Dinner, NYC, December 16, 2010

This was planned from the beginning to be a large dinner. Attending included the A-girl, Mr. Craig (his other half was unavailable), Marco who left prior to dinner service (and his other half was at a university dig), AAnita, Gregory, Moses, the Monk, and K&D. V&P were overworked, Val otherwise occupied as were Richard and Adam. The Country Mouse is recuperating so 'no' from them also.

The menu from starters:
Chips & Salsa
Almonds and dried Cranberries (served in the grey Portugagese bowls)
Escargot in a traditional garlic, butter, parsley sauce in phylo cups (served directly from the frittata pan)
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup which I reheated with a rosemary infused olive oil and garnished with a whipped creamy pesto (served standing in the Graves cups with Mamaw's spoons)

The buffet was:
Risotto with Parmesean and lemon by the A-girl (served in a covered dish)
Pureed Carrots with a touch of ginger (served in the green Corning)
Wild Mushroom Fricasse (served in a covered dish)
Pork Roast with an apple, raisin and sage red wine sauce served sliced on a large Spode charger

Mixed Green Salad (served in a large flat Spode bowl)
Goat Cheese Plate
2 from an Oregon producer - Rivers Edge
Up in Smoke - a fresh goat wrapped in a smoked maple leaf
Sunset Bay - an aged goat with a thin center line of paprika
Blue Ledge Farm, Lakes Edge Goat - an aged goat with a thin center line of ash
Coach Farm Triple Creme Goat - the name says it all
Goat Gouda - very white and firm
(all served on a large Spode charger)

Lemon Tart with a dollop of creme fraiche (again on a large Spode charger)

Wines: (in order of opening)
Whites
2009 Pinot Grigio, Cupcake Vineyards - decent and light (7.99)
2009 Pouilly Fume, Marcel Langoux - very nice (brought by D)
2009 Fume Blanc, ______________, California
2009 Luberon, La Vieille Ferme (6.99)
2008 Macon-Villages Chamroy, Louis Latour (gift)
Reds
2009 Morgon, Georges Duboeuf - nice with good nose (14.)
2009 Julienas, Henry Fessy - less interesting in the mouth (15.)
2002 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Chateau Rocher Bellevue Figeac - lovely and light
1999 Saint-Emilion, Chateau Simard - depth and flavor for a mediocre year (30.)
2001 Saint-Estephe, Chateau Coutelin-Merville - always a merville!
Champagne
Moet & Chandon Imperial - what's not to like!

We ate dinner on the blue Spode plates with the French forks and the LaGuiole knives. Salad and cheese we ate off the Spode flowers with Mamaw's forks and knives (the A-girl supplemented the latter). Dessert was on the clear gold-rimmed plates with Mamaw's small forks and spoons. We drank from the new Villeroy&Boch glasses. The table was covered in a long white damask cloth topped with a white cotton cloth embroidered with an ecru flower border. The pale blue-green damask dinner napkins and the blue cotton cocktail napkins were also used.

We laughed until almost 1am.