The seventh and final installment of the Big Night. What a ride. It all started with an idea to recreate an incredible meal we saw in a movie and has ended with the exact same meal! Some of you might think that is lame, but have you seen the movie? Nate White, Kevin Spellman and Peter Larkin are my best friends and somehow we get along in the kitchen and actually have an incredible amount of fun. That in and of itself is amazing as I don’t even get along with my own mother in the kitchen (or my wife).

The team started cooking days ahead of time making stocks and sourcing the ingredients we would need. Friday was full of craziness, as we all have full-time jobs and still needed to accomplish hours of grocery shopping. You can imagine how many stores we had to visit…

The guys and I started cooking around 7 p.m. making whatever we could ahead of time (namely: hand-rolled penne pasta, the sauce, the risotto – 3/4 of the way, pesto, the Italian crème cake, brine the pig, the meatballs, the list goes on and on). We shut ‘er down around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning, just to crank the ovens and stove back up at 9 a.m. to try to beat the clock before guests arrive at 5 p.m. Whew, did I mention we have to shower and change in there too?

The guests arrived promptly at 5 p.m. to be welcomed with appetizers, champagne and cocktails. Apps included toasted focaccia with chevre, caprese skewers and countless Italian cured meats and cheeses.

After what seemed like five minutes but was nearly two hours, we sat down to enjoy our first of many courses; Italian Wedding Soup. Homemade mini meatballs, pasta, carrots and spinach in a savory chicken stock.

Next on the list was risotto three ways! Did you watch the movie yet? Pesto, parmesan and seafood (scallop, clams and shrimp).

Game hens with Italian sausage and oyster stuffing, served with asparagus.

Palate cleanse – grapefruit and basil sorbet with a splash of prosecco!

Oh sweet timpano! Look at those layers…sausage, egg, meatballs, salami, cheese, hand-rolled penne, and that sauce! Holy cow!

Roasted trout with beets, artichokes, and roasted garlic.

As if you weren’t full already…the suckling pig gets carried in. Brined overnight, stuffed with onions, garlic and citrus fruits, prepared with a citrus glaze and the standard red apple in his mouth.

Lastly, the Italian Crème Cake that Peter Larkin is world-renowned for.

There was coffee and grappa, dancing and singing, and of course, more wine consumed as we wound down the last greatest night we will ever celebrate in Terrace Hill.