s so much commonality in here, it’s just like cooking for your brother. It’s really kind of awesome,” Ms. Comerford said.

The dessert is a maple pecan cake and a Rocky Mountain sugar sculpture, which showcases a chocolate-carved deer and black bear, as well as Nanaimo bars.