Tchin to 2010!!!

In a flash, 2009 was almost yesterday (when this article was written, it WAS yesterday). To sum up the year 2009, I've decided to organize a dinner with French themed menu and here's the results...

The table set by yours truly...me. We did the dinner at a friend's but the entire table setting was from my own collection.

Close-up of the dressed table

To start, nibble on some radishes served raw with fine sea salt (called fleur de sel in French) and a bit of butter.

The hors-d'oeuvre: 4 saisons (4 seasons) - little tasting bites called amuses gueule in French. Spring: salad of cucumber and raw button mushroom with fresh cream dressing and a pinch of salt. Summer: chunk of ripe melon wrapped with Parma ham. Autumn: Cold potato and leek soup (called Vichysoisse in French), served with salmon roe. Winter: What else is more appropriate than foie gras served on toast and onion confit? Incidently, foie gras literally means fat liver (duck or goose). This was designed to represent some of the most popularly eaten dishes in the cycle of 4 seasons in France.

Entree: Charlotte of cabbage and potatoes. Savoy cabbage (called chou de Milan in French) and boiled potatoes are sauteed with butter and baked in a tall roasting tin with eggs and cream. Served here with white butter sauce- often called sauce Bechamel.

Our main dish: Stuffed chicken breasts with Morels (Supremes de volailles farcies aux morilles ... ahem, pardon the lack of accents on the French words, fruits of the limitation of my ICT knowledge as well as my computer's).
My friend Aurelie had a bottle of dried Morel mushrooms that her parents brought over from their last visit to Malaysia and I decided to make the best of it as dried Morels are a rarity in Malaysia. Using the recipe almost like that of the famous Coq au vin, the mushrooms impart the unmistakable rich aroma of autumn into the sauce. Miam...it was simply heaven.

To finish: salad of frisee, red lollo rosa lettuce (actually a variant of Battavia), baby spinach and edible flowers (pansies and dianthus) dressed with a simple vinaigrette of white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallots and a touch of honey. Accompanied by a platter of cheese: brie, bluecheese and a fruit cheese. Of course, some nice wine too. Tchin!