Wesley's
Perfect Birthday Dinner
This is a formal dinner party with place cards and the works.
I chose not to pass hors d'oeuvres because I want my guests to be hungry when
they sit down. It also is a pain. You must plan a time for the dinner to begin
and allow for champagne before dinner. Just lie to that couple your husband
is friends with that are chronically late, and say the party starts 1 hour before
it really does. It works like a charm unless you drink too much and confess
what you did to them. Trust me. You might want to have a glass of Chardonnay
while you read this so it won't look as intimidating as you think it really
is. Here we go! This menu serves 6 instead of the 28 that I will serve.
The soup can be made a day ahead
or earlier in the day. Actually it has to be made ahead because it is a chilled
soup. Make sure you stir it well before serving and go easy on the salt. You
don't want it too salty. All the salad ingredients may be prepared in advance.
The dressing can be done a day or two in advance. If you are really organized
like me, schedule different tasks for different days of the week to break the
preparation into equal time frames. Cook the marmalade sauce right before the
dinner party begins or before you get dressed. The rice and snow peas can be
done in advance as well and reheated but they will not be as good. The cake
can and should be done up to one week in advance. Your friends will think you
slaved all day long and let them think it!
Gingered Carrot Vichyssoise
Palace Court Salad
Pork Tenderloin with Marmalade
Sauce
Wild Rice
Snow peas and Caramelized
Shallots
Frozen White Chocolate and
Raspberry Mousse Cake
A Formal Birthday Dinner Menu
serves 6
Gingered Carrot Vichyssoise
2 tablespoons butter
5 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
8 cups chicken stock (use Knorr
bouillon cubes)
1 potato, peeled and quartered
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
and sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Melt butter in saucepan and add
carrots and onion. Cook slowly for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock,
potato, ginger, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Drain liquid
and reserve. Puree vegetable mixture in food processor and return to saucepan.
Add reserved stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add cream. Simmer 5
minutes. Remove from heat and chill well. To serve sprinkle with chives.
Palace Court Salad
1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
6 large artichokes
3/4 LB crabmeat
3 celery stalks, finely diced
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 to 2/3 cups mayonnaise
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
3 large tomatoes, thickly sliced
Green Goddess dressing
(recipe follows)
Bring a large pot of water to
a boil with the juice of the lemon and salt. Meanwhile trim away the artichokes.
Cut away the leaves and leave the thistle like choke. Cook these in the water
covered for about 35 - 45 minutes until tender drain. Cut away the choke to
leave just the bottoms. Cool and refrigerate. Toss the crabmeat with the celery,
parsley, onion and enough mayonnaise to moisten, then season with salt and pepper
to taste. Spread lettuce among 6 salad plates, lay tomato slices on lettuce
and top with an artichoke bottom. Spoon the crab into the artichoke and serve
with dressing.
Green Goddess Dressing
3 anchovy filets, mashed
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the anchovy and onion in
a small bowl and mash them together with the back of a spoon. Add the parsley
and tarragon and blend well. Stir in the mayonnaise. Add vinegar and chives.
Season to taste.
Pork tenderloin with Marmalade
Sauce
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Freshly ground pepper
2 (3/4 LB) pork tenderloins
Sauce:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 -2 teaspoons corn starch
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In
small bowl combine mustard, garlic, rosemary and pepper. Completely cover each
tenderloin with mixture. Form roast of uniform thickness and tie with string.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Combine marmalade, stock, ginger and soy sauce in
small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Mix cornstarch with water to form thick paste
and add it to the sauce. Stir until sauce thickens. Slice the pork and serve
with the sauce.
Wild Rice:
Buy Uncle Ben's wild rice and
cook according to package directions.
Snow Peas and Caramelized Shallots
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 LB shallots, peeled
3/4 LB snow peas, stems and strings
removed
In a large skillet melt the butter
with the sugar over medium heat. Add the shallots, stir gently to coat them
with the syrup, and cook until the syrup is browned and the shallots are tender,
about 20 minutes. Fill a saucepan three quarters full of water and bring to
a boil. Add the snow peas and blanch until bright green, about one minute. Remove
them with a slotted spoon and serve with the shallots.
Frozen White Chocolate and
Raspberry Mousse Cake
Chocolate Crumb Crust:
1 9-oz package chocolate wafer
cookies, finely crushed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted
Mousse:
1/2 cup whipping cream
9 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons Crème de Cacao
1-teaspoon vanilla
1/2cup sugar
1/4cup water
4 large egg whites, room temp
1-1/2 cups whipping cream, chilled
2 boxes fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 325. Butter
a 9-inch spring form pan with 2-3/4 inch high sides. Mix cookie crumbs with
melted butter and press mixture evenly over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.
Bake 6 minutes and cool on rack.
Bring 1/2-cup cream to boil in
medium saucepan and reduce heat to low. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth.
Pour mixture into large bowl mix in liqueur and vanilla. Cool completely.
Bring sugar and water to a boil
in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until
it reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat
egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in boiling syrup. Continue
beating until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool. Fold egg whites into white
chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Beat 1-1/2 cups cream in large bowl to soft
peaks then fold into other mixture. Pour into prepared crust, cover tightly
with foil and freeze for at least 5 hours. Remove cake from freezer and run
a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Release pan sides and
cover the top with raspberries. Cut and serve.
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