A dinner with friends

Thursday night (yesterday) we had, as we often do, friends for dinner. THursday is an unsual day, but a couple was in Paris for a few days only as they live in the South. Entertaining is a delightful way to keep friendships alive.
You all know that I am not for spending too much time preparing the meal .. my recipe?
A nicely dressed table - 20% of your success,
presentation - 20%,
your creativity - 30%, so that leaves ...
30% for the actual meal!

I used white Limoges dishes, my mouth blown water glasses from Egypt, my water pitcher from Mexico, my tall wine crystal glasses, my Ercuis stainless steel cutlery, and the tender green Jacquard Francais tablecloth.

We served Champagne while we chatted and introduced the guests to each other.

I started the meal with a veloute of cauliflower a la Barry , a cauliflower cream soup. I boiled the cauliflower flowers with water and milk, I blended, added creme fraiche, sea salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, and served with salmon eggs. See the detailed recipe in the link. Note that one guest had come alone, his wife had another engagement. Marie, an excellent and creative cook, called me this morning to tell me that her husband had said I had served a delicious meal - and she wanted the recipe of my appetizer!

Then came my own lamb leg "mauresque", where I revisited my souvenirs of Northern Africa: lamb, cooked in a fractionned way. I cooked the lamb in the oven in a cast iron pan three times, one hour each time, morning, afternoon, and evening.

I cooked aside chick peas which I added to the lamb sauce the last time I cooked it.

After the lamb, I served a "sucrine" salad, a crisp yet tender salad grown by my local producer. I seasoned with coarskey chopped flat parsely, olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. I used my Kenya salad spoons to toss the salad.

I presented a cheese platter together with the salad, and the challenge was:
Find what's common to all these cheeses .. and you will have the right to have some!
Are they all made with cow milk? No!
Are they all soft? No!
Are they all ... "Saints"? And the answer is YESSS!

Saint Nectaire, Saint Marcelin, Saint Felicien, Saint Flo, Pouligny Saint Pierre.... Only two found the right answer! Bravo Olivier and Elizabeth!

My dessert was a clafoutis of pears and chocolate, served in individual ramequins placed on turquoise Qing design dessert plates. The clay ramequins come with Saint Felicien cheese. This cow milk cheese is so soft that it has to be "contained" in a ramequin. I recylce them for clafoutis and individual crumbles.
We served a red Saint Emilion Bordeaux wine, 2005. Perfect pairing!

I must also say that my guests spoiled me with beautiful flowers! These light pink delicate anemones and a bouquet of bright pink roses.

Recipe of Lamb leg "mauresque"

Ingredients:
1 lamb leg
2 cans of tomatoes (tomatoes only, without seasoning or additives)
3 Tbsp of wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried mint or a branch if fresh
1 branch of parsely
4 Tpsp of olive oil
1 Tsp of harissa (a spicy paste from Northern Africa, replace with chili powder if not available)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of pistachios, shelled
Garnish
1 cup of chick peas, leave in 3 cups of water water 24 hours before.
Steps:
Cook the cick peas in salted water. When they are cooked (soft), drain and keep aside.
Heat the oven at 250 F.
Heat the oil in the pan. Brown the lamb leg. Remove, add the vinegar and grate the pan with a wood spatula.
Add the tomatoes, the herbs, the garlic, harissa, and spices. Bring to a boil. Stir and season to taste.
Add the lamb and put in the oven 1 hour. If you prepared this dish the day before or in the morning, in the afternoon bake again 1 hour, adding at this point the chick peas. If you can, do this three times. The lamb will be moist but well done, delicious! Roast the pistachios in a pan, and sprinkle on top of the lamb before serving.
Serve very hot.

Bon appetit!