Salad
Grecian Goddess Salad
Wine Suggestion: a rich Chardonnay

Main Course
Braised Pheasant
Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta
Olive and Asparagus Sauté
Wine Suggestion: Pinot Noir

Dessert
Chocolate Fondue with Fresh Strawberries
Wine Suggestion: Cabernet Sauvignon

Remove rind from brie and cut into chunks approximately 2 inches in size and place in an oven safe serving dish. Bake brie in a 375 degree oven until melted ( about 15 minute). In a microwave safe bowel, mix remaining ingredients and microwave on "high" for 1 minute. Pour fruit and brandy over melted brie and serve with baguettes or crackers.

Grecian Goddess Salad

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, feta cheese, oregano, garlic, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper and whisk together. Makes about 2/3 cup. Best with subtle greens, like butter lettuce, or romaine is the classic partner. Toss with tomatoes, green or red onions and freshly roasted walnuts.

Rock Cornish game hens work well in this recipe if pheasant is unavailable. The birds are browned quickly wand then roasted slowly to bring out the flavor while you baste them in an apple brandy sauce.

3 large pheasants cleaned and rinsed
1/4 cup safflower oil
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced green apples
1 cup onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup applejack or Calvados
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup half and half herbal salt substitute and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, quickly brown pheasants in oil on all sides. Place apples and onions around pheasant. Pour applejack on top and let it heat for 1 minute, then ignite. Shake pan until flames subside.

Dust top of pheasant with nutmeg. Place pan in oven and bake until juice runs clear when tip of knife is inserted in thigh of bird (about 1 hour). Remove pheasant, cooked apples, and onions to a platter and keep warm in oven.

Transfer pan juices to a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, then stir in half-and-half. Let mixture cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then season to taste with salt substitute and pepper. Pour over pheasant and serve.

Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons whipping cream (optional)
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Add polenta by the tablespoon, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Continue stirring as mixture cooks (about 20 minutes). Polenta will pull away from sides of pan. Stir in butter, salt, cheese and cream (if used).

Olive and Asparagus Sauté

The dish is equally good with carrots, eggplant, or zucchini.

1 pound thin asparagus
2 cloves garlic minced
20 Kalamata olives pitted and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup water

Trim tough stems from asparagus. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and olives in oil about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, salt, pepper, and the water. Cover and cook over medium heat until asparagus is tender (3 to 5 minutes).

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Chocolate Fondue

12 ounces semisweet gourmet chocolate such as Ghirardelli
1 cup heavy cream
1 pint of strawberries, cleaned

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Once chocolate is partially melted slowly add cream in 3 batches, stirring constantly. Once chocolate and cream are incorporated, transfer to a fondue pot and serve with strawberries.