Sunday 1 January 2017

Capo d'Anno 2016

Ten for dinner - all the usual suspects - and the Technical Dept's expert stage management meant that we finished the sixth (and final) course with just two minutes to spare before fireworks took place on the agrumi lawn.Three different sorts of canapé, washed down with a variety of bottles of fizz, then smoked salmon (russian, a side of) with Reisling; scallops and romesco sauce, with Gewurtz; a sorbet of tomato and basil; three kinds of duck (grilled magret; confited legs; and a boudin blanc of minced duck & pork), along with a purée of salsify, and a magnum of Barbaresco 2009; a vacherin, brought back from Strasbourg a month ago, and nursed since then in the pantry fridge, served with an eye-wateringly good Avvolture 2003, and fata-in-casa walnut bread; and, to finish, spit-roast pineapple, served with coconut ice cream and a sauce of banana, ginger and chilli. We were supposed then to have figs dipped in chocolate...but owing to a general collapse-of-stout-party at that point, the figs were spared to fight another day.

The mise en scene...


The kitchen...while all was still looking organised


In preparation for the grand decanting

The calm before the storm - a sea of light and glasses...

And the menu. Soup to nuts, and everything in between.

Tonight's Dinner:

Leftovers!