This week Steph has invited two special friends, they not only sing with us at Pax Christi Chorale, but also sing with Steph in Schola Magdalena, Jo-ann and Janet. So with Shawn and I and our three scholara, we gathered for what I think was quite a special meal.
For our first course, Shawn discovered lemon oil…. and we served cauliflower soup with seared scallop and lemon oil.
This is one of those moments when the final product is more than just the sum of the parts. This is a very delicate dish, with layers of subtle flavours. Shawn’s sear on the scallops was absolutely perfect too.
While the main was resting, we had time to catch up on some Schola info, and more importantly what was happening in our lives. Then we moved on to Green peppercorn beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, pomme puree and morels with madeira.
Although this dish turned out to be hard to photograph, it was an amazing collection of flavours. The pomme puree is a secret process from Joel Robuchon. It takes a long time to make and the process if kind of like making a risotto. The end result is worth the effort, as it is creamy and delicious. The red wine sauce on the other hand was a breeze, since we had it pre-made and ready in the freezer.
The dessert was an interesting experiment, a chilled chocolate ginger soufflé.
When Shawn mentioned this dish, I did not get what he was describing. Once I looked at the recipe… I still did not get it…. Then I looked more closely. “Oh, that’s easy.” This is almost a chocolate mousse, with ginger. It is chilled in ramekins with collars to get the height of the soufflé. We did find these were more rich, than expected, so the servings were a little large…. Live and learn.
conversation turned to music, Schola Magdalena, our spring concert, and life in general. Although our timing was good, before we knew it, it was time to head off to rehearsal. I know I am biased, but I think this meal was one for the books. The flow, the flavours and the textures, just worked together, from course to course. Shawn is a whiz, with menu planning. We just have to work on the colours, so the pictures look better. LOL
Great flow, great flavours, great guests!