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.