Winter Wonderland -/ 1/09/2021

Table decoration The food

The food

I was totally inspired by the festive and luxurious feel of winter and so I wanted to create a feast by cooking dishes from the French Laundry.  The French Laundry dishes are really labor intensive but they are so special that I wanted to start the new year with a great meal amongst friends.  2020 has been such a difficult year and a year we will never forgot because of COVID.  We are all so sick of staying home and finding a time to be with friends and share a great meal is something I am looking for these days.  We are also happy to count our blessings that we are healthy and safe.

Wine have been poor so let's start!

First Course: White Truffle oil infused custard with caviar and Salad of Haricot Vert with prosciutto

I am platting the first amuse bouche.

 

On the left you have a Salad of Haricot vert on a bed of slow roasted tomatoes and topped with prosciutto.  Loan and Minh went to San Francisco to get the special prosciutto.

On the right is a white truffle infused custard topped with caviar (the caviar is from Huyen and Phuc).  At the French Laundry, the caviar was not included but I added it to make it more luxurious.

 


Close look a the egg custard with caviar
Click on LINK to see preparation

Close look at the Salad of Haricot Vert

Click on LINK to see preparation

 

This is a portion for two people.

 

I served the truffle oil infused custard many times but this is the first caviar was added and it took it to another level.

 

2nd Amuse bouche: Salmon Cornet and Bacon with egg

Platting the 2nd amuse bouche.

 

On the left you have a salmon Cornet and on the right it is bacon with eggs.

 

At the French laundry the cornet is rolled up to a cone but it difficult to roll so I decided to serve it flat.  I actually I like this way better because you get a lot more filling this way.

Click on LINK to see preparation

Bacon and eggs.  The quail eggs are poached then simmered in a Beurre Monté (emulsify butter) and Brunoise (Leek, carrot, daikon), topped with crispy bacon.

So yummy!

 

3rd Course: Macaroni and Cheese

This is the iconic dish at the French laundry.  The broth is labor intensive but the results is a wonderful broth that is worth all the effort.

It is called Macaroni and cheese but it has nothing to do with what you think of a classic Macaroni and cheese dish.

 Click on LINK to see preparation

 

Basically the dish is made with a creamy shrimp bisque combined with enriched orzo pasta with mascarpone.

The giant prawn is sautéed and then gently poached in butter and finished with a parmesan crisp wafer.

At the French Laundry they used Lobster but here I substituted with prawns because it is a lot easier to prepare.

 

This dish so flavorful and so satisfying!  I think this was the favorite dish of the evening.

 

4th Course: Pan seared Mt. Lassen trout, lobster ravioli, Spinach puree, caramelized carrots and Pearl onions onions

  

Mark's brother in law is an avid fisherman and he caught so many trout over the years.  I was lucky enough to get a large (3 to 4 pound) fresh trout but it is too much for just me and Hoa so I cleaned the fish and froze it and tonight is the perfect occasion to feature Trout on the menu.  Let me tell that freshly caught trout taste totally different from the one you get from the store.  The Fish has a sweet and salty smell of the ocean and because the trout is fed with some type of crustaceans, the meat is orange almost like salmon.

 

The trout is simply pan fried and I served it caramelized carrots and onions.  Next, I paired it with lobster ravioli in seafood reduction sauce and served both on a bed of creamy spinach puree.

 

Close look at the dish.

 

5th Course: Pan Seared Moulard Duck breast, balsamic cherry reduction sauce on a bed of mushroom

Platting the dish...

 

Ending the meal with pan seared moulard duck breast with a cherry balsamic sauce and served with an assortment of sautéed mushrooms in a light creamy sauce.

 

Close look at the dish.

 

Desserts

Cappuccino semifreddo and cinnamon sugar doughnuts

For desserts I decided to make a Cappuccino semifreddo with cinnamon sugar doughnuts and known as Coffee and doughnuts at the French Laundry! 

I love donughts so this is a good way to end the meal.

 

Cappuccino semifreddo.  What is a Semifreddo?  It is a class of semi-frozen desserts. The main ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, and cream. It has the texture of frozen mousse.

Click on LINK to see preparation

 

Caramel topped semolina cake

Semolina cake is like a pudding like cake almost like fine grained polenta dotted with raisins and coated in a layer of caramel like a flan.

I love this cake and it is really delicious.

Click on LINK to see preparation

 

Putting all the desserts out on the counter...

 

Desserts overview.

 

Ending the meal with a poker game...

It was a really great dinner but the most important thing is we had so much good time and we all enjoy each other company.

Until the next Meal!

 Filed under: Dinner Parties

 

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