A Business Luncheon
Business gatherings are always more enjoyable when accompanied by a delicious meal.
Yesterday, I hosted a luncheon at my home for a group of nine guests. My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, collaborated on a wonderful menu that included imported white jumbo asparagus served with Hollandaise sauce and mustard sauce, asparagus and onion soup, Miso black cod with carrot-ginger purée, sautéed spinach, potatoes and roasted beets; and for dessert, crisp meringue nests with lemon curd, crème fraiche and blood orange. It was an excellent lunch and a very enjoyable meeting.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The event was a casual, small intimate gathering, so I decided to have it at my kitchen counter. Beautiful houseplants were brought in from my greenhouse. My housekeepers and I work on the table settings together. We try to make each one different and pretty.
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- In my servery, decorative vessels planted up with African violets and moss.
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- Meanwhile, fresh, delicious beets are picked from the vegetable greenhouse. When planning the menu, I always think about what is available in the gardens.
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- We also used a lot of fresh spinach, picked just hours earlier.
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- In the morning, Chef Pierre roasts the beets. These are so fresh and gorgeous deep red in color.
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- We also used golden and rainbow beets. These beets are all roasted for 35 to 40 minutes, tossed halfway, until one can pierce through the beets with light pressure.
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- The jumbo asparagus spears were imported from France. White asparagus is generally sweeter and more tender than the green variety. Chef Pierre cuts them in half and saves the bottoms for asparagus soup – nothing is wasted.
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- Fresh eggs were picked in the morning to make the creamy Hollandaise sauce.
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- Hollandaise sauce, meaning Dutch sauce in French, is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice. It is popularly served on vegetables such as steamed asparagus.
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- Supreming is the term for removing the peel and pith of citrus fruit, then cutting them into segments. The tops and bottoms are also sliced to make them stand flat.
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- Here are the citrus rounds after cutting – a stunning mix of oranges.
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- About 10-minutes before serving, the asparagus spears are steamed to perfection.
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- Then they are plated in lines of four or five spears each…
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- … and served with Hollandaise sauce on one side, and mustard sauce on the other. All my guests loved both.
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- Black cod is also known as sablefish, coalfish, Alaskan cod or butterfish. The cod fillets were marinated in Miso, mirin, and sake for 72-hours prior to cooking. Here they are pan-seared beautifully. Everyone asked for second helpings.
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- The cod is served with roasted beets, sautéed spinach, fingerling potatoes, and carrot-ginger purée. It was such a delicious combination of fish and vegetables.
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- Dessert was also a big hit. First, a smidge of crème fraiche is placed in the center of each plate…
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- … Just a little keeps the meringue nest in place. Then, the nest is filled with a creamy lemon curd.
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- Fresh citrus slices are placed alongside the nest.
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- These are candied citrus slices – I could eat a platter of these, they’re so good.
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- Finally, the nest is topped with a dollop of crème fraiche, a slice of candied orange, and a sprig of mint. Not a bit left over from anyone’s plate. Everything was excellent. What special dishes are you making this weekend?
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