Zee Menu, Mesdames et Messieurs

Entracte

Appetizers: olives, cornichons, melon, asparagus and prociutto wraps

Prime

Green salad with orange, fennel, and asparagus,

served with a crisp white wine or juice

Mains

Harissa-spiced slow-roasted lamb shoulder with haroset, couscous, pita, and hummous

served with a robust but soft red wine

Dessert

Vanilla panna cotta with summer berry couli, or an elderflower and blackberry jelly

served with Sauternes

Fromage

Brie, Blue, and Comte, with biscuits

no more wine for you!

Cafe et The

Coffee, tea, and chocolates

Sortie

Fresh and dried fruit and nuts

Zee chefs extraordinaire

A. (zee hostess) et Ladybug

....et zee sous chef langue-suffering

Pancho

Planning the Easter Feast

Inspired by Nigella AND with the idea that it would be best to feast in a way that doesn't require lots of kitchen time at the last minute, I'm leaning towards slow roast lamb.

Did you know that you can roast a lamb shoulder overnight? How cool is that! I'm thinking of adopting Nigella's all-night technique and giving it a spice rub of something like ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, harissa, lemon, etc. I'm still pondering side dishes, but I think definitely quickly-cooked seasonal veg and possibly a funky salad (e.g., watercress, pecorino, and pear). Updates will follow, and hopefully we'll take pictures this time around!

Political Propaganda - Yay McCain!

Click on the McCain banner on the right -- you know you want to...

Empty Larder, Empty Table...blame the PhD

Apologies for the excessively boring blog of late, and especially for the lack of food news. These hungry souls have been fasting instead of feasting, especially now that I am trying to finish writing up in the next few months while job searching at the same time. To prove to you that this is a reality and not just an excuse, let me give you the rundown of my meals so far today:

breakfast: bran flakes
lunch: bran flakes and strawberry yoghurt
snack: espresso macchiato and a granola bar

Also, I did have bran flakes for dinner (and Pancho had porridge) a couple of nights ago. So things are looking pretty sad. Good news: fish planned for dinner, thus getting me out of the Kellogg's food group.

On the up side, Pancho has established his foodie creds by cooking more or less by himself (avec a sous chef) Bible study dinner for 10--including a veggie option--that garnered almost universal praise. (Personally, I thought the veggie sauce had a bit of fennel seed overdose, but that was, apparently, just me. It is certainly the case, however, that his penne was perfectly al dente, even a few days later.)

Christmas in Cambridge!