What is Chef's Choice?
It is a commitment from either Eric or me to prepare a very special meal that involves both amazing taste and beautiful presentation, specifically from our specialty cookbooks or something that inspired us. No cheating with dinners out or just whipping up something that is familiar to us for this particular venture. The point is that the chef makes something completely new and that the recipient gets completely surprised when served.
The hor d'oeuvres were normal with olives, salami, and shrimp with remoulade, although paired with an extra special wine that I had to retrieve from Orlando where I bought a case of 2011 Hugel Gewurztraminer (an Eric favourite discovered in Malta over Christmas).
I figured the appetizer would either be grotesque or amazing. Thankfully it turned out to be amazing, despite very sticky fingers during preparation. However, it's fast and easy...I promise. The Cornish Hen dish is a lot of food, and in future, servings will involve only half the hen, which is doable since you cut it half anyway with the stuffing to lay nicely on the wild rice. The dessert was cheating from Fresh Market because we had not set the rules for Chef's Choice so concisely until after this first experience!
The joy of this is that you win if you're cooking and you win if you are being served. It's awesome all around......
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| Goat cheese and roasted garlic stuffed dates, figs and prunes soaked in Marsala wine sitting in a Marsala wine and shallot reduction sauce. |
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| Cornish hens rubbed with olive oil, pepper, and fresh rosemary stuffed with a mixture of Challa bread, Marsala wine, dates, spices, and roasted garlic sitting on a bed of wild rice and covered in a reduction sauce made of onions, celery, and carrots in Vouvrey. |
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| A strawberry pillow that involves fresh strawberries, vanilla pudding, fresh whipped cream, and drizzles of chocolate on a croissant. |
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| The accompaniments for the evening! The prized dry Gewurztraminer from the Alsace region, the Vouvray that had enough of a sweet edge to match the Cornish Hen dish perfectly, followed by honey liquor brought back from Malta. |
