The pandemic quarantine continues, and so, then, does Dress Dinner Challenge!
As usual, the menu in formal-dinner French:
Cocktail d’aviation Celeri coupé Amandes
Salade vert
Tajine au poulet
Gâteau de l'épicerie avec confiture de mimosa, crème artificielle
The confluence of May Day, World Naked Gardening Day, and sunny and temperate weather gave the evening a floral theme. Happily the weekly bow tie voting favored a William Morris-style print from Beau Ties Ltd. which it was easy to pair with a flesh-pink shirt.
Look at that pudgy tummy! No wonder there was no cheese and crackers on the cocktail tray this weekend . . . it’s worth noting that while this photograph was taken, the back of the chair was actively breaking . . .
The weather demanded that the cocktail hour move al fresco, which meant digging out a few extra accessories. It’s astonishing what you find ferreting through little-used cubbyholes, like that vaguely floral tablecloth. The tiny vase of baby’s breath, however, is really my favorite detail. And that aviation cocktail, with its distinctive creme de violette - the perfect flowery beginning.
This weekend the menu came together a bit haphazardly. Prowling the supermarket aisles (while also practicing social distancing*), disappointed at an absence of lavender and thinking of rosewater too late, I made the happy discovery of a jar of mimosa jam. It turned out to be a delicate, satisfying topping to a couple slices of a popular name brand pound cake. Now you might say, “Well! That’s not very fancy!” and get uppity about serving something store-bought. To which I can only respond that a) a lady was never supposed to have cooked everything on her table, and b) comfort food is important during this pandemic quarantine, and that pound cake brought me right back to my granny’s avocado green refrigerator with ice dispenser, and what could be better than that?
The main course was my first attempt at tagine. I had thought I’d poach a piece of salmon again, but some overseas friends rather insistently suggested I try a tagine. I managed this recipe from the internet with ingredients I already had in the house. That meant going without carrots and making several substitutions: capers for olives, nutmeg for ginger, black pepper for cayenne pepper. It looked like a dog’s dinner on the plate, but I assure you it tasted savory and delicious. And in my deep involvement in the recipe, I completely forgot to boil up some rice (which would have substituted for the more traditional couscous). For a spontaneous decision, it worked out all right.
It does look like a dog’s dinner, but it truly was tasty.
Dinner concluded with a digéstif from the Czech Republic, Becherovka, an herbal liqueur that aids digestion. At a true formal dinner liqueurs are served in the drawing room, but since it’s just me, I tend to remain at table.
Lastly, I was so very happy with my table. Rummaging through the house I found an old fragment of ivy-printed fabric that made a thematic table runner, and also a pair of green tapers. A low green vase filled with my favorite orange roses added appropriate contrast - and I love orange roses!
And so another dress dinner challenge comes to an end! Perhaps you’ll join me next week?
*I think people who love 3D chess must love social distancing because it’s all about how one moves around shifting obstacles in space. Whereas I can barely manage checkers . . .