Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Scenes from a Feast: The Menu





















Dwayne and Mark brought lovely little filo bird nests stuffed with Gruyere, onion and pear. There weren't many left.


















Second course was a creamy butternut squash & ginger soup with garlic crouton. We had a wee guest of 4, who came up to me with her bowl and said, "Very good soup, thank you. I'd like more, please". And that is also the point at which the Children's Table vacated, the 2 little girls into The Child's room to play princess and The Child and C., who is 10, off to the family room to play computer games.

Salad was a mesclun mix with sugared pecans and dried cherries, in a shallot vinaigrette.

(Here's the trick; it is the yummiest dressing ever:

Shallot Vinaigrette
An hour or two before making your salad put 1 Tablespoon of good quality vinegar (red wine or sherry) into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Into another bowl place about 1 T. of minced shallot and 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil. Let them sit on the counter and just before salad time, whisk the vinegar and oil together and toss with the salad. I don't know what it is about steeping the shallots in oil but it is a little vat of yum).

Then it was time to announce, "Lords and ladies, please be upstanding for the goose".
The Spouse is just wicked with a roasted bird.















The goose was served with a fabulously rich sauce full of goosey-winey goodness. It was accompanied by pears, marinated in brandy, honey & herbs, which then had their little cavities filled with bleu cheese and were baked until warm and the cheese was melty. This was served on a bed of fennel and other greens that Dwayne had brought along. There was sage & onion dressing, cranberry relish and haricot vert tossed with caramelized shallots.

Some time later, after the gifts and crackers, it was time for eggnog cake served with a late harvest Reisling. Here, have a glass.

















The Dog got 2 tiny bits of goose and was allowed to lick the roasting rack. He was very happy.

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12 Comments:

Blogger Br. Jonathan opined...

You should definitely write food reviews. I'm still chuckling over the phrase, "Goosey-winey."

December 26, 2006 11:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous opined...

(smacks lips)
That was an experience just reading about it - think I'd fall over stiff if I were actually to partake of such a fine feast. Y'all sure know how to throw down! Yeeha! Oh and (swipe)"a little vat of yum" is mine now. All mine.

December 26, 2006 1:12 PM  
Blogger Lorraine opined...

J: The Spouse made a stock with goose parts and other things and I thought he was mad because, well, you know how fatty goose is. But it was just a wonderful thing.

Eva: Sorry, the line has been trademarked and in use around here, in various permutations, since Carnevale of '99. You may borrow it any time you like, however.

Charlie: No swiping of dogs at Christmas, please.

December 26, 2006 3:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous opined...

Drat!

December 26, 2006 3:25 PM  
Blogger Seattle Coffee Girl opined...

All hail the Christmas goose! EXQUISITE...thank you for sharing the feast with those of us who could not be present...both invited guests and blogger fans! :)

December 26, 2006 5:08 PM  
Blogger Sling opined...

I ate so many of the delicious brandied pears,I forgot to save room for eggnog cake!...(swipes some eggnog cake for later)

December 26, 2006 5:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous opined...

OK, I have to confess--and I'm NOT a cook, mind you (Lefty Tude can attest to this!!)--but I have no idea what shallots are--or how they taste! Please enlighten me!! *smiles*

-MHP :)

December 26, 2006 7:26 PM  
Blogger Grish opined...

Looks like good times!

December 27, 2006 12:39 AM  
Blogger Lorraine opined...

SCC, Sorry you missed it but if you beat that flu of yours, you'll have brined turkey at SFYS...does that help?

Sling, I wondered what happened to the left-over pears...

Miss HP, Shallots are from the onion family. They are smaller than an onion, with a purply-brown skin and purplish flesh. They are milder than onions...sorta a cross between leeks and onions flavor-wise. All those allium family members are more or less interchangeable with each other (if you don't have shallot, you can substitute onion, etc). but shallots are fun to have around and worth it for this dressing. Try it and see.

Very good times, Grish.

December 27, 2006 10:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous opined...

Thanks for the explanation of shallots, Lorraine! :)

--MHP :)

December 27, 2006 7:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous opined...

Thanks for the explanation of shallots, Lorraine! :)

--MHP :)

December 27, 2006 7:50 PM  
Blogger Br. Jonathan opined...

Shallots 101 will be MHP's next cooking lesson. We'll definitely make your dressing. I'll have everythng on hand for her next visit.

December 28, 2006 12:54 PM  

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