Cocktail Party for: River City Repertory Theatre

We love our River City Repertory Theatre, a professional theatre company blending the best of local, regional and national stage actors through it's membership in Actors' Equity.  When asked to host a cocktail party for RCRT we were thrilled to take part. 

The long awaited event was held last evening.  As part of the staging...dress forms with costumes from previous shows "THE LION IN WINTER" and "A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC" were prominently featured throughout our home.  Photos from earlier productions were also exhibited for all to enjoy.  As you can see in the picture above we had lot's of goodies, brought and lovingly prepared by the League members.  I made the Rumaki that you see in the foreground (recipe to follow).  You'll notice too, a captioned photo on a stand that reads "THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING" which was RCRT production number 6 at The Scottish Rite Cathedral Theatre, July of 2008. 

The actress in the photo is none other than Academy Award Nominee Margaret Avery (known for the role of Shug Avery in "The Color Purple") as she brilliantly portrayed the character of Berenice Sadie Brown.  Neil and I were blessed with the opportunity to share a meal with friends and Margaret while in town for the production.  It was the first dinner party in our new old family home and I remember preparing shrimp and grits, greens and cornbread.  Ms. Margaret did say that my grits were the best grits she had ever tasted.  What a complement.

For more information on the River City Repertory Theatre go to http://rivercityrep.org/

Rumaki



Thick Sliced Smoked Bacon - cut in thirds (the brand I buy has 12-13 slices per pound, so each pound should yield approximately 36 to 39 pieces)

Determine filling to be wrapped and the number of servings desired and purchase items accordingly (I use all 3).

Fillings:

Pineapple Chunks – drained and reserve juice (20 ounce can yields about 48 pieces)

Dried Apricots   (yield per bag, various)

Water Chestnuts - halved (8 ounce can yields about 15 whole pieces and when halved 30 pieces)

Wrap each filling piece with a 1/3 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place in a zip top storage bag and pour reserved pineapple juice** in bag, seal and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Just before ready to serve, *pat dry and deep fry at 325 degrees for approximately 3 minutes or until bacon is crisp.   Alternatively bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 20-30 minutes or until bacon is crisp (I prefer deep frying).  Place on paper towels to drain.  Plate with greenery such as parsley, serve hot and enjoy!

* Do not skip this step; pieces must be dry before proceeding.

**Another suggestion for added flavor, add teriyaki sauce or soy in addition to or instead of pineapple juice and *pat dry before proceeding.