This is before the guests arive

Happy Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year.


This is the year of the Tiger. Jim and I are a horse and a dog, so we have to look and see how the Tiger will affect our year. Today is the day I have been waiting for. I am so excited. Weeks of planning and days of preparation and today we find out if it has been worth it. I have found 8 volunteers (guests) who are willing to eat something I have never made or tasted.

The Menu

Appetizers

Mousse Royale au Sauternes

Grand Marnier infused Brie

Gorgonzola Dolce

Garlic Crostini and Whole Wheat Petite Toast

First Course

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Main Course

Cassoulet de Porc et de Mouton

French Baguette

Dessert

Chocolate Cups with whipped Cream and Strawberries

The salad comes from a book called My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde. This was given to me by Chef Thomas as a gift when I completed his cooking course. The recipe serves 6, I doubled it.

10 oz log-shaped goat cheese

6 baguette slices

8 cups mixed salad greens

4 oz black nicoise olives pitted

2 oz walnuts

For the dressing

2T cider vinegar

1t grainy mustard

1 t Dijon mustard

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1/3 C plus 1T EVOO

Pour the mustards, vinegar and salt and pepper in a jar, shake vigorously. Add the EVOO and shake again. Pour the dressing in the salad bowl and add the greens, walnuts and olives. Toss.

Heat the broiler. I toasted the back side of the baguette slices first until they looked golden. Then turn over all the baguette slices and top each with a slice of goat cheese. (Do you know to slice your goat cheese with dental floss instead of a knife? You get nice clean round slices. I learned this from my dear friend Cynthia.) Broil on this side for about 2 minutes until the cheese is coloring and bubbling  I had to use my kitchen tourch to get the cheese bubbly looking without brrning the toast.  Serve on the bed of greens.

All the appetizers came from Wegman’s wonderful gourmet cheese department. We’ve been talking about the main course all week and yesterday I gave you the recipe for dessert.

And the verdict is??????????????