Monday, July 14, 2014

Sunday lunch

It would have been nicer had the weather cooperated. Since it was chilly and showery, we had to eat indoors rather than out on the deck. Oh well. We welcomed a couple of friends for lunch on Sunday and had a good time in spite of the weather.

The fixin's for kir, minus the sparking wine which was chilling in the fridge.

We had appetizers of saucisson sec (mild dried sausage), olives, and rillettes de porc et de canard sur toasts (potted pork and duck on toast) along with a bottle of champagne, then kirs made with a sparkling Vouvray and blackberry liqueur.

Nibbles. The sliced sausage is hiding behind the wine glasses.

The first course was a salad of céleri rémoulade (grated celery root in a mayonnaise/mustard sauce) topped with saumon fumé (smoked salmon) and served with a chiffonnade de salade (shredded lettuce), tomates cerise (cherry tomatoes), and a single olive noire (black olive). That was accompanied by a local dry rosé made from pineau d'aunis grapes.

Salade de céleri rémoulade et du saumon fumé. Ken took this picture.

By the time we got to the main course we forgot all about taking pictures. Ken roasted a pintade (guinea hen) stuffed with sauge (sage from our garden) on the rotisserie and served it with pommes de terre rôties (oven roasted potatoes) and kale. The wines were two local reds; a côt (malbec) and a "tradition" (a blend of côt and cabernet). We finished off with a plateau de fromages (cheese board) and a delicious cobbler of plums and apples that our guests brought along. Yum!

14 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. anne marie, I don't want to work that hard, lol!

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  2. Have you been getting those boxes of multicoloured and multi-shaped cherry tomatoes? They're expensive, but you can taste the difference between all the varieties, and very tasty they are too. Or - are they from the potager?

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    1. pauline, I got these at the market. My toms are still tiny and green. :)

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  3. Just about to go and make lunch and you've made me seriously hungry!! :-)

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  4. The decoration is interesting and creative one.

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  5. Sparking wine--a novelty, but is it safe to drink?


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    1. carolyn, our test program continues...

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  6. I just want to say, during one of our "what if we won the lottery" discussions last night, we both agreed the first place we'd want to travel is to visit you and Ken and enjoy one of your amazing looking meals, complete with wine, conversation and a walk through the vineyards with Callie.

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    1. sean, you would both be most welcome! I hope you win!

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  7. This could have been a post detailing a gourmet lunch at a fabulous restaurant in the Loire! Breenlantern couldn't have said it better: those are terrific spreads the two of you create for yourselves and for your guests! Is the pitcher in the first photo from around where you live? It really is a very attractive table setting even before the photos of the food!

    Mary in Oregon

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  8. you meals always look so lovely.

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  9. As always, it all looks and sounds so delicious... and so very French.

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  10. What a feast! You really know how to lay out a fabulous meal. Bravo.

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