We have fallen off the entertaining wagon and wanted to get back on. I don’t know why this year we’ve been so reluctant to entertain. When I queried the dinner guests for a date the first one available for all of us turned out to be Nick’s birthday. Good reason to celebrate.
I wanted to go all out to get back in the groove of things. This involved several days of cooking ahead so that when the evening came around I wasn’t stuck in the kitchen for the whole time. I set up the camera in the kitchen with the intention of taking a bunch of pictures to post, but in the end only came away with a few. Getting the hot food out of the kitchen ended up being more important than getting a photo of it.
I’ve made Peas & Carrots several times before, but never has it come out so well. It’s pictured above. It’s a chive crepe filled with lobster, mascarpone cheese, chives and lobster glacé served on a pool of carrot sauce and topped with a pea shoot salad. People were shy about using their bread to get all the sauce off the plate until I mentioned that I had no problem with that.
I didn’t get a picture of Rabbit Two Ways and it’s just as well, it was kind of a bland looking plate. I totally forgot to have chopped parsley ready for garnish. The left side had the rabbit saddles that had been wrapped together in bacon, cooked sous-vide and then seared off in a pan before serving. The sauce was made from hours of reduction of a stock made with the rabbit bones. This was a Keller “quick” sauce. It took three hours! I have to admit this left side blew me away.
The right side of the rabbit plate had Lydia Bastianich’s Pappardelle with Rabbit Sugomade from the legs. It was tasty and delicious, but kind of got out shined by the saddle. The leftovers were really tasty and served alone would have impressed most anyone.
We finished the meal with the tarts. They were really good, but the meringue was outstanding. Soft and moist, but cooked, with the browned exterior and oh so yummy.
| Le Menu House made Charcuterie & cheese Cream of Cauliflower Soup from Ad Hoc at Home Peas & Carrots from The French Laundry Cookbook Rabbit Two Ways from Under Pressure & Lydia’s Italy Lemon-Almond Meringue Tarts from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking |