Etiquetteer never really wrote about last weekend’s Dress Dinner Challenge because, frankly, it wasn’t the most well-executed dinner. While far from a Lily Pons pink party, the underlying color of the menu did seem to be pink.
Cocktail Veuve Joyeuse Crevettes
Risotto alla Scozzese Épinards perdus
Salade sans imagination
Crème glacée au chocolat
Champagne rosé
Because National Absinthe Day had been the day before, I wanted to find a cocktail recipe that incorporated absinthe, and the Merry Widow cocktail turned out to be both perfect and Perfectly Proper. And in an effort to get away from Cheddar cheese (my absolute staple hors d’oeuvre during the pandemic quarantine), I indulged in a shrimp cocktail, a great rarity at home.
Risotto, of course, would never be found on a Perfectly Proper formal menu; but during this pandemic, comfort food is important, and I remember feeling the need for comfort food that evening. The Scottish risotto, from a cookbook dear friends gave me when God was a boy, incorporates smoked salmon, Scotch (I used rye), and dill. I’m afraid I had a bit of a heavy hand with the cayenne pepper, so this dish’s usual piquancy was a bit aggressive. Also, if you’re not using fresh dill, use half what the recipe instructs.
Épinards perdus couldn’t be easier. Here’s how to do it:
Sit down to dinner.
Realize there’s no spinach on the plate because you forgot to cook it.
Have a good laugh.
Pour another glass of wine.
The celery could have been served in smaller pieces.
Last night’s dinner was much better.
Cocktail Adonis Céleri au boursin et caviar
Saumon mariné grillé
Céleri en crème amandine Petit pommes de terre
Salade sans imagination
Frangipane aux canneberges et aux amandes de la boulangerie
Les Aumones Vouvray 2019
Wanting a lighter cocktail, I was thrilled when @unpetitverre on Instagram published the Adonis cocktail: half red vermouth, half fino sherry, and a couple dashes of orange bitters. It absolutely puts the light in delightful!
After the surprising response to last week’s column about celery, I knew I would have to feature celery on the menu. In a move that subconsciously came direct from Betty Crocker for Kids, I stuffed some celery with cheese and leftover salmon roe. Simple dimple.
For the dinner, creamed celery amandine from The New York Times Cookbook turned out all right — even though I didn’t do it quite correctly. Next time I’ll have a saucepan with a tighter lid, start with a bit more butter and a lot less water, and cut the celery into two inch pieces.
A broiled bit of fish seemed the right complement to a vegetable with a rich sauce, besides freeing up the stove top. The NYT Cookbook had a recipe for broiled salmon steaks that I adapted for a fillet, which resulted in nearly burning down the kitchen. The result was still quite tasty.
Because there is no requirement that everything on one’s dinner table be produced in one’s kitchen, I enjoyed a cranberry almond frangipane tart from a local bakery for dessert. It should have been pie, since March 14 is Pi Day; but like risotto, pie is not for a formal menu (and they didn’t have any pies at the bakery.) My knowledge of Vouvray was limited; I gather it has a reputation as a sugary wine, but I didn’t find it excessively sweet. It actually accompanied everything on the menu quite nicely.
For those who wondered whether Etiquetteer was just dressing in mulletwear — “business on top, party on the bottom” — for Dress Dinner Challenge, here’s the proof I’m dressed completely with Perfect Propriety.