January 10th, 1999
by 12 adventurous souls
The Salvador Dali Dinner
"In the grandest of culinary traditions, I propose to prepare and serve a ten-course meal cultivated entirely from the very rare, out-of-print, Salvador Dali cookbook."
"This dining experience is not for the faint-of-heart or anyone concerned with their arteries. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience which could only have occurred in the splendid days of old - in the days of Balzac and Brillat-Savarin - in the days of Salvador Dali"
chef Carolyn Tillie
January 10th, 1999
by 12 adventurous souls
Salvador Dali Cookbook
Enjoyed as an all-day festival of great food and drink,
in addition to a celebration of good company and conversation.
Lets begin:
QUAIL EGG TARTLETS WITH CAVIAR:
Small, delicate tartlets filled with a
poached quail egg, chives, Beluga caviar, and a touch of fresh cream.
"These tasty little fellows ... were so good I could have eaten
them for the rest of the afternoon and been content."
Young veal and tender shrimp married and
transformed "Chinese Style" to a smooth perfection.
"After being driven to our seats, we were served up
bowls of veal & shrimp consomme' Egrave;' w/the cutest li'l ol' crawdaddy caught in
the act of escaping."
*Cupresse, 1994
TRUFFLES "CINDERELLA" IN FLAKY PASTRY
Full, black truffles sauteed in champagne and sherry with ham and
foie gras, wrapped and baked in puff pastry.
"For this, my second "date" with black
truffles, I was even more happy than on my first."
Shallots, butter, and wine sauteed to accompany freshly poached oysters.
"Now I must admit up front that I am not an oyster lover,
having had a number of disappointments ....
That being said, I was pleasantly surprised as I tentatively
nibbled my way through a couple of these babies."
*Zamo Zamo Pinot Grigio 1995
ESCALOPE OF FOIE GRAS WRAPPED IN CHICKEN
Tender ballotine of chicken, stuffed with sliced foie gras, lightly
sauteed with cream and sherry, served with morels.
"When the escalope of foie
Gras in chicken with morels arrived, it took my poor, by now bewildered
taste buds right over the top. I had to leave the table to rest."
To clean the palate...
"Fortunately, along came a champagne sorbet, just in the nick of time, and I
was able to regain some of my usual composure."
*Gundlach Bunschu Merlot, 1995
A cold confit of duck and chopped assorted olives.
"And not a moment too soon, as it happens, for next out the chute was a hefty
cold confit of duck and olives ... I'm back on my back."
*Le Clos du Cailleon Vieilles Vignes Cote du Rhone, 1995
A masterpiece of eggplant, carrots, and mushrooms, and more hidden in pastry.
"But pulling me back from the abyss of satiation was a delicious - not
to mention awesomely presented - vegetable pie."
The leg itself of injected with Brandy, Madeira, and spices then
roasted and served with a sublime garlic gravy.
"My new-found commitment was to be sorely tested
when, egad! appeared a roast leg of lamb, injected with brandy Madeira and
served up with a salivatiatious garlic gravy. Well, by now I was not the
only one feeling the effects of overindulgence. We got up - those of us
what could still move - & stretched our legs."
*Lenteiro Port 1947 - As well as various Grappas, Cognacs, and
Brandies
"a 60-year-old Port, and grappas and brandies and cognacs, oh My!"
Etorki Sheep's Milk, L'Edel de Cleron, Swiss Appenzeller, Champignon
Montagnolo, Goat Gouda, Boar Piet (a 48-month Raw Milk Gouda), Currant
Voucheese, Parrano
"An assortment of delicious cheeses kept us from losing our edge, however,
as we milled about the room drinking coffee or tea, engaging in brief conversations,
or just trying to coax enough room in our bodies to welcome desert."
*Coffee or Tea
Amazing little edible Valrhona chocolate cups filled with Kirsh-soaked
genoise, vanilla ice cream, Kirsh-soaked fruit, and Chantilly cream,
crowned with a golden cage.
"And welcome it was, ... delicious."
"It was deliriously delectable! Stupendously scrumptious! Surrealistically
savory! I've never tasted anything like it before. Carolyn Tillie is a shaman
in chef's clothing!" Ralph
"... Certainly the event of the season. The
only way she could have improved on it was to have several
attractive, very buff half dressed young men -oiled, of course- carrying
the platters in when a gong was struck. (actually the cooking was so
amazing we wouldn't have cared if we were competing with wild hyenas....)" Marguerite
"We arrived about 2:00 pm and were greeted with Veuve Clicquot & quail egg
tartlets. ...By the time 10:30 pm rolled around, 8 & 1/2 hours of food, food, food. I
was full filled." Leroy
