Birthday Dinner Summary
14-Nov-2005
continued from "Birthday Dinner"…
This was such a fun dinner – at least for me and I hope for my friends. As people entered I took their coats and then sent them in to the "bar" where R poured them something from the offerings.
I kept this very simple to minimize the complexity, the work for R and the cost. Basically, people had a choice of a Martini, Vodka Martini or some non-alcoholic beverages. At least one person chose to have their vodka on the rocks, which was fine, too. I also limited this to one drink per person so that R didn’t get stuck behind the bar and, as soon as everyone had something, she could join the group. There was going to be plenty to drink throughout the evening! Once they had their cocktail people moved back to the living room where a dish of Gougére – hot from the oven – and a few bowls of mixed nuts were placed around the room. The focus was the fire. It had been a fairly rainy day and it was nice to sit around the warmth and cheer a fire provides.Most people knew each other but there were a couple dates who had not met everyone before, so they were introduced around. For me, an important part of this dinner was keeping everyone on equal ground. I always hate when a core group of people know each other and have a history and they start talking about things that exclude the people who are newer to the group. It’s a natural occurrence but something you want to minimize, especially in a small group, I think. I’ll talk more about that a bit later.
While everyone finished their cocktails and chatted in the living room, S and I snuck off to the kitchen to shuck oysters. I had two types: Kumamotos and Kusshi. I thought Kumamotos were small but Kusshis have them beat! They are adorable and tasty! On one of my past trips to Cornucopia I learned in an Oyster Class that Kumamotos are best served with orange slices instead of lemon. Their delicate flavor can be overpowered by the lemon. I figured this would be true of the Kusshis, too, so each platter of oysters held a bowl of orange slices and Frozen Champagne Mignonette.
Once the oysters were all shucked everyone took their seats at the table. Each person was presented with a customized menu as a few substitutions were made for those with allergies or food issues. The menu was tucked inside a small bag which also held a small pack of Richart Chocolates. The outside of the bag had the person’s name, which served as their placecard. That’s a little picture of me at 7 months old – I mean it was my birthday, after all! :-) After everyone was seated I removed the dinner plates, as each course would be plated and served. I wanted the plates on the table to start just to keep the table from looking too sparse!
I have a few rules about guest placement around the table. I never place people next to their significant other/date and I try to place guests near others they have something in common with. In this case there were so few of us at the table that really wasn’t a real issue although I still kept that in mind. Sometimes I use that common piece as an ice breaker between people and sometimes I just hope they stumble across it on their own! :-) On this night most of the discussion involved the entire table.
As we started on our oysters, B and N were charged with filling champagne glasses and making sure that everyone’s glass stayed full throughout the evening. They would be switching wines as appropriate for the various courses, as indicated on the menus. The oysters were really great! This was my first time trying Kusshis, I think, and they are really wonderful. As we finished up the oysters, M helped me clear the table and I presented those remaining at the table with a "topic of conversation" a la Linda Richman. This was geared towards keeping the conversation on something that all could participate in. I repeated this at several intervals throughout the evening and involved the guests even more by assigning different people to read different topics and start the conversation. (I had printed them all out on little strips of paper beforehand.) Overall, this worked well, although one of my topics actually caused several people to reminisce about things that a few of them had shared together – not quite the right outcome that time! :-)
The next course was a caviar sampler. Buckwheat blini were smeared with a bit of creme fraiche, then sprinkled with a few chives and, finally, topped with one of three kinds of caviar. I knew a couple of my guests did not care for caviar so instead their blini was topped with three types of smoked fish: salmon, trout and an albacore tuna.
Following the caviar I presented each guest with a little palate cleanser: Vodka-Lemon Sorbet. Just a little something to reset their tastebuds for the next round of the meal. I love serving these little dishes of sorbet! Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of either this course or the one that comes later. But I can tell you that I just place a small scoop in these little dishes that are actually prep bowls and serve them along with a demitasse spoon. They are so adorable!
Next, C helped me serve up the Chestnut Soup with Cognac Cream. This is such a hearty soup and perfect for a chilly day! Although I make it with chicken stock, you could make it with vegetable stock and it would be a really hearty tasting vegetarian dish. The cognac cream swirl on top just adds a nice little contrast – both in color and in taste. Following the soup, E helped me assemble the salads. Although I had billed it as Kicked up Waldorf Salad, while actually making it I decided to keep it fairly conventional only adding dried cranberries for a bit more color. A piece of red radicchio was placed on each salad plate, forming a little cup for the Waldorf Salad. These two courses were accompanied by a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Finally we arrive at the main course! This was the only course that actually required any 
cooking during the dinner. Venison medallions are very quick cooking – in fact you really need to make sure you don’t overcook them as they become tough and dry very quickly. They only need about 2 minutes per side over a medium high heat. After the medallions were cooked, they were placed on a platter and held while the mushrooms were sautéed and then the sauce reduced. I think the entire process only took about 15 to 20 minutes and actually provided a nice little break in the eating process! While the sauce was reducing down, K helped me plate grilled asparagus, and Gnocchi with Roquefort Cream. Then we finished the plates with the venison and Shiitake mushrooms. Yum, yum, yum! (If I do say so myself!) A hearty Merlot was the perfect beverage for the rich flavors on this plate.
cooking during the dinner. Venison medallions are very quick cooking – in fact you really need to make sure you don’t overcook them as they become tough and dry very quickly. They only need about 2 minutes per side over a medium high heat. After the medallions were cooked, they were placed on a platter and held while the mushrooms were sautéed and then the sauce reduced. I think the entire process only took about 15 to 20 minutes and actually provided a nice little break in the eating process! While the sauce was reducing down, K helped me plate grilled asparagus, and Gnocchi with Roquefort Cream. Then we finished the plates with the venison and Shiitake mushrooms. Yum, yum, yum! (If I do say so myself!) A hearty Merlot was the perfect beverage for the rich flavors on this plate.Following the entrée, it was time for another palate cleanser! Okay, I admit I just like the idea of these and wanted to squeeze another one in. The second sorbet of the day was a Poire William sorbet, made with hard pear cider and Poire William. Very fall-ish.
The next course was meant to provide a little break and to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace, as we approached the end of the meal. A selection of cheeses, some grapes and a basket of bread were passed around for people to select what appealed to them. Also at this time, a bottle of port was added to the mix. Finally, B accompanied me to the kitchen where he took care of coffee and tea requests while I sliced the L’Orange tart. This is an amazingly fragrant and moist tart. It was the only new dish I made for the night and it held one little surprise for me. I had imagined a chocolate tart with a hint of orange enhancing the taste. Instead this torte is amazingly orange flavored, crunchy with almonds and brought together with the, almost background flavor, of semi-sweet chocolate. Very, very good. We lingered around the table for a while longer, sharing conversation, enjoying the cake and our final beverages. We were warm and cozy inside around the table, no matter that the fall weather and darkness were waiting outside the door.
This was really a perfect evening for me and everything turned out as I had hoped, maybe even better! Although, it sounds like a lot of food it really wasn’t as each portion was really rather small. And the meal lasted about four hours so it’s not like it was all being shoveled in as fast as can be! I think people were definitely full at the end of the evening but not stuffed. The evening turned out to be stress free for me as so much of the work was done prior and what needed to be done during the meal was shared with others. I had asked everyone ahead of time for help with a specific task and I found that to be a great way to go. Every time I entertain, as people arrive they offer to help but that always feels too unorganized and awkward for me so that I normally decline or only accept a little help. I know that people like to help out – at least I do – and I think this way was great!
If this dinner is any indication, I’m going to have a very good year!
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Culinary Fool 
Finally! We know what your face looks like!;-)Sal
~~~~~~~LOVE U FOREVER~~~~~~~
Hi Sal!Yes, my face has now been revealed – and I probably look more like that picture than you would imagine! :-) But I actually keep my identity hidden just to spare you all from the gruesome sight….. ~ B