This week was a special week. We were celebrating Shawn’s birthday, so Shawn got to pick the guest list, and of course the cake. I must admit, for a special occasion like this, I might consider missing rehearsal, to celebrate with friends. There were some discussions about the menu, but in the end, Shawn chose every dish and accompaniment. And it was quite a meal.
More important, was the guest list. It turns out, in this crowd, I was the new guy. We celebrated Shawn’s birthday dinner with some of his favorite and most lasting friends. Our trio was joined by Shawn’s first friend, after moving to Toronto, Alessandra. Next was one of his first Toronto choir friends, Mary. Rounding out our group was another early choir friend, and perpetual favorite, Kathie. For the menu, we put together some of our old favorites, in an Italian themed menu.
Our guests were greeted with sparkling wine as old friends and new made introductions and got caught up, while nibbling on blinis with beluga lentils and crème fraiche.
Yes, there are beluga lentils…. and no, they do not come from whales. The do have a similar look and texture to caviar. We originally discovered the blinis while in Worcester.
Once we had a chance to visit, it was time to move to the dining room, to enjoy Mushroom and truffle oil pyramid ravioli, with home-grown tomato sauce.
What we discovered when we made this ravioli previously, is that due to the shape, we could fit more filling in the ravioli, for a better pasta to filling ratio. Having fresh tomato sauce in the freezer is a wonderful thing, it lets us whip up a pasta sauce that tastes like summer, without having to wait for the tomatoes to grow. The mushroom and truffle oil filling is tasty yet light.
For our main, we served one of our favorite dishes…. Italian style duck confit, with fagioli al fiasco (white bean puree) and sautéed swiss chard with mustard seeds.
Duck confit is an interesting dish. The duck is treated with salt, garlic and herbs, then it rests in the fridge for 36 hours, which helps preserve the duck. The marinade is wiped off and the duck is braised in duck fat for hours. The duck is then covered in the duck fat, either in bottles or containers and can be kept for months. When Shawn suggested Fagioli al fiasco, I was wondering why you would make something with fiasco right in the name, but this bean recipe is very traditional in Tuscany. Originally the beans would be cooked in a jar, in the corner of the fireplace, usually overnight. Our version is cooked in a large mason jar, right on the stove, and it added a lovely base for the duck. Let’s just say the wine accompaniments were varied and plentiful, and leave it at that.
For dessert I had a few ideas in mind, for a birthday cake, but Shawn was stalwart. He wanted Zucotto. So to make a special birthday Zucotto, We just covered the whole thing in dark chocolate ganache.
I love chocolate, I just don’t love cooking with it. It just gets everywhere. The cake though was a huge hit. The glaze gave it a slightly more classy look and the creamy fillings, with the cake layer, is just a simple yet delicious dessert. And no, I will not divulge my secret for the boozy soaking syrup. Over dinner and dessert, we were talking of family recipes being handed down, cooking by smell and feel and many homey memories we have of cooking with Mom.
By the time dessert was served, I had indeed missed much of our rehearsal, but some things just need to be celebrated properly. We gathered round the piano for a good sing-song. Having special friends together, to celebrate was wonderful. It was a great opportunity to get some of Shawn’s oldest friends together, some of whom had not met before. While driving Alessandra to the subway, she mentioned how much she enjoyed the evening. Meeting people is great and eating is fine, but with that special ingredient, it makes it extra special. Whether it be a gathering, a dinner, a birthday, or whatever, it’s always better with genuine love and caring. I guess that’s a part of why we keep having MNDs…. We do prepare the food with love, but we get that back, and more, from the people we surround ourselves with.
Happy birthday to both our January babies ; )