French Feast--October 16, 2009 at crisp

What a lovely evening with lovely people. Another small intimate group of folks for the fourth Crisp event. It never amazes me what can happen when you gather people around a table and serve them a home-cooked meal. After the soup was served I noticed that everyone stopped talking....a sign that what was just served was a hit.

The menu:

french onion soup--I prepared homemade beef stock the week before. Sauteed thinly sliced onions, salt and pepper, and fresh thyme, which simmered for a few hours. Topped off with toasted bread and Gruyere cheese. My husband told me, this was the best french onion soup he had tasted. Not too salty (which seems to be what you get when you order at a restaurant).

mixed green and arugula salad with toasted pecans, Anjou pears and chevre. Topped with a light vinaigrette dressing.

chicken with lots of garlic--the sauce on this dish is what makes it so special. The chicken is cooked in wine, broth, all the yummy garlic and thyme. The sauce is made at the end by reducing the liquid and adding flour and a splash of cream. The garlic is so soft and tender that is becomes part of the sauce.

delicata squash with wild rice stuffing--Here is were I did a bit of experimenting. I decided against adding any sweet fruit to the stuffing since the squash is already really sweet and buttery. I wanted the squash really cooked so that when it was being eaten all of the flesh of the squash would come away from the skin. The end result was a wild rice stuffing with onions, mushrooms, sage and pomegranate. The result was compliments around the table.

The last and most important course....

profiteroles--I hadn't made this in a while and it seems that my first attempt each time I remake them is a flop and then I remember--I need to cook the batter longer. The second attempt--perfect; stuffed with pastry cream and drizzled with dark chocolate.

After dessert and coffee/tea was served, I then got to sit at the table and boy did we all giggle. It was probably my favorite night so far!! As you can see from the picture of one of the guests......

Thanks to all of you to help me make my dream come true.

photos: Mike Watson