Really, this was a very simple little dinner, with just a thimble of sherry and a bit of celeri coupé in the parlor for the cocktail hour, and then this menu:
Poulet à la crème à l'estragon Courgettes sautées
Salade verte sans imagination
Last year I had attempted chicken with tarragon cream sauce from The New York Times Cookbook, from which I vaguely remembered that I would need to Pump Up the Herb; sometimes I require a heavy hand with the herb jar. At three different points the recipe calls for a quarter cup of liquid to be poured into the skillet: white wine, chicken broth, and then cream at the end. Because it said “high heat,” the broth especially kept evaporating long before I felt it ought to, so I just kept adding more broth. The result was an extra savory flavor. In the words of the late Edith Piaf, “Non, je ne regrette rien.”
Because I’m cooking for one, if the recipe calls for wine, whatever doesn’t go into the recipe goes into my glass at the table. And I must say I found a superb white Bordeaux, Chateau de Fontenille Grand Bordeaux 2016 with a lot of French in four typefaces after it. I’ll look for that again.
At this point even I can sauté a zucchini without getting anxious about it, and I had no whimsy to spare on a salad this particular night. I omitted a starch because the elves have been sneaking into my clothes closet at night and secretly shrinking all my suits. Naughty, naughty elves!
With Washington’s Birthday only a couple days after this dinner, it made sense to incorporate something into the menu that a) didn’t need a hatchet to chop it down, and b) wasn’t cherries, because a) cherries have been done enough, and b) I’m allergic to cherries anyway. Happily, the Mount Vernon website includes dozens of recipes related to Martha Washington’s fabled hospitality. I settled on the gateu de Nancy because it involved chocolate and almond meal, both of which I already had in the pantry.
The result was very much like a brownie pancake, not inedible, but not exciting. For this I blame myself, not the recipe. Two reasons: I really didn’t whip the egg whites until they were “stiff but not dry,” and I think the springform cake pan I used was perhaps a little wider than recommended. If I attempt this recipe again (not likely), I may use a ring mold, which was also recommended.
In the bon bon dish, I indulged with a few goodies from Louis Sherry, because who can forget Lucille Bremer exclaiming “Louis Sherry!” when Leon Ames brings home a box for Mary Astor in Meet Me in St. Louis. It’s easy to understand why they’re so sought after! The Turkish Coffee one is especially suitable after such a dinner.
