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Jack's Birthday Bash


jackal10

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Last night's dinner.

My partner says this is showing off, but so be it.

Multiple graphic intensive posts. I'm also a little hung-over, so there will be typos...

Please ask if you need any recipes or more details. Share and enjoy!

First: mise en scene

We are eating in the kitchen...

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Interested onlooker, just outside the windows (no, we are not having pheasent)

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Ready...

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The wines:

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Not shown (chilling in the fridge):

1998 Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique Millesime

Brilliant straw-yellow hue with a lively mousse. Melon, pear and yeast aromas. Medium-full with good weight on the palate, this has ripe fruit, nice length in the finish and a lively streak of acidity. 94 points (Tastings.com)

1991 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg

The Gewurztraminers are stunning in 1991..... It is spectacular, with full-bodied flavors, and a perfumed, intense aroma 93 points (Parker)

1990 Château Batailley Pauillac

Beautiful wine. Very dark ruby-red. Wonderful blackberry, mineral and violet aromas. Full-bodied, with round and velvety tannins and a long, beautifully fruity finish 92 points (Wine Spectator)

I laid down a case en primeur - now time to start drinking them.

1989 Clos de Ste Catherine Coteaux du Layon

I'm very fond of these old sweet Loire wines, now drying a little. Sweet, unctuous but not cloying 91 points (Parker)

1977 Grahams Port

Deep purple-ruby, with intense floral, cassis and prune aromas, full-bodied, with plenty of fruitand extremely hard tannins. (90 WS)

)

Edited by jackal10 (log)
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1. Amuse 1: Foie Gras Truffee, Champagne Jelly, Smoked Salt, Cracked pepper, Spelt toast.

The champagne jelly was following a recent thread, with gold leaf to provide sparkle:

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Sourdough spelt miche:

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Toast (handed seperately) Should have made more

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Ready to go:

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Amuse 3: Stuffed pig's trotter, Jerusalem artichoke puree, coffee and garlic warm jelly.

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Pig;s trotter is stuffed with a fine chicken mousseline, more truffle, pied de mouton and trumpet de mort mushroom, then sliced.

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The coffe and garlic agar gell was inspired by Peter Barham's lecture: http://www.katho.be/hivb/culinologie/index-en.asp

Its one of those combinations that comes from looking for common chemicals.

tasts ort of like deep, slightly bitter garlic.

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5. Fillet of Sole Florentine.

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Poached turban of Dover sole, Spinch Puree, Mornay (cheese - PArmesan and Gruyere) sauce, Macaroni cheese.

Classic Cuisine, straight out of Escoffier, but modern presentation.

Edited by jackal10 (log)
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7. Slow roast rib of beef

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The beef is local Dexter, hung for 28 days, 12 hour roast in a 60C oven final temperature 57C.

Served with

Baby Yorkshire puddings

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Honey glazed carrots

Maple syrup glazed parsnips

Roast Exquisa potatoes

Sprouts and Chestnuts

Broccoli

Balsmic roast shallots

Demi glace jus.

These were served at table. Plating and photography getting a bit shaky under the influence of alcohol..

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Last night's dinner.

My partner says this is showing off, but so be it.

isn't that what eGullet is for? :smile:

happy birthday, and that is one stunningly beautiful dinner. How long did it take you to cook all that.. and did you have help?

The 3 amuses alone would be an excellent dinner!

the golden jelly is just gorgeous.

edited to add: just saw course # 12.. that was a LOT of food!

Edited by Chufi (log)
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Thank you Chufi.

I must admit we were a bit full towards the end, even though the portions were doll size.

I made the stocks and the demi-glace at the weekend

I made the breads Wednesday. Sourdough improves with a couple of days standing.

Thursday was shopping and most of the prep.

Friday afternoon was the cooking from about 3pm on.

Fabien (fabpe here) helped on Friday. He is much more precise and visual than I am, and his plating is much better.

We sat down at 7.15pm, and the party broke up about midnight, since various people had things to do and planes to catch early next day

My partner Jill made the trifle, and bless her, did most of the clearing up, which took until about 3am.

We are both moving slowly today...

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Very nicely done Jack! I'd be interested in learning more about the making of the champagne jelly (brilliant use of gold leaf) and the apple champagne foam. And the picture shows a Grahams port, not a Warre?

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Very nicely done Jack!  I'd be interested in learning more about the making of the champagne jelly (brilliant use of gold leaf) and the apple champagne foam.  And the picture shows a Grahams port, not a Warre?

Thanks I said I was not awake when I wrote that. Now corrected.

Champagne jelly (from the thread)

Make a simple syrup with 50g sugar dissolved in 50g water, warmed to dissolve

Soften 3 sheets of gelatine in it and stir until dissolved

Mix in 375ml (half a bottle) of champagne

Pour into a half size baking tray lined with clingfilm.

Fleck the surface with edible gold leaf, It doesn't take much - thie used about one sheet say 2inch x 2inch, maybe $2 worth, but you can buy ready cut petals,

Let set overnight in the fridge

Slice into small cubes (brunoise)

Apple and Champagne foam

250ml apple juice

125ml Champagne (drink the rest)

Juice of a lemon

75g sugar

10g Apple Jack

4 leaves gelatine

Mix all together, except the champagne and dissolve the gelatine in the warm liquid.

Add the champagne.

Put into an ISI whipper and charge with 2 cartridges gas. Needs to be at room temperature or slightly warm, otherwise it sets.

Put into shot glasses. Once dispensed it will hold only for a few minutes,

Edited by jackal10 (log)
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Very nice Jack. Your bread looked great as usual. I think the Foie and jelly looked amazing. And your consomme looks delicious.

Was the Garlic and Coffee jelly good? I find the pairing slightly jarring though I love anything that's "agared" up!

Well done - shame your guests didn't stay a little later. If I was served that meal I'd still be there today. :biggrin:

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Certainly a birthday meal to remember! I too am curious as to how the coffee and garlic jelly turned out. Was this a "big one" or just a run-of-the-mill birthday? :wink:

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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It was just an ordinary birthday.

The coffee and garlic was good but needs work. I think I made the coffee too dominant in this application - it re-inforces the garlic.

Peter Barham's example was a garlic creme, with an expresso poured over. Cream would have helped, and made the oil soluble garlic flavour better.

He also remarked that garlic and chocolate is horrible, but garlic/coffee/chocolate delicious.

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Wow. What a great dinner and what a great post! Thanks. And of course Happy Birthday !!

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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Incredibly beautiful to my sleepy eyes this morning---what a lovely way to celebrate!!

I "do" everybody's birthday, and especially enjoy doing my own. Never anything on that scale of difficulty or proportion, but I loved seeing your presentations and imagining the tastes, course after course.

Chris just passed behind me as I was looking at the beef, and as I scrolled down, he said, "Whoa!!! Go back to that roast!"

Just wonderful, and Happy Birthday.

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It was just an ordinary birthday.

The coffee and garlic was good but needs work. I think I made the coffee too dominant in this application - it re-inforces the garlic.

Peter Barham's example was a garlic creme, with an expresso poured over. Cream would have helped, and made the oil soluble garlic flavour better.

He also remarked that garlic and chocolate is horrible, but garlic/coffee/chocolate delicious.

If that was for "just an ordinary birthday", I'm not sure I have the capability of imagining what you might do for a "special" one. :laugh: Nice.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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