May is celebration month. First there was our wedding anniversary, then Mother’s Day, and now my birthday. Birthdays were important events in
my family when I was a child; they are big now. My wish? A dogwood
tree. Let me explain. We have a ground floor apartment that has an enclosed greenhouse and a garden. Two years ago, our Japanese maple
tree died. The tree had a certain sculptured look during the winter
but, came spring, it became an eye sore. It took over a month to
choose the tree, where to buy it, who would plant it and get rid of
the dead maple tree. Everything fell into place and here I was, on
my birthday, with the dogwood tree in full bloom, right under our
bedroom window.
But what about dinner? I definitely didn’t’ want to cook. After much
back and forth we decided to get in-house made charcuterie, and
cheese from the recently opened Épicerie Boulud*
Menu
Rillette Maison
Terrine de Canard au Poivre Vert
Pâté en Croute de Canard aux Figues
Abondance – a raw cow’s milk cheese from Savoie
Abbay de Tamie, another raw cow’s milk cheese, Savoie
Celery Remoulade
Epis Bread
Wine: Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne, 1998
The rillette, terrine and pâté were excellent, but so rich, we
didn’t touch the cheese. The champagne--courtesy of my brother-in-law,
Julien—pulled everything together nicely and added a festive touch.
Toasting ourselves, and munching charcuteries, we recalled former birthdays--the one in our rented apartment in Golfe Juan when George
gave me three Hermes scarves. The one at La Colombe d’Or in St. Paul
de Vence, sitting next to Yves Montand and his wife, Simone Signoret; Veuve Cliquot in Paris, Le Bernadin in New York, the Gritti in Venice;
on the
SS France and the Italian Michelangelo. Then there were the parties at
the restaurants we owned at various times: foremost our beloved Colombe d’Or, named after the one in St. Paul de Vence; Café Bruxelle, and George Studley’s Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. Undoubtedly there had been some flops and disappointments. Fortunately, these are easily forgotten.
*Épicerie Boulud
www.danielnyc.com
Our Daily Dinner
May 23, 2011
May 11, 2011
55th Wedding Anniversary & Beyond
Special Occasion
George and I just celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary. Since we got married on our lunch hour, we always commemorate it with a festive lunch. We treated ourselves to a bottle of Pol Roger Extra Cuvée Réserve, Brut. Rich, well rounded, and slightly buttery the champagne was the perfect accompaniment to our meal of Kumamoto oysters on the half shell, Tarte d’Alsace (bought at Trader Joe’s), salade Niçoise, and an apple tart (bought from Glaser’s Bake Shop).
Vegetable of the Month: Green Asparagus
Last May I sounded off about the superiority of white asparagus. A year later, I bought a bunch of green asparagus at the farmer’s market. Figuring that less is more, I steamed the asparagus and served them with clarified butter.
Menu
Mozzarella and Grape Tomatoes
Grilled Salmon
Steamed Green Asparagus
Wine: Trimbach Riesling 2008
Dessert: Fresh pineapple
Recipe Green Asparagus
1 bunch green asparagus, bottoms snapped off and peeled
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons heated clarified butter
I placed the asparagus in a large pot, added water to cover and
steamed the asparagus, covered, for 8 minutes. Then I drained the asparagus carefully and put them aside.
Meanwhile I put 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a small pan over medium heat, brought it to a light boil and removed the butter before it turned brown. I served the butter in a small crock for dipping. The asparagus tasted so terrific, I became an instant convert.
For the salmon, I followed the Grilled Salmon with Mustard Glaze
recipe on my March 19, 2011 blog, eliminating the mustard glaze.
“Wonderful meal,” said George.
I agreed wholeheartedly.
Culinary Suggestion
Interested in culinary history? I recommend joining the Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) of which I have been a member since the early 70’s. The organization has about 250 members, divided between food enthusiasts and people in the hospitality industry. The CHNY feature monthly programs that range from ancient cuisines to current issues. Volunteers prepare appropriate dishes; wines are usually donated.
On June 8 Claudia Roden will discuss her new book “The Food of Spain”. On June 16 Marc Meltonville will talk about “Reconstructing Historic Royal Kitchens”, including those of Henry VII and George III.
Annual membership for Individuals is $45.; $25. for Seniors.
Trader Joe’s
www.traderjoes.com
Glaser’s Bake Shop
www.glasersbakeshop.com
CHNY
www.culinaryhistoriansny.org
George and I just celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary. Since we got married on our lunch hour, we always commemorate it with a festive lunch. We treated ourselves to a bottle of Pol Roger Extra Cuvée Réserve, Brut. Rich, well rounded, and slightly buttery the champagne was the perfect accompaniment to our meal of Kumamoto oysters on the half shell, Tarte d’Alsace (bought at Trader Joe’s), salade Niçoise, and an apple tart (bought from Glaser’s Bake Shop).
Vegetable of the Month: Green Asparagus
Last May I sounded off about the superiority of white asparagus. A year later, I bought a bunch of green asparagus at the farmer’s market. Figuring that less is more, I steamed the asparagus and served them with clarified butter.
Menu
Mozzarella and Grape Tomatoes
Grilled Salmon
Steamed Green Asparagus
Wine: Trimbach Riesling 2008
Dessert: Fresh pineapple
Recipe Green Asparagus
1 bunch green asparagus, bottoms snapped off and peeled
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons heated clarified butter
I placed the asparagus in a large pot, added water to cover and
steamed the asparagus, covered, for 8 minutes. Then I drained the asparagus carefully and put them aside.
Meanwhile I put 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a small pan over medium heat, brought it to a light boil and removed the butter before it turned brown. I served the butter in a small crock for dipping. The asparagus tasted so terrific, I became an instant convert.
For the salmon, I followed the Grilled Salmon with Mustard Glaze
recipe on my March 19, 2011 blog, eliminating the mustard glaze.
“Wonderful meal,” said George.
I agreed wholeheartedly.
Culinary Suggestion
Interested in culinary history? I recommend joining the Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) of which I have been a member since the early 70’s. The organization has about 250 members, divided between food enthusiasts and people in the hospitality industry. The CHNY feature monthly programs that range from ancient cuisines to current issues. Volunteers prepare appropriate dishes; wines are usually donated.
On June 8 Claudia Roden will discuss her new book “The Food of Spain”. On June 16 Marc Meltonville will talk about “Reconstructing Historic Royal Kitchens”, including those of Henry VII and George III.
Annual membership for Individuals is $45.; $25. for Seniors.
Trader Joe’s
www.traderjoes.com
Glaser’s Bake Shop
www.glasersbakeshop.com
CHNY
www.culinaryhistoriansny.org
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