Good Morning.
In the blink of an eye it will be my birthday. It's not a milestone, but my late husband firmly believed that a birthday, any number birthday, was the most important day of a person's year
and should be celebrated from sun up to sun down. He went
hog wild with cards, presents, flowers, and food that he prepared, starting with breakfast. He was an excellent cook and
an excellent man.
Here is my dream birthday menu, circa 2018, and I shall begin with my favorite cocktail, a Manhattan. The formula comes from a family person named Carlotta who served the drink every year on Christmas Eve. She used silver goblets but I will use an an on-the-rocks glass etched with my husband's college seal.
For one drink, combine with ice and stir. Garnish with a maraschino cherry or two.
2 oz. Canadian Club, not bourbon
1/2 oz. Martini and Rossi sweet vermouth
Dash of Angostura bitters
A splash of maraschino cherry juice, optional
My choice of a nibble will be Crab Tartlets. Get the shells in the frozen section at your grocery store. One box will have 15 shells and the following recipe will make 30. That means my seven guests and I can have three or four apiece.
2 packages tartlets
1 egg
1/4 cup Half and Half
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. flour
Dash of kosher salt
1 6 oz. can lump crabmeat, drained
2 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chopped green onion
In a bowl, combine the egg, cream, mayonnaise, flour, and salt with a whisk until smooth. Add the crab, cheese, and chopped onion and spoon into the shells. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Adjourn to a dining table. Mine will be set with straw place mats, large checkered napkins, colorful pottery plates, big wine glasses, a couple of flowering plants in clay pots, and tea candles in assorted clear containers, even old jelly jars. I gave up the formal stuff decades ago but not my fondness for French food. Thus we begin with a very French soup.
Vichyssoise
10 medium-sized leeks
2 medium white onions
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
8 medium-sized potatoes
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups whipping cream, unwhipped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh chives
Mince the white parts of the leeks and finely chop the onion. In a big pot, saute both in the butter for 3 minutes. Peel and slice the potatoes finely. Add them to the pot with the chicken broth and simmer all the vegetables for about 15 minutes until tender. Put the entire mixture into a blender, in batches, along with the cream and blend until very, very smooth. Return to the big pot, taste and add salt and pepper, then chill in the fridge for several hours until very, very cold. When ready to serve, ladle into shallow bowls and snip some fresh chives on top. This amount will take care of 8 people.
Now we have Rack of Lamb. It ain't cheap but is surprisingly easy to make as long as you stay off the phone and tend to business.
1 head of garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 racks of lamb, 2 pounds each. Tell your butcher to french them. Each person should get 2 to 3 ribs apiece.
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, rosemary leaves, and olive oil and process until the garlic is minced. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper and rub the garlic mixture all over them. Set the racks, fat side up, on a large
cookie sheet with a rim and let them sit for an hour. Set your oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Wrap the frenched ends in aluminum foil so they don't burn. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, reduce oven temp to 325 and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat - 125 degrees will be rare, 130 to 135 will be medium rare. When done to your liking, remove lamb from the oven and let rest under aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Carve between the rib bones and serve immediately.
Some people serve this dish with a red wine sauce, and others add bread crumbs to the rub. I am keeping it simple and will have my wine, probably a Pinot Noir, in a glass.
Since I had potatoes in the soup, I will, with profound regret, forego potatoes with my lamb. I will have Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pine Nuts.
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup pine nuts
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cut in half
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, drain, and set aside, but reserve half of the bacon grease. Add the butter and saute the pine nuts until slightly toasty and set them aside. Now add the sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until nicely browned, turning several times. This will take about 10 minutes. Crumble the bacon and toss with the sprouts
along with the toasted pine nuts. Serves 8.
And guess what, I'm having a Classic Gingerbread for dessert, not a big old chocolate cake.
2 tbsp. peeled, finely grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
Dash of kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus a bit more for greasing the pan
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Whipping cream
Grease a Bundt pan with butter and set aside. In a bowl, combine the fresh ginger with the orange liqueur. In another, large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In a third large bowl, cream together the stick of softened butter and brown sugar, then beat in the eggs. Add the buttermilk and combine well. Now add the dry ingredients in batches, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ginger and orange liqueur and combine well. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then turn onto a plate. Whip up the cream with some sugar and a bit of vanilla and throw a nice big dollop on each slice. Warm up the cake just before dessert if you wish and I do. Garnish each serving with a candle so everyone gets to make a wish. World peace would be good.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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