the first of my 5-course dinner parties
new friends and lots of laughter!
december 8th
Twelve happy dinner guests enjoyed poulet confit as part of this 5-course dinner party
I’m so happy the dinner party turned out so well! Especially because during the day while I was busily preparing for this dinner party, I realized the outdoor lights did not work. Somehow, a short in the wire… what! Fortunately, I had a long enough extension cord and a wreath to light up the entrance.
It turned into a lovely evening! And I had the best help, Roy and Marlene!!! Roy piped in all of the goat cheese mousse into Parmesan crisps, a recipe from Thomas Keller.
Appetizers and champagne in the salon
We started in the salon so my guests could all meet one another before choosing their seats at the dinner table. Thanks to Shirley Brooks, a good friend and one of my dinner guests, Elk Cove Vineyard’s contributed a couple of their bottles of La Bohème Brut Rosé. In additions, another good friend and dinner guest, Dominique Mahe donated Furioso’s Spirito Burt Rosé which was lovely as well! I highly encourage you to try these pretty sparklings, they were both dry and perfectly matched the mousse. Right now, Elk Cove has a few great holiday specials.
The Soup course
My guests moved to the dinner table for the soup course, which was cauliflower velouté garnished with shaved truffles I brought back from France and fresh chopped chives. I served a couple of browned potato wedges drizzled with truffle oil then tossed with Parmesan and parsley. They also had bread from baker and spice, thanks to my friend and kitchen helper Marlene.
The soup was paired beautifully with Elk Cove’s Pinot Gris (thank you again Shirley and Elk Cove!) and Furioso’s Chardonnay (Thanks Dom and Furioso!)
Poulet confit, the main course
The main course was poulet confit. This was based on a traditional duck confit recipe. I’ll post the recipe soon. Of course, the sauce was très bonne! I made it using home made chicken stock, shallots, balsamic vinegar, and my mirabelle confiture that I made in France from the tree outside of my apartment. After the confit was cooked for 6 hours in a 225 degree oven in duck fat, I browned it and finished it off with a sherry mirabelle glaze. This was served with black rice. Of course, paired beautifully with a few bottles of Elk Cove’s fantastic 2016 Mount Richmond Pinot Noir from Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
Salad and cheese
Next up was the salad and cheese course. I love the two together. My salad dressing has a nice acidity that complements the cheese. It was paired with this nice Willamette Valley Reisling thanks to Elk Cove Vineyards. It was perfect. Plus another guest, Jeff of EcoTours, shared a Winderlea Vineyard and Winery 2016 Chardonnay.
Pots de chocolat for dessert
Ahhh… the dessert, pots de chocolat à l’orange. My friend Santha made these lovely pots de chocolat prepared in these cute cups. Then Roy, my chef help, made the perfect whipped cream that was topped with the candied orange peel. Just lovely!
The dessert was perfectly paired with this Broadbent Madeira Reserve, 5 years old brought by my dear friend Chick. This was much appreciated by the guests!
I want to thank my guests for coming and contributing, Elk Cove and Furioso for giving the gifts of wine, Chick and Jeff for adding to the gifts of wine. Also, a special thank you to my kitchen help, I couldn’t have done it without Marlene and Roy! And another special thank you to Vonda for helping me organize these dinners!
Two spots left on the last dinner, Tuesday, January 7th. Please share with your friends if you know someone that would like to come.
Very Warmly,
Karen