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The menu is getting there!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:33:31 -0800

This weekend (after Thanksgiving) we had a work weekend for the New Year’s party. Great progress was made both the yearly garage clean out (boy we have a lot of stuff!) and the menu. The above photo is the salad that will be described in detail below.

Here is the Menu as it stands now! Perhaps the order will change and some of the course might still be in flux but right now here is what we are looking at serving.

Kirschwasser Punch - Instead of a signature cocktail this year we are going with a punch. Punch is very 1920’s Paris.

Along with the punch (and other cocktails before the sit down portion of dinner a variety of Frivolities will be served. So far I know that I will be serving duck confit bites and some sort of liver spread but there are likely to be several other canapes as well.

The Champagne Cocktail this year is Le Train Bleu this was the signature champagne cocktail served on the train that ran from the Cote d’Azur to Paris and Calais.

Oeufs Bagnolet - Eggs baked with Ham, Mushroom and Chicken Ragout.

Creme de Laitue - Cream of Lettuce Soup

Poulet a la Normande - Chicken with Apples in Pastry

A course I still need to figure out. Pasta or Rice or something.

Sole aux Crevettes dans Hollandaise - Sole Stuffed with Shrimp Mousse in Hollandaise Sauce (see below picture)

Ananais Sorbet - Pineapple Sorbet - I still need to test this.

An Entree? Not sure what! With Yummy French Potatoes (still need to try these), Green Pea Puree and Glazed Carrots

Salad Beaucaire - A Salad with Celery, Celerac Root, Apples and Ham (picture above)

Souffle au Parmesan - Parmesan Souffle (does that really need to be translated?) I can’t believe we didn’t take a picture of this one. They turned out so cute!

Gateau aux Chocolat - Chocolate Cake. BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY CHOCOLATE CAKE! This is amazing! Laura made one and brought it this weekend! It was incredible.

So that is it so far.

Thoughts?

David

Sole Stuffed with Shrimp Mousse - Before cooking

Paris 1920’s Escoffier ROCKS!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:35:37 -0800

The theme for this year’s New Year’s Eve party is Paris 1920‘s. For food this means ESCOFFIER! All I can say is WOW! The sheer amount of recipes the man put down on paper is amazing. Thousands of recipes with variations and subtle, yet important, changes in techniques or accompaniments fill the complete works. It is an embarrassment of riches and I have lots of work to do since I really have only 3 recipes tested and picked out so far!

#715 Creme de Laitue - Cream of Lettuce Soup
This recipe turned out so well there was no need to go any further with the soup testing! And really what could be more French and elegant than lettuce soup? The only problem is that it is VERY time consuming. A whole day to prepare but I can make it ahead of the day before (might even make the béchamel two days before - FYI this is not like a modern béchamel. It has onion and thyme and veal meat in it and it simmers for 2 hours! Vegetarians need not worry as I am doing a veggie version!)

Here is a picture of the finished soup.

The next recipe I have decided on (although I am not sure where in the menu it will appear is -
#1308 Oeufs Bagnolet - Baked Eggs with Chicken and Ham
I tested this ages ago and it is delicious. You make a chicken, ham and mushroom ragout with tomato paste and seasonings (easy to adapt to veggies!) and then you place a tablespoon or two in a ramekin. Over this mixture you crack an egg and then you bake it! The velvet texture of the egg and the salty goodness of the ragout go perfectly together. You also sauté asparagus tips to place on top of the egg.

Bagnolet is town outside of Paris. I am sure at the time of Escoffier it was fairly rural. Now it is almost within the city limits!

The final recipe that I have tested and will be incorporating into the New Year’s menu (again I am not exactly sure where) will be -
#3685 Cailles a la Normande - Quail in Apples and Pastry

I am modifying this slightly. First I am not using quail but chicken so it will be Poulet not Cailles and second I am not stuffing it inside of apples because even the smallest apple is still large when it comes to this dish. I will be chopping apples and the chicken into small morsels, mixing it with butter, apple brandy, salt and pepper and putting it inside the pastry.

Isolde made a great short pastry from Escoffier that was perfect.

Here are some pictures of both the pastry pouches and the apples. It was very delicious.

Masquerading Cocktails!

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:48:28 -0800

Every year we do a signature cocktail in the bar (sometimes two or three but who is counting!) and a Champagne cocktail for the first course.

The above picture was the Champagne cocktail we did the year the theme was mode! Very London in the late ’60’s early ’70’s. Twiggy. Very Andy Warhol and all that don’t you know.

This year the trick is to make a cocktail that looks like something it is not. The Champagne cocktail always goes with the first course which this year is “Take two and call me in the morning.” Here is a picture of JUST the cocktail. More on the whole course in a later posting. Can you guess what the cocktail is this year? Go ahead. Post a comment.

The signature cocktail for the bar still has to be decided. Any ideas would be much appreciated. You can post them in the comments section below or send me a private e-mail. We like to have something that is easy to make in batches (after all there are 60 people in attendance, plus several neighbors show up for cocktails) and it has to be something that is refreshing and not made up entirely of liquor since it is served at the beginning of the evening and there is a LONG way to go until the end!

Sean and Cammie have started in on the experimentation (it was cold and icy today and no one could go to work so what better way to spend the day than DRINKING!) Thanks for your efforts! I know it was a sacrifice! So what do you think it is? Leave a comment if you think you know.

Look for a new bLog post on New Year’s or in the Old Food section in the next day or two. The posts might not be as long as I usually post, but I am committed to keeping things a little more updated!

David

Them bones, them bones, them marrow bones

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:34:42 -0800

I have decided to post a few pictures of the courses we have tested. Comments are welcome on what you think the course actually might be, but I will not be posting the recipes or the “real” dish until after the event. I do not want to spoil the surprise!

Please if you were involved in the testing and know what is being presented DO NOT say anything that will give the masquerade away.

I also will be refining the recipes before the big night. Adding the finishing touches. Working on the descriptions and the titles, etc. Any comments would be helpful.

The first one I am posting is Marrow Bones. Do you think I should just title it “Marrow Bones” or use the more verbose, yet quirky title “Them bones, them bones, them marrow bones”?

Here is how I see it on the menu and a few pictures of the testing dish.

Them bones, them bones, them marrow bones
Succulent marrow bones surrounded by a rich bean bean stew infused with truffles

David

Masquerade - This year's theme

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 10:27:52 -0700

This year’s event is a special themed event and I hesitate to talk to much about the food since I want it to be a surprise for those attending. Everything is masquerading as something else! Pictures after the event for sure but here are the names of the courses so far. The order of the courses has not been set and there might be one or two added or dropped.

Comments more than welcomed!

David

• Take two and call me in the morning
• Them bones, them bones, them marrow bones
• Release your inner artist
• Sometimes you just need some take out
• Life’s short - eat dessert first
• Life’s short - eat dessert TWICE
• Have a coke and a smile
• Close your eyes and think of summer
• Col. Sanders never had it like this
• Not so old fashioned hot fudge sundae
• Do you want fries with that?