Dinner Menus – Second Sunday Supper Circle

Spring is Sprung

19960609

I guess pretty self-explanatory, a dinner exploring all the beautiful spring produce that was in the market at the time…

Salad of Vine Ripened Yellow Tomatoes, Asparagus, Fiore di Sardegna
N.V. Clinton Vineyards Seyval Natural

Sesame Fried Soft Shell Crabs, Grilled Spring Onions
1994 Araujo “Eisele Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc

Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup
1993 de Wetshof “d’Honneur” Chardonnay

Radiatore with Pheasant & Morel Sauce
1993 Domaine Cheysson Chiroubles

Vermont Farm Cheddar & Tourree de l’Anbier
1987 Marchesi Antinori Solari

Fresh Strawberries & Mint Cream, Rhubarb Sorbet

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An Evening of French Inspired Cuisine

19960512

Given the title of the evening, New Jobs & the Search Therefor, I had to think back on this one. With the timing, I was comfortably ensconced working as the wine director at Felidia Ristorante, so it wasn’t me. I think, and it’s only vague remembrance, that two of my core regulars had new jobs – Frank had just moved from the word processing center at one law firm to another, and Bob had a new computer gig with the city or one of their contractors.

Paupiettes de Chou Savoie avec Foie Gras d’Oie a la Vapeur au Fumet de Sauternes
1989 Château Rieussec Sauternes

Pleurote en Huître Grilles avec Ravigote de Noix
N.V. Chandon Rosé Cuvée

Queues d’Ecrevisses et Fougères Tête du Violon au Sauce Bavaroise
1993 Kistler Chardonnay “Durrell Vineyard”

Tournedos a l’Ensuite et Ramps Rôtie
1990 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Les Fromages
Bleu de Bresse, Dry Jack, Le Cornilly

1978 Château Lascombes Margaux

Soufflé au Chocolat et Cerises avec Sirop de Laurel
Café

Since I probably butchered a good percentage of that French, let’s see what I think the dishes probably were:

Goose foie gras wrapped in savoy cabbage and steamed with a Sauternes sauce

Grilled oyster mushrooms with a warm walnut and mustard vinaigrette

Crayfish tails… now Fougères is a place, as is Fàugeres, so I clearly got the word wrong completely – I’m guessing since tête du violon are fiddlehead ferns (and were unlikely to have been imported from Fougères), that what I probably served was a Feuillete, or puff pastry shell filled with the two items. The sauce would be a blood orange hollandaise.

I honestly don’t even have a guess as to what I meant by “a l’Ensuite”, the latter word simply meaning “then” or “after”, but the tournedos would be essentially a round tenderloin steak, and ramps, the wild leeks, I clearly just didn’t know the French word for them, roasted.

The cheeses were the cheeses. The dessert was a chocolate and cherry souffle with bay leaf syrup.

And these days, I complain about badly translated menus.

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Sailing the Isles of the Atlantic

19960414

A little tour through the Atlantic island countries, each dish representing a different cuisine.

First Port of Call
Iceland
Poached Cod with Cardamom Sauce

Aalborg Akvavit Cocktails

Second Port of Call
The Canaries
Empanadas with Onion Marmalade

The Sow’s Ear Winery Cider

Third Port of Call
The Madeiras
Madeiran Onion Soup

Domaine Chandon Reserve

Fourth Port of Call
The Azores
Laurel Roasted Beef

1990 Mandos Reserva

Fifth Port of Call
The West Indies
The Ultimate Banana

Caribbean Coffee

The banana dessert is one that I’ve kept around – I more or less reproduced it at Casa SaltShaker here, but have since gone on to tweak it significantly.

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Welcome to Chocolate Town, U.S.A.

19960211

I don’t remember where the idea came from. Probably some online cooking show, or maybe an article in a trade magazine, of putting together an “all chocolate” dinner. It was an idea that I later offered up a new take on at Casa SaltShaker, more than once.

Welcome to Chocolate Town, U.S.A.
starring
Cacao Theobroma

Bean of a Thousand Guises

Act I
Aztec Chocolate Soup with Duck Liver Toast

N.V. Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs

Act II
Spiced Bay Scallop Napoleon with a
Cabernet & Chocolate Reduction

1990 Querbach Riesling Spätlese

Act III
Rabbit Braised in Chocolate & Port Sauce

1992 Leasingham Domaine Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec

Act IV
White Chocolate Sorbet, Fresh Strawberries,
Pineapple-Ginger Syrup

1991 Ridge Zinfandel Essence

Act V
Krumiri

Chocolate Sin

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Nuts Nuts Nuts…

19960114

A menu chock-ful of nuts!

Fennel Salad with American and Israeli Persimmons, Pecans and a Pernod-Mustard Vinaigrette
N.V. Gruet Brut

Grafton Cheddar Soup with Spinach, Mizuna & Walnuts, Cranberry Bannock
1991 Umberto Cesari Albana di Romagna ‘Colle del Re’

Braised Five Spice Scented Leg of Lamb with Sauce Paloise, Toasted Cous-Cous, Parsnip Purée & Almonds
1982 Penfolds Grange

Two Chocolate, Cinnamon-Lemon Cheesecake Sandwich, Crushed Hazelnuts, Apricot & Fig Coulis
1991 Giovanni Dri Ramandolo

I remember that dessert particularly – I made discs of swirled together tempered white and dark chocolate and sandwiched rounds of the cheesecake between them, then rolled the edges in the crushed hazelnuts and served it standing on its side atop the fruit puree.

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Human Rights Day Dinner

19951210

It was the 45th anniversary of the UN’s declaration of Human Rights Day, how could we not celebrate. There’s clearly a big gap here from the last dinner – a solid 8 months – I simply don’t have several menus in my files. By this point we’d taken to calling the near monthly gathering the Second Sunday Supper Circle, and at the time, three friends, Frank Rocca, Ross Turin, and Bob Karelitz, had become pretty much the core regulars of the group, with space at the table for invites to two additional people each time, more only if one of the regulars begged off. A rarity.

“Men who have blazed new paths for civilization have always been precedent breakers. It is never the man who believes in his own ideas; who can think and act without a crowd to back him; who is not afraid to stand alone; who is bold, original, resourceful; who has the courage to go where others have never been, to do what others have never done, who accomplishes things, who leave a mark on his times. Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common ones, and make them great.”

– Orison Swett Marden, doctor, writer and hotelier

Serrano Ham with Fresh Marjoram, Rose Petals, Cracked Peppercorns, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Roasted Vegetable Broth with Pommery Mustard Spaetzle and Horseradish Prawns

Sweet Potato & Shiitake Ravioli in a Pool of White Truffle and Chive Cream

Roasted Marinated Sea Bass with Baked Lemon and Garlic Potatoes

Mixed Herb Salad with Epoisses Toast

Cherry Genoise with Black Walnut Buttercream and Slivovitz Syrup

Thinking about it, the mustard spaetzle were straight out of the Charlie Trotter playbook, the ravioli were a re-creation of a dish I tried at the NYC based Troisgros restaurant CT, and the lemon and garlic potatoes are a personal favorite out of the Deaf Smith Cookbook.

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Accent on Fruit

19951112

Hey, I only had a menu in my files that had clearly become stained from being on the table during dinner. Such is life. I was playing with some ideas I got from working at American Renaissance, by then closed, from chef Eric Blauberg – who was a big proponent of fruit in savory dishes.

Squid Sashimi on Cellophane Noodles with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1989 Métaireau Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine sur lie “Grand Mouton”

Roast Lobster Salad, Fresh Mango, Oscetra Caviar and Cauliflower Cream
1987 Argyle Cuvée Limited Rosé

Chilled Melon and Potato Soup

Tamarind and Sesame Marinated Veal with Champagne Chanterelle Risotto
1988 Boisson-Morey Meursault-Goutte d’Or 1er Cru

Peach and Lillet Granité, Shaved Saint Nectaire Cheese

Individual White Chocolate Tarts Infused with Pear Skins
Etienne Brana Framboise

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Food For The Night

19951008

I think these were served in the order starting with the caviar and then going clockwise from there, but who remembers? A couple of details stand out – the Pommery mustard sauce was an inspiration from a meal at Charlie Trotter’s, where I’d gone for an interview to be his head sommelier at his soon to be opening Las Vegas restaurant – I spent a day between the kitchen and dining room, then sat down to a full tasting menu, spent the night at his home, and then flew back to NYC. I didn’t get the job, which turned out to be a blessing as I doubt I’d have liked Las Vegas as a place to live, and the restaurant didn’t last long. The scallops with the sherry bacon vinaigrette was a riff on an amuse bouche we served at Mondrian restaurant when I interned under Tom Colicchio after having gone back to school to hone some skills.

Osetra Caviar & Creme Fraiche

Salmon & Sea Bass Sashimi &
Beef Tartare, Lime, Mint &
Pommery Mustard Sauce

Tomato Herb Broth,
Seared Sea Scallops
& Sherry Bacon Sauce

Pan Roast Duck Breast, Celeriac Purée,
Swiss Chard, Roasted Shallots,
& Tangerine Reduction Sauce

Mascarpone Basilica & Bartlett Pears

Almond Tuiles,
Earl Grey Ice Cream
& Cocoa Dust

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