I almost forgot to take pictures…we were halfway done when we remembered.  Every dinner I host must tease and please the senses.  Food should be beautifully presented on dishes that may reflect the season or the mood  or because they evoke certain memories.  They should be pleasing to the eyes (perhaps even have some artistic bend) and therefore, theoretically may enhance the total experience.   I learned this lesson from visiting, working and living in Tokyo.  The Japanese really know how to unfold the evening to an adventure of all your senses when dining.  For this dinner I chose the color green, reminiscent of Spring as the main color for serving, specifically Japanese Oribe from Japan and locally made by potters who were influenced by Japanese design.  The exception was the beef burgundy which was cooked in a red casserole by Emile Henry…I love these red cooking pots.

Everyone had their own personal favorite but all agreed that the beef burgundy was even better than last time.  I used Julia Child’s recipe but I added a full bottle of wine and only 1 cup of broth.  I braised the leeks in sake.  I picked the meyer lemons for the tarte from my brother’s tree.  The Krug Flannery (the one that looks like a woven basket) was a Christmas gift from my good friend Ames.  You can get one from K&L Wines in Redwood City: https://www.klwines.com/.  If you do go, ask for Gary Westby, the friendliest and very knowledgeable champagne buyer for all of K&L.  I have learned much from Gary and you will too.

No pics of the fish as the photographer was iPhone challenged, had a few glasses of champagne!  The fish was very moist and I threw chervil, chives, tarragon, olive oil, garlic in the blender to marinate the fish overnight, then grilled right before dinner.

The chicken came out well but I liked the taste of the chicken better on Sunday.  I used fresh hedgehog, chanterelle and dried morel mushrooms and generous amount of wine.

We wind down dinner with Port and music of Greg Adams and East Bay Soul in the background,  happy to be in each other’s company.

I was elated that my friends enjoyed the food…their joy and satisfaction were my rewards.