Feasting: A Study in Decadence

Hello, again! I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to get this post up, the weekend really wore me out. It was however, the most fun I've had in a very long time. The feast was amazing. For several hours there was one amazing dish after another. In all of the excitement and kitchen-side hustle and bustle I did forget to photograph some of the dishes. On others the picture quality is less than phenomenal because of the lower lighting. I am still however rather excited to share the menu and the pictures that I have with you. 

We started the evening with bowls of bread and aioli (which the love of my life made and it was AMAZING.) We also served cheese trays which had colby jack cubes, and goat cheese rolls, a beautiful pear bleu cheese, and marinated mozzarella balls. There were pickle trays as well that included pickled peppers, baby dills, pickles asparagus, an assortment of olives and marinated artichoke hearts.

As the final dish served during the first remove was this heavenly seafood stew. It had clams, mussels, and pollock as well as lots of garlic and lemon to fill out the flavor.

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Here is the onion pie. I took the picture after it was cut so you would be able to see into the cross section of it as well. This dish starts with a pie shell filled with caramelized onions (see the brown just above the crust.) Then a quice type filling spice with lots of thyme is poured over the onions and the whole thing is baked.

Next came the platters of roasted chicken with artichoke caper butter sauce. The chickens were halved and roasted then plattered and topped with this decadent sauce that was made by simmering down chicken stock, artichoke hearts, capers and what else but butter.

The next dish was my favorite of the evening because of its fanciful nature. They were little delightful rose tarts. Though much like cheese cake baked into a tart shell, these treats were distinguished by being flavored with rose water. It doesn't take much to get that just right floral hint though. Next they were topped with sugared rose petals and spritzed with a final bit of rose water to add that superb aromatic element.

We also had amazing baked apples. They were cored then honey was drizzled into the cavaties before they were filled with an amazing spiced barley stuffing. The barley stuffing was prepared with lots of spices such as cinnamon, rosemary, and lots of ground fennel seeds as well as dried currants and dates. I am sorry to say the picture was taken at the servers table, and not from a beautiful platter because I nearly forgot to photograph them.

Next we had platters of roast carrots and onions. This simple dish of root vegetables roasted in olive oil was so wonderful and light served beside such amazing rich dishes.

We also had mushrooms that were drizzled in olive oil and roasted separately. These were served in bowls, swimming in the rich brown broth that they produced with cooking. I have to say I ate my fair share of these wonderful little morsels between serving courses.

Next came platters of roast beef in a mustard sauce. The sauce was made with a lovely grainy brown mustard and drippings from the roast beef. This was simmered for hours and poured over the roast just before they were presented to the tables.

If this all has not been enough of a study in decadence for you look at this last wonderful dish we served. It is cooked cream (yes we used the real deal to make it) with a strawberry compote. The cream is sweetend and cooked with gelatin and then set in serving bowls. It is somewhere between the consistancy of jello and pudding with all the smoothness of butter melting on your tongue. Topped with the sweet-tart berry compote is really is just a little scoop of heaven.

So today we weren't looking at gluten free or light fair by any means, but rather at a celebration of food and the wonderful things we can do with it.

Tomorrow I hope to be posting about making (crossing my fingers taht this is successful) gluten-free bread from scratch the first time. This morning I was doing my research... to see how to make it lighter and chewier and generally more of a good sandwich bread. So, wish me luck and check back to see how it goes!