Thursday 1 January 2015

Festivus Food: NYE Finale

 I hope you cleaned your abode yesterday, or at least swept
under your front door mat.
It's good luck.

Hello, 2015.

In between chores, I fashioned up a NYE dinner for deux.
Inspired by some notes I found in my travel diary from 2008.
I love nothing better than to relive old memories.
I go to Paris in my mind's eye quite a bit.
I don't mind living in the past.
The notes were about dinner at restaurant 1728 in Paris.
The restaurant has many rooms, each different.
My home décor is a little different.
In my restaurant in my own home I made confit vegetables.
Slowly cooked in duck fat and olive oil.

 
Made a brioche in a Bundt tin.
Later served with pate.
Set the table.

Dressed up.
Wrote myself out a cook's guide so I wouldn't forget which course I was doing.
I researched a few recipes here and there.
Then winged it. No-one was checking.
Cooking has been a wonderful feature in my life, it is a lot of work and I
have spent many hours cooking for others, and teaching others.
I use it as a way to express myself, and I hope my students see this affective objective.

Amuse bouche
Crispy pastry shells, aubergine and avocado mousse.
Enoki mushrooms and others.
Getting ready to add in to the soup made stock from reduced Swiss browns and
field mushrooms.
NYE Champagne.


Entrée 1
Brioche, fruit jelly, pate.

Entree 2
Mushroom soup.
Mushrooms, shallots, seasoning.
Black pepper to finish.

My friend S brought me these little soup bowls back in
her suitcase after she lived in the United Kingdom for a year.
I mean, who does that?
She is a keeper.

Steel yourself.
Entrée 3
Beef Carpaccio!
Served with olive oil drizzle, watercress and parmesan crisp.

Main meal
Steamed fish and confit vegetables.
A couple of NYE text messages  being sent.


And, the bonus was there was leftovers for breakfast!

Happy New Year!!

Do you reassess and make any resolutions?
I plan to exercise more.
Eat better.
And, spend my time only with those who deserve me, and
treat me accordingly.
No need for any people-pleasing, here.
What about you?


11 comments:

  1. That table omg so beeeyooootiful!
    Your mr flora is a lucky bloke.
    +1 on your worthy ny resolutions xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cilla, there's always a hell of a lot of food here....
      Then lots of walking! Mr Flora openly says he wouldn't have been as interested when we first met if I couldn't cook!!!
      I'm sticking by those resolutions. Happy New Year. Xxxx

      Delete
  2. Well...I mean...OMG!!!!!!!!!! Darling you could teach them to cook in Paris! Mr Flora is one lucky (and most probably, completely deserving) gentleman. Looks like it was a fabulous evening. Ditto re: les resolutions/revolutions!!! No time to be wasting one's life on the undeserving. And I WILL put those runners on and get out walking more!!! See you Sunday.
    Ciao,
    Robyn
    P.S. When you and Mr Flora next head to Gaye Paree you must go to Le Meurice....they could almost match your cuisine and table decoration darling Flora.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, PRB, if we do nothing else - just get walking. It's free and makes you feel fantastic....just make sure you slip, slap and slop!!! Xx

      Delete
  3. Hi Mel, I just looked at that mushroom soup again...it looks seriously fantastic!! And you did all of that in 40 degree heat? A Wonder Woman! Enjoy those leftovers!

    Ciao,

    R

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PRB, I was like a woman possessed. Flying through the preparation - the only thing that kept me going was imagining I was a Michelin chef and I had to do the courses for 80 people - then I was relieved!!!
      I will sketch out how to make the soup. The flavours of the different mushrooms were superb.

      Delete
  4. Dear Flora,
    everything looks so delicious and even if I ate myself so much the last days, I could eat a lot more at once when I look at your pictures!
    Happy New Year on the other side of the world!
    Love from cold Germany
    Arno and Silvia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Arno...,there's always room for more. I wish I was more like my french poodle and just lightly picked over food and refrained from over-eating. Xx

      Delete
  5. And, to you too, dear Raindrops :D

    ReplyDelete