Modern Provençal Dinner Party
Vegetable Course with Tarragon Lentils and Glazed Carrots
Modern Provençal Dinner Party
The Dinner Menu for 12
I spent three months in Northern Provence this past summer, and was missing those beautiful flavors. For this dinner party, I developed a menu around some of my favorite Provence foods and included a few staples from the Pacific Northwest, kale and beets. After all, we are in Portland Oregon. Chick Wells, a very knowledgeable wine friend I met this winter, paired each dish with wine. The evening turned out fantastic!
The Dinner Menu
In the Salon to Start
To set the tone for this dinner party, we started in the salon with a light citrus appetizer, shrimp endive leaves, and aged champagne. The champagne was a special treat from Chick. Both of these wines paired beautifully with the appetizer.
Shrimp Endive Leaves
Chick explaining the wines he brought to pair with the appetizer
- 2002 Champagne Montaudon Brut Millesime
- Prismé Pinot Noir Blanc, Willamette Valley, Anne Amie Vineyards
At the Table, Cream of Fennel Soup
We moved to the table for cream of fennel soup for the first sit down course. I like starting with soup because it tastes good and makes a nice presentation at the table when people sit down. Because fennel is a staple vegetable in France, it was perfect for this dinner menu. I garnished it with an herbed chive oil and fennel fronds. Chick paired the food perfectly with the following two wines.
Cream of Fennel Soup with chive oil
Paired nicely with the Cream of Fennel Soup.
The Vegetable Course:
Roasted Glazed Carrots and Tarragon Lentils
Next, we had a vegetable course with tarragon lentils and sherry glazed carrots. My favorite lentils are these little puy french lentils. They hold their shape and are not as mushy as some others. Plus they are more peppery. Tarragon is a prominent flavor in Provence and gives a brightness to the earthly quality of the lentils. Surprisingly, tarragon dries well and holds it's flavor, unlike other summer delicate herbs such as basil. The plate was garnished with an herbed chive oil and fresh tarragon.
Glazed Carrots with Puy Tarragon Lentils with Chive Oil
- 2011 Sangiovese Seghesio
- 2007 Clos de Sieta Mendoza
- 2011 brunello di montalcino
Some people were ready to move onto red wine with the lentils. Therefor, Chick opened these wines in which he brought to pair with the main course. They crossed over into both courses.
The Main Course:
Seared Duck Breast with Beet Purée
I can't remember the first time I had duck, but I bet it was in France. It's a staple dish now in which I serve at many dinner parties. It used to be hard to find in America, but it's much easier now. It's usually in the freezer section in main stream grocery stores. Over the years, I've had very successful and not successful duck. I find it's best with nothing other than salt. Therefor, it's all about the method of cooking it perfectly, in which I've finally mastered. Here, I made seared duck breasts served with beet purée, and lemon kale. The sauce was a peach demi-glace. Garnished with and a little drizzle of herbed chive oil and chives.
Seared duck breast with beet purée, peach demi-glace and lemon kale
Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, and the Dessert
The beloved cheese course! Who doesn't love this course! It was demolished by the end. I served the cheese with a butter lettuce salad with a simple vinaigrette. Dinner party traditions is to have the salad course after the main course, then the cheese course. I like to put these two courses together because I like the acidity from the salad dressing with the cheese.
- Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills
Chick paired a 2007 Atrerberry Maresh from Dundee Hills with the cheese. It was perfect!
With the dessert, Chick brought a lovely Sauternes. This paired with three varieties of gelato we had for dessert. Actually, it didn't need the dessert, it was lovely on it's own.
Aged Sauternes Chick Brought for Dessert
chateau lafaurie peyraguet 1986
It was a lovely evening!
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