So, in several weeks we're hosting a dinner party for a local restaurant owner, a food writer, and their spouses.

I wanted to design a menu that celebrates Spring, and this is what I've come up with so far. Just a few ideas about wine pairings so far.

Appetizer:
* Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Roasted Pepper, and Basil
* Foie Gras with Mushroom Duxelle on Puff Pastry with Morel Sauce
(Bellini will be served with this)

Fish:
* Halibut with Carrots, Fennel, Lemon, and Garlic

Soup:
* Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon
*or maybe*
* Apple and Chestnut Soup with Spiced Cream (not seasonal; Wendy's favorite)

Pasta:
* Pecorino Ravioli with Walnuts and Marjoram

Entree:
* Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint, Garlic, and Leek (or maybe Pea) Puree
* Asparagus with Bearnaise Sauce

Dessert:
* Chocolate 'flowers' with Cake, Mousse, and Fruit with Melba Sauce (probably a Moscato with this)
* Raspberry Chocolate Truffles (probably port with this)

Strong arms, eh? Does the bear mind or does he let you do your business without much fight?

~fff

I had a couple of thoughts while reading over your menu...which is pretty freaking amazing so far.

-- With the fish course, I'd try Albarino (there should be a tilde over the n). It's a white varietal that is found mostly in Spain (mostly in the Rias Baixas region). It's almost always un-oaked, and it's got that nice crisp acidity to it which (imo) makes it a perfect match for white fish. Others: Pouilly-Fuise, Orvieto

-- With the lamb, I wouldn't stray from France. Honestly, I've yet to come across anything that pairs with lamb like Rhone wines. When God invented little sheep babies for us to eat, He created the Grenache grape at the same time. Okay, that's not even remotely true, but still, the following I would enthusiastically reccomend: Chante Cigale Chateauneuf du Pape, any Hermitage, any Vacqueryas)


Those are the only two courses I had thoughts for. The soups are tough. Oh, though I did have this thought: With the first dessert, did you think of maybe straying from a sweet wine and doing a big red? Often, better domestic Cabs can have mocha or cocoa overtones to them (esp. Apex, Gordon Brothers, and Caymus). One of my greatest pleasures in life is dark chocolate + Cabernet. Just a though.

Why don't you make grilled cheese? It's wicked easy! And nothin' says "Let's celebrate Spring!" like a good grilled cheese.

Grilled cheese paired with a nice Boones Farm Watermelon wine...

~fff

might i suggest an rc cola ™ paired with a nice moon-pie ™ for dessert....

Heat that Moon Pie for a few seconds in the microwave and you're talkin'.

I guess I'm very ignorant about traditional multicourse meals...
there's a fish course? I never knew that...
and two desserts? wow.
i'm pretty familiar with the courses in a french meal, having a french mom and all but i guess i don't how things are really done (I'm still not used to eating salad first...)

Okay, so some things have changed based on discussions and consideration. Here's the very-close-to-final menu:

Welcome:
Bellini
Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms

Appetizer:
Foie Gras with Mushroom Duxelle on Puff Pastry with Morel Sauce

Soup:
Garlic Veloute with Croutons And Prosciutto

Seafood:
Sea Bass Gravlax with Cucumber

Intermezzo:
Cherry Granita

Entree:
Braised Lamb Shanks with Merlot Wine Sauce
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Puree
Bernaise Sauce with Asparagus

Desserts:
Chestnut and Chocolate Cake
Melba Sauce

White Chocolate Mousse with Citrus (because some of us don't adore chocolate)

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Now I'm working on wine pairings...

DO NOT overheat this.....trust me

Last night (Saturday, June 4, 2005) was the dinner I'd been planning for a while. The menu changed considerably since I posted the first cut above. Here's what we ended up with:

* Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms with Panko
Peach Bellini

* Foie Gras & Mushroom Duxelle with Shiraz & Cabernet Reduction
Lunu di Luna Chardonnay Pinot Grigio Champagne

* Garlic Veloute with Croutons & Prosciutto
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier, 2003

* Red Snapper Gravlax with Cucumber & Tomato
Adelsheim Vineyard Oregon Pinot Gris, 2003

* Lemon Sorbet -- Intermezzo

* Loin of Spring Lamb in Provence Crust with Dijon Mustard
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Puree
Spring Asparagus
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, California, 2003

* Cheese Course:
- Holland Smoked Gouda
- 'Laughing Cow' Swiss
- French Munster Haxaire
- French Four Pepper Goat Cheese
- Danish Blue

* Chocolate Chestnut Cake with Melba Sauce
Key Lime Pie
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
Saracco Moscato D'Asti, 2003

no moon pie?

Daaang, Drew. Congrats on putting together what sounds like a fabulous meal! Where did you learn to cook like that?

I made caprese salad last night (difficulty level of 1 out of 10) and I was proud of myself just for making something that used fresh basil.

Sheesh.

Thanks, Samantha. What I was most proud of was the amount of prep work I did ahead of time, so I could be with my guests most of the evening. That was quite nice.

For just about as long as I can remember, I've been interested in cooking and food. I've been a student in Culinary College for about a year and a half now, so I guess that's where I learned to cook like this!

Yeah, impressive drew. For real. I love to cook as well. I guess there's just something about the instant gratification of knowing you did something well, and cooking can provide that. It can also provide the opposite when you burn something to holy hell, but we all screw up sometimes

It looks like you got yourself some good wines too. I still say the the wines of Southern Rhone (Chateuaneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueryas, etc) are the world's best match for lamb, but there's certainly nothing wrong with California Cab.

Hey, we should tooootally publish an Orchard Cook Book! Maybe we could get K&L to sell it at the merch table. We could donate proceeds to some good cause or something.

::mulling::

tooootally. that's such a great idea!