Our Apps Finally Hit The Table
At the end of 2005, we usually host 2-3 dinners for our friends. 2005 was very busy for us and we were frankly a bit burned out and wanted to just relax during the last week of the year. But the urge got the best of us and we hosted our friends Pat and Lizzie, and Mary and Phil for a last dinner of the year bash. It was a "bistro" theme as I have been doing that style (if you can call it that...bistro food is just simple cooking...and therefore, very satisfiying) for most of the year.
Our menu included a few things inspired by our trip to France earlier in the year...especially our appetizers...
...in early December, I made rillettes (read about that here) and we finally had an occasion to serve them to our friends. Some toast points, some cornichons and one unmolded rillettes and we're good to go.
Mmmmmm, porky...
Our trip to Paris took us to a fantastic charcuterie which made an equally fabulous lentil salad. I used black lentils (the charcuterie in Paris used green ones...) and cooked them until tender, force-cooled them and dressed them with a dijon vinaigrette and tossed in some carrot on a small dice. Served at room temperature, this dish is another of my "comfort" foods.
Black lentil salad...
We also like to provide some small finger sized munchies to provide counterpoint to apps on plates. One dish had mixed unsalted cashews and hazelnuts rubbed with a small handful of fleur de sel. The other plate was oil cured French olives and "peppadew" red peppers. The peppers are especially tasty: a bit spicy and sour being marinated in vinegar...
The black and the red...