Dinner party on saturday for my Boss and her hubby (yoiks!) and some good friends, both old and new. I had a stinking cold and was so congested that I couldn't taste or smell a damn thing, so most of the cooking was done using the force and David as a taster. Nobody pulled a face so I suppose it must have tasted okay in the end
Nibbles: pickled garlic, cornichons, three types of olives
Starters: Mixed game terrine - loin of venison, breast of pheasant, teal, mallard and pigeon, bound with a chicken and pheasant liver mousse, studded with hazelnuts and wild mushrooms. Served with a port reduction sauce (reduced wayyyy too much and consequently stuck to the plate like it was part of the pattern!) Also homemade quince and apple chutney and toasted brioche. The terrine looked fine until I started cutting it but then fell apart a bit; time to sharpen the knives.
Main course: Roast saddle of hare with a celeriac and carrot puree, pithivier of braised leg meat, sauce au poivre. Side dishes of white beans (not enough) and potatoes au gratin (too much cream). A nice dish, the hare didn't taste as gamey as it smelled, pithiviers were fun to make and tasty too.
Dessert: Deconstructed tarte tatin. Poached red apple slices encasing a green apple mousse with caramalised yellow apple pieces at the core. A puff pastry 'halo' and a caramel apple sauce. There should have been some caramel encased hazelnuts served with this, but they had to be made al a minute and I just wasn't feeling up to it. Also apologies for the blurryness of this picture, I think the photographer was a little pished by this time
A great evening and as always the company was far superior to the food.
