Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A good time was had by all

Yesterday we had English friends Jean and Nick over for lunch. The weather cooperated beautifully and we were able to spend the whole afternoon out on the deck. We were so busy preparing and serving and eating and drinking that I didn't take any pictures until the cheese course came out.

Clockwise from left: heart-shaped Neufchâtel, St.-Nectaire, tomme blanche, and Valençay.

The meal was darned good, if I do say so myself. We started with Ken's home-made duck breast prosciutto and some saucisson sec. The first course was zucchini balls (grated zucchini, onion, ginger, hot chilis, and kafir lime leaves with chickpea flour formed into balls and deep-fried) served with a spicy curry-style sauce.

The main course was a rabbit and prune stew that Ken made accompanied by my home-made rice-a-roni. After that we had the cheese. Dessert was rhubarb crumble in a tart shell with rhubarb from our garden.

All was happily washed down with a selection of local wines. Great company, great food, great fun!

13 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good time. The food sounds delicious and glad to hear that the weather held up.

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  2. Say hello to Jean and nick for us Walt -It's OK, we'll do it...
    Hello Jean and Nick. Wonderful hosts those two blokes. aren't they?

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  3. Oh that sounds like a splendid way to spend the afternoon. Particularly, those zucchini balls sounds delicious.

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  4. Judging by Ken's photos and the
    talk of hanging pictures, I
    gather you have abandoned the
    idea of the terracotta wall.
    Too bad. But you are both
    thoroughly fed up with painting
    at this point no doubt.
    I keep expecting a photo of
    one of your luscious fraises
    tarts. Even though I can't
    partake, I love looking.

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  5. Mmmmm, Saint-Nectaire, my favourite ...although I like the others too!

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  6. Love that artsy heart-shaped cheese!

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  7. Agree with Starman...

    I'm loving that heart-shaped neufchatel!

    This looks like it was such a great meal. I feel inspired to eat fromage.

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  8. Oui, oui, oui. The heart-shaped Neufchatel would be the pièce de résistance for me!!!

    Beautiful menu and I'm sure the food was delectable.

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  9. Tapping feet, waiting for a response. (Just kidding.) The house, the food all looks beautiful. Cannot wait to see them. It really is delightful that in France they hold on to tradition (as in the shape of the cheese). No plastic wrapped cheddar on the menu!

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  10. craig, it was much fun, and we picked the right day as now it is cooling down a bit.

    leon, you're too kind.

    rick, they are good, and easy to do. I've done them a lot over the past few years.

    buddy bear, one of the reasons we live in France!

    sheila, no, I'm still planning to paint that wall. But I wanted to hang the batik in the meantime. It's very white right now and it needed some color. I've got to get the paint I want mixed at the hardware store.

    martine, yes, St.-Nectaire is one of my favorites, too!

    kristi, it was!

    starman, it's cow's milk, and quite salty. Not one of my favorites, but it looks great!

    courtney, indulge!

    mary, :)

    cheryl, here you go! Looking forward to your visit!

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  11. Thanks for such a super lunch and great company, as always.
    The dessert was stunning - I have photos to prove it !!

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