Last night I hosted a dinner party for Scott Fikse, the new Director of Music and Liturgy at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, his spouse Marcus, Randy and Jeanne Castello, and their daughter, Marisa. It’s “what Carl Crosier would have done,” to show aloha for his successor at the church. Randy has been in the LCH choir for decades — in fact I think he was even there before Carl arrived on the scene in 1972! And I played for Randy and Jeanne’s wedding over thirty years ago. I had seen their daughter Marisa in Seattle for Carl’s memorial party in May and when I found out she would be visiting Hawaii in July, decided to invite her family to dinner.

You see, I have asked Scott and the LCH choir to participate in a concert planned in October in memory of Carl Crosier. We plan to present the Duruflé Requiem, in addition to a world premiere of a mass by composer Frank Ferko for double choir. More details will be forthcoming as we get nearer to the date.

I spent nearly a week trying to decide what to make, so I looked to Carl for inspiration. For newcomers to Hawaii, he would always try to incorporate flavors of the islands, so I came up with this menu for the evening. (The teriyaki pork loin with the pineapple-papaya relish is a recipe he made many times.)

Starters
Taro chips with salsa
Lime dilled shrimp over fresh pineapple bits with red pepper
Eggplant fries with Hawaiian honey
Smoked salmon over a trio of cucumber slices and radish with a balsamic vinegar dressing
Fresh fruit salad with Thai watermelon, lychees, blueberries, and mango

Entrée
Teriyaki pork loin with pineapple, papaya, red pepper and mint relish
Rice pilaf
Sugar snap peas

Dessert
Blueberry, raspberry and blackberry crisp with whipped cream garnish

I’m happy to say that everyone cleaned their plates, so the food must have been all right!

After everyone went home and the dishes were done, I got ready for my next houseguest, Jason Anderson of the Seattle Compline Choir, who arrived this afternoon.